The TikTok aesthetics industrial complex never sleeps. Monoculture is dead, but the bright side to this is that now, more than ever, you can find niche styles that cater to your specific tastes and interests. From quirky eclectic grandpa sweater vests to whimsigoth celestial curtains, a broad range of fashion and home decor styles exploded on social media this year.
Without further ado, let’s break down the very best TikTok aesthetics in 2024.
10. Preppy
To anyone who’s not a part of Gen Alpha: Preppy no longer means what you think it means. Instead of referencing posh country club attire, preppy today is marked by cutesy skincare, vibrant athleisure, and TikTok-viral water bottles. It’s the revival of 2019’s VSCO Girl with its emphasis on rainbow pony beads and smiley faces.
To some degree, it’s still defined by products geared towards upper-middle-class tweens and teens—think brands like Drunk Elephant, Lilly Pulitzer, and Stanley. But it’s a welcome shift if you prefer a less stuffy vibe than the old money aesthetic, the most recent evolution of the old preppy.
9. Eclectic grandpa
Instead of emphasizing a cohesive wardrobe, the eclectic grandpa aesthetic is all about cobbling together random pieces for a quirky look. In a way, it can be thought of as a reaction to the hyper-curation we experience online. Rather than requiring specific pieces and color schemes, this trend invites mixing and matching.
Staples items include pieces that a grandpa might wear, like pleated trousers and sweater vests. The most authentic way to be an eclectic grandpa is to wear pieces you’ve had for a while. After all, it takes time for an old person to cultivate their taste, not a quick Temu haul.
8. Gothic Western
Sometimes, you want to combine folksy cowboy charm with dark and twisty Victorian vibes. Touted by celebrities like Beyoncé and Bella Hadid, Gothic Western, or Cowgirl Goth, blends Americana elements with a dark palette. In practice, this looks like fringe, stud, and leather details against striking black and burgundy colors. On the home decor front, a Cowgirl Goth enthusiast might have marble statues and dark velvet drapes with cacti and saloon-style bar stools.
7. McBling
What we commonly know as the Y2K aesthetic is really the McBling look. Y2K is more about frosty metallic finishes and futuristic motifs, whereas this Bush-era look of excess emphasizes luxury through bedazzled surfaces, velvet textures, and hot pink everything—think the Plastics in Mean Girls. While its hype petered out by the end of 2024, McBling was just right for those who live by a more-is-more mantra.
6. Scandi Girl Winter
While Scandi Girl Winter is specific to one season, its rise perhaps hints at a broader and seasonless collective desire for minimalism and functionality. It’s grounded in the Danish concept of hygge, which emphasizes comfort and coziness above flashy materialistic displays. As its name implies, it spotlight pieces that Scandinavians wear when it’s cold, like fleeces and balaclavas.
5. Whimsigoth
Perfect for lovers of Tim Burton and Guillermo del Toro, the witchy whimsigoth aesthetic fuses dark Gothic elements with fairytale motifs. Its hallmarks include dark jewel tones, celestial symbols, and flowy silhouettes. Thoughtful layering, along with an appreciation for predecessors like Art Nouveau and ’90s grunge, will help you bring to life the most refined whimsigoth look.
4. Coquette
This year, TikTok saw the resurgence of coquette, a frilly and lacy aesthetic that takes inspiration from the dreamy works of Lana del Rey and Sofia Coppola. It’s not just anything that has a pink bow on it, though—this style also embraces ornate details, floral motifs, and intricate textures. Pinterest predicts that the historic Rococo style, one of coquette’s major influences, will enjoy a revival in 2025.
3. Corpcore
The polished outfits from The Devil Wears Prada have made their way back into cultural relevance. 2024’s corpcore gave style lovers more modern zhuzh with exaggerated corporate silhouettes like oversized poplin button-downs and pleated shorts. While this year’s take on office attire is fun and playful, it isn’t without controversy. One of corpcore’s dicier variants is the office siren aesthetic, a revival, arguably, of the problematic sexy secretary trope.
2. 2014 Tumblr
If you grew up on Tumblr during the late aughts, the rise of Tumblrcore may be much to your chagrin—or perhaps nostalgic delight. 2014, in particular, marks the height of the blogging platform’s golden years within the 2010s. This look is essentially a repackaging of soft grunge, featuring flannel shirts, denim jackets, and chokers. Washed-out colors reigned supreme in 2014, as a desaturated style would perfectly complement your sad lyrics and profound musings on Tumblr.
1. Brat
Charli XCX’s beloved electropop album defined this year. You can’t deny that the summer of 2024 was the summer of Brat: Virtually every celebrity and their mother did the “Apple” dance, and the Harris campaign ran on the momentum of Charli XCX calling the vice president “brat.”
While also an iteration of the It Girl, the Brat Girl is the opposite of the put-together Clean Girl with her effortlessly cool messiness. The main colors of this aesthetic are green and black like the Brat album. Brat is also influenced by Y2K and nightlife styles, with tube tops, chunky boots, and slinky dresses incorporated into its signature looks.
More style explainers:
- 2014 Tumblr is back in full swing: Here’s what to know about all things Tumblrcore
- What is ‘fake’ vs. ‘real’ coquette, and how has the definition changed over time?
- Viral goth makeup looks from different goth subcultures are making waves
- ‘Beetlejuice lips’ beauty trend inspires backlash: ‘An influencer’s nightmare’
- Add a touch of warmth to your makeup with the ‘milk tea lips’ trend
- In a chaotic world, the clean girl aesthetic attempts to channel order
- What counts as the Y2K aesthetic? Here’s what you need to know
- Add some vampy fizz to your look with cherry cola nails
The Daily Dot looks back at the year that was in our 2024 Year in Review.
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