The fashion industry is an ever-revolving door providing entrance to new trends dictated by various voices of style congress, namely luxury designers, entertainment media outlets, and, most recently, TikTok. TikTok provides a platform where everyone is a journalist, reporting their take on this week’s “ins” and “outs,” dictating what’s hot and what’s not.
Enter, Myra Magdalen. The 25-year-old TikTok stylist is an enigma to most, standing among her signature wall of thrifted keyboards as she attaches bugs, stuffed motorcycles, or doll heads wearing ties to every available square inch of fabric she wears, often fashioning makeshift fasteners to hold even more objects in a celebration of excess and absurdity.
Her impact is undeniable and has seemingly entranced key influential runway designers to consider their response to the evolving trend. After Fashion Week’s fleeting departure and the new season upon us, we are left with visual commentary from artists such as J.W. Anderson, PH5, and Chopova Lowena. Anderson took Magdalen’s influence personally as models strutted the runway adorned in giant vintage computer keys adhered to simple silhouettes. The menswear show featured fuzzy sweaters with focused skateboards looped through breasted slits, drawing comparison to some backward “skate-fairy;” I believe Myra would approve.
PH5 took a more abstract approach, as they often do, sending models down the runway holding heat-crumpled sheets of acrylic— something of an “almost purse” if the only criteria for that are that you can hold it. The fiber-esque pieces matched similar attachments to the garments themselves, which boasted pastel color palettes and tight ribbed knits. Although potentially not about the TikTok famous keyboard collector, this statement is an admittance that her message rings true: trinkets can, in fact, be worn.
Chopova Lowena partook in a myriad of trends while creating just as many of their own, having models hold single chains of crochet as they strutted the runway. Other keepsakes included menageries of multicolored figurines on carabiner belts that set the stage for most hardware of the collection. Designers Emma Chopova and Laura Lowena seem mainly in touch with the TikTok style demographic as well, being of young age and networking with influencers like Mandy Lee (@oldloserinbrooklyn) as well.
As the trend cycle deteriorates and new aesthetics emerge by the day, will this represent the future of individual style? Do your objects make the outfit individual to you in an age where everyone seeks one-of-a-kind? Will this trend be fleeting, or is Myra’s impact here to stay like your favorite dust-collecting tchotchke?
Words by Mandy Oliveri.
Graphic by Fai McCurdy.