Grandma Dressing Is All Over My Instagram Feed, and Honestly, I'm Into It
First things first: What is grandma dressing? Think any combination of pearls, fur, faux fur, silk, animal print, statement eyewear, vintage-inspired leather, tights, ladylike bags, chunky jewelry, floral prints, and anything Saks Potts. In other words, a more-is-more approach to styling anything that looks like it could have (or actually did) come from your grandmother’s closet. A movement no doubt inspired in some part by Gucci’s Alessandro Michele–led aesthetic, but after some much-needed dilution and trickle-down, making it a lot more wearable.
One may wonder: Given that my personal style is unabashedly simple, just why do I feel an uncharacteristic proclivity toward grandma dressing? Well, for starters, it’s free. Like several of my other favorite styling tricks right now, it can be achieved with pieces you already have in your closet. All it takes is some creativity and a willingness to step outside your comfort zone. Aside from that, it’s convenient. What better way to combat cold-weather dressing than with an endless approach to layering?
So with that, keep scrolling to see how grandma dressing has manifested itself on Instagram and shop pieces inspired by the trend—because while you may not need to buy more, it’s always fun.
Up next? More ways to dress cooler without buying anything.
Since starting as an intern back in 2013, Nicole Akhtarzad Eshaghpour has held several roles here at Who What Wear, and she is currently Editor-at-Large. Upon joining, she was a senior about to graduate from business school at USC. Fast-forward to 2025, and she's moved to NYC from her hometown of Beverly Hills and spends her workdays a little differently from when she was just starting out. Currently, she focuses on a weekly mélange of shopping content and her Trust Me—Buy This newsletter. As far as her personal style goes, she's largely drawn to neutral, classic pieces but will always make an exception for something colorful or bejeweled as long as it's deemed worthy enough. After all, the only thing she loves more than a party is dressing up for one. On her downtime, she can usually be found at home eating something delicious and trying to force her husband to watch Summer House.
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