Get Inspired By These 12 Over-40 TikTok and Insta Style Influencers
Soft pants. Sweatpants. Snuggies. Whatever it is we’ve been wearing the last year, it isn’t style. So as we prepare to emerge from our cocoons and dare to get dressed again, perhaps we should look to some folks who managed to keep churning out fashionable inspiration every day, from beauty and fashion to home decor (yeah, our homes could use refreshing, too). Our favorite recent finds are all over-40 influencers from TikTok and Instagram — a reminder that owning your style becomes ever more natural as we age.
This makeup-artist mom sprinkles in salty language with her no-BS (and sometimes unconventional) concealer, brow and lip tips for we over-40s. Most of us haven’t been wearing much makeup during the pandemic but this “beech” (as she calls her fans) makes us want to put on a fresh face every day.
We don’t spend a lot of time checking out the #after50 hashtag, because we know kick-ass style is ageless. BUT there is no way we would have skipped Arlinda MacIntosh, a true original with bold taste and a great joie de vivre. She has been making clothes for decades, but recently her SofistaFunk fashion line — made up of skirts, skirts, skirts, glorious, fluffy skirts! — and Arlinda herself are getting a lot of attention. If you’ve always wanted to wear a bustle, or a shimmering taffeta ball skirt just because, Arlinda shows us that surely you are old enough now not to G.A.F. and just go big. (Don’t miss her dancing vids on her baby TikTok account, either.)
53-year-old beer heiress, musician, fashionista and British socialite Daphne Guinness merges futuristic goth looks over meme music and hip-hop beats — a total pro at creating her own otherworldly genre. (Which is why Catherine O’Hara used her as a muse for Moira Rose.) Get a glimpse behind the scenes at her fashion shows, watch her put a look together, walk down the street or just revel in the fabulosity.
It’s hard to decide what is more seductive in interior designer Neffi Walker’s style feeds: her chic black-and-white home decor, or her own always-changing style. Especially her hairstyles: cropped blonde pixie, long Cleopatra tresses, silver-blonde braids down her back, loose waves for days. Major eyeglasses inspo, too (the massive tortoise-shell trapezoidal frames she’s wearing right now from @styleeyesoptical are everything). Bonus: following her ultra-romantic love affair with girlfriend @dannysellsnyc.
Plenty of men don’t want to sweat what they wear — but pour themselves into fine whisky, fine cars, tech and toys, any one of them being the ultimate male accessory. Michael Satterfield, with his regular-Joe vibes, makes it all seem like this lifestyle can be yours. Beautifully photographed cocktails and gorgeous automobiles compete for the spotlight, but it’s probably seeing new gadgets like the “Automower” — think Roomba for your lawn — that keeps his fans coming back. “Drive, Dress, Live Like a Gentleman” is his motto, and he parades the goods that will get you there, if a curated throwback romantic 007 vibe is what gets your motor running.
Fashion models are like unicorns: absolutely magical, gorgeous, and made for dreams. But a lot of us have to get dressed in more earthly terrain. For that, turn to Wardrobe Oxygen for your breath of fresh air: Alison Gary is a much-loved Instagrammer who showcases what she calls “real-life style for grown-ass women.” (We at TueNight are fans of all grown-ass women, obviously.) What that means is you can shop her feed and find clothes you can afford that will make you look amazing, no matter your size.
A longtime model, Karen Williams has an Instagram account that definitely has its share of fashion shots — but come for the hair, the hair the hair! And then stay for her inspiration. Williams rocks a silver ‘fro, or silver braids, or silver knots, or teeny-tiny silver curls, or a silver fauxhawk, and all of it looks amazing and creates serious hair envy. Williams reminds that Black hair is “Black hair is community, our beauty, our story, our history.” And so fittingly, Williams also shares images of powerful Black women in history… and shots with her equally gorgeous mom.
Carelia Medich was born in Colombia, but she has a certain kind of American style nailed perfectly. Think: wearable, memorable, adorable. She mixes classic blazers with polka dots and stripes, trench coats with bold circle skirts (which look ridiculously current on her, and not at all ‘50s), and top hats with heels. And if you still think you can’t see yourself in wide-legged jeans, check out her feed and you might be convinced to give them a shot.
Dive into this IG feed and be taken away to that perfectly styled sprawling abode your home will never be, complete with an elegant dog who makes every photo 62 percent better. The Federal-style home — which is now a functioning inn — has been outfitted with restrained luxury: gorgeous mid century vintage finds, perfect vignettes of interesting objects, deep wall colors. And when you learn the inn belongs to the former menswear designer for J.Crew, Frank Muytjens and his partner — both J.Crew handsome, as you might expect — everything suddenly makes sense. Classic style with a patina of history, but not showing its age. Sounds like a recipe for all of us, frankly.
- Maye Musk
Elon Musk is maybe a little too much in the headlines, in our humble opinion. But his mother? We want more, more, more, please! The 72-year-gorgeous model and author — her book “A Woman Makes a Plan: Advice for a Lifetime of Adventure, Beauty and Success” came out in paperback last December — is stunning and has a great sense of humor, our favorite combination. On her TikTok, she vamps, does funny bits, and shares a lot of cute moments with her dog. On Instagram, she posts finished shoots and red-carpet moments with all her famous friends (including lots of way-younger models, naturally, who are now “old” in their own right, like Karolina Kurkova, now 37). And once in a while, she posts old photos of her and her son before he was famous and brags just a little. Awww, every mother can relate — and being a proud mum is always stylish.
For men who love bold fashion taste (and the women and men who love them) , head to this feed, hosted by street-style photographer and style consultant Karl-Edwin Guerre. Guerre (the name he goes by) is unafraid of color, pattern, hats, and stylish specs and he wears every single thing he wears flawlessly. He makes everything look just fiiiiiiine. Oh, and he just launched a slick men’s style magazine, No Chaser. (We’ll take everything he’s offering neat, TYVM.)
If you thought you’d rather be caught dead wearing matching outfits with your paramour, this Japanese couple will change your mind. Tsuyoshi and Tomi Seki have been married 40 years and say they always had similar taste — Breton stripes, Uniqlo and other affordable classic favorites — but they began coordinating more closely once their daughter introduced them to Instagram and fans flocked to their account. Now in their 60s, they travel all over Japan, and struck a deal with a Japanese retailer to produce clothing that captures their style. Their simple, joyful photos make togetherness — and retirement! — impossibly chic.
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