The Widespan Diversity of Los Angeles Fashion

oliviakim2
Feb 27, 2024
6 min read

@zoifish on Instagram. April 15, 2023. Click above to see post.

Click here for corresponding Pinterest board! → https://pin.it/3hHjWps8q

For decades upon decades, Los Angeles has been a social hotspot for pop culture, glamour, and allure. However, as time has gone on, the fashion scene in LA has been somewhat of an intriguing topic for those within the industry, as it hasn’t seemed to fit one particular reputation. While other cities such as New York or Paris tend to have a certain style to it that the general public can take note of, Los Angeles has been, at least to me personally, quite an anomaly. But as trends continue to evolve in every city throughout the world, there are a good number of figures that seem to be leading the way for a more unique, avant-garde, yet sophisticated look. The use of animal print, chrome, plaid, as well as interesting textures such as faux fur, the assortment of skirt lengths (micro, mini, midi, or maxi), tall knee high boots of all colors, are certainly a few current standout pieces and elements, along with the true talent of knowing how to layer and accessorize to enhance the outfit, not crowd it. While these trends are certainly not specific to any one city, it is interesting to see how the people of LA take them into account while keeping their core "Los Angeles" style at hand, that is oftentimes more simplistic and clean cut.

Additionally, the use of second hand, vintage clothing has slowly risen into popularity within the past couple years, promoting sustainability and healthier clothing consumption habits. Each influencer in this post specifically more often that not, seek out pieces that are second-hand or from small businesses, promoting clothing ethicality, something that despite entering the conversation more nowadays, still has quite a long way to go. Not only do these influencers showcase beautifully crafted outfits, but they are inspiring their audience to follow suit in supporting small businesses and second-hand clothing. While there sustainability in the fashion industry is an extremely extensive journey we are currently on, people such as these are taking steps in the right direction, and in my opinion, greatly deserve the platform they have. There is certainly something to be said about the impact people such as these have on the fashion industry, specifically for those in the up-and-coming generations of Gen Z and beyond considering the ever growing role of influencers in today’s society. This post will go into depth on three different levels of influencers, micro, macro, and one in between, specifically all from the Los Angeles area.

First and foremost is Zoi Lerma. Known as @zoifish on Instagram with 450k followers and @zoifishh on TikTok with whopping 6 million followers, Zoi has accumulated quite a large following, putting her at our “in between” level of influencer. Despite not being at quite the same acclaim as an A-list celebrity, to her benefit, she has a certain magnetism of charismatic relatability with an elusive, elevated elegance. Ever since 2020, she began where many Gen Z influencers did, by creating dance videos. But with time, she eventually began to put out more lifestyle, beauty, and fashion content surrounding her experiences in Los Angeles, where she grew up near and eventually has settled down in. She is able to create such eclectic outfits, by combining a contrasting mix of designer items along with pieces that are vintage, second-hand, or from small businesses. Her outfits are far from basic, as she seems to envision an editorial mystique. By even using pieces that could be called an elevated version of simple individually, her ability to assemble an outfit with multiple layers with extensive, intentional accessorizing . Some of her most used brands include Sycho Shop, Buci, Miu Miu, and Prada. Below are photos captured on her Instagram ranging from large events such as Coachella to everyday streetwear.

@zoifish on Instagram. April 15, 2023. Click above to see post.

@zoifish on Instagram. January 20, 2024. Click above to see post.

@zoifish on Instagram. January 4, 2024. Click above to see post.

Next, is Addison Rae Easterling, one of the most critically acclaimed influencers that rose to fame around 2019 when she joined the “Hype House” content team. She has grown to have an overwhelming fan base of over 88 million followers on TikTok and 36 million on Instagram. Despite the reputation of those involved in “Hype House” around this time of a much more childlike, playful personality, as time went on she seemed to step away from this personality to encapsulate a much more mature persona, by attending high profile events such as the Met Gala, founding her own makeup brand, Item Beauty, and starring in films. Her style, in turn, has also matured. Her old style was reminiscent of a style that is very much still relevant in Los Angeles; a more basic, simple look made up of some type of plain top or tank with jeans and sneakers. Many have also taken note of the trend of bringing back the lively style era from 2014-2016 into 2024, that Addison has been a large part of inspiring. Similarly to Zoi, she has shown she is able to take individually, more simpler pieces, but arranging them into an outfit that is not only “on trend” but unique to her own uplifted style. She has taken that more rudimentary look and transformed it into an elevated, opulent one. In addition, as her events have seemed to upgrade, her red carpet looks have been extremely stand out. Below are multiple examples of the aforementioned looks, both on the red carpet and her everyday streetwear.

@addisonraee on Instagram. December 31, 2023. Click above to see post.

@addisonraee on Instagram. December 4, 2023. Click above to see post.

@addisonraee on Instagram. April 10, 2023. Click above to see post.

Lastly, for the more micro influencer platform, there are quite a number of individuals that represent the new era of stand out Los Angeles fashion. Elianna Arvizu, Rachel Grace Wilson, and Maddy Crum come to mind, with their approximately 100k-600k follower count on Instagram and between 50k to 900k follower count on TikTok. They all envelop the same style of an elevated elegance with yet an exquisite simplicity that are beautifully intertwined. Similarly to Zoi and Addison the ability to compose such intricate outfits with pieces that individually may not seem as complicated on their own is what the new era of Los Angeles fashion is envisioning. Despite not having the same follower count that the two previously mentioned influencers have, their close-knit group of fans are all the more passionate about supporting them and their content. While the days of casual athleisure and the basic top and jeans is likely far from gone, these particular standouts hint towards what could reinvent the very typically informal, some could say “Californian” way of dressing by taking a plethora of individualized pieces that work harmoniously together to create an intriguing, complex look. Below are examples from each of the women mentioned above, mostly of their everyday streetwear outfits.

@eliannaarvizu on Instagram. February 20, 2024. Click above to see post.

@rachelgracewilson on Instagram. February 15, 2024. Click above to see post.

@iblowyourmind (Maddy Crum) on Instagram. February 14, 2023. Click above to see post.

The significance of introducing various levels of fame goes to show that each of these individuals hold a significant influence on their audience, however large that may be. Further, by doing so, they are all contributing to rebooting what is slowly becoming a new era of fashion for the city of Los Angeles for the new generation that is slowly growing up and taking up important positions in the fashion industry. It is probable to say that those of significance in Generation Z now debatably have an equal amount or even more impact on fashion trends than those of an older generation. It will be interesting to see how many adapt to this, or if any will at all besides those more particularly concerned with fashion, but either way there is no doubt that the LA fashion scene will continue to be on an extremely wide spectrum and will remain ever changing and ever growing. I was lucky enough myself to grow up throughout many different areas in California and witnessing how much the fashion industry has had an impact on a city such as Los Angeles has been nothing short of interesting, especially within the last couple years. Despite currently living in New York, I intend to still keep a close eye on LA and their fashion choices and can say for myself, that I would love and hope to see it grow even more out of simplicity and into an intricate complexity. Lastly, below are a few of my own outfits in Los Angeles that hopefully emulate what I have been speaking on! See you next week!