The arrival of social distancing has wrought an unexpected change in the land of Instagram. Only six months ago, the platform was a conveyor belt of stripped-back ensembles, all in 50 shades of beige—give or take the odd pop of colour via an artfully placed citrus fruit. But now it seems as though fashion lovers are looking for a little more dopamine in their dressing. Enter Scandi girls.
While in the first few weeks of lockdown, loungewear was the name of the game, it seems as though the novelty of all things knitted has finally worn off. Escapism now comes in the form of colour, texture, clashing prints and, the most important accessory of all, a megawatt smile. The Scandi girls have it all. Don’t get me wrong. I am a regular worshipper at the altar of minimalism, and you’re much likelier to see me in a white tee and black trousers than a floor-length floral gown. Yet there’s something about the austere aesthetic that is simply not making my heart sing right now.
No, I might not be replicating their outfits to a T (or maybe give it a few weeks), but if fashion can’t act as our weird, wonderful and aspirational older sister, then what can? I’m just going enjoy soaking in all the eclectic goodness of the stylish lot below, and who knows, maybe I’ll start absorbing some of their colourful coolness via osmosis. A girl can dream.