The surprising reason we are all so obsessed with fashion food girlies
It’s been a long day in the Cosmo office and I’ve finally collapsed on my bed ready for some horizontal TikTok time. After just a few scrolls, I’ve seen Dua Lipa drink an *interesting* pickle juice Diet Coke and Gabbriette Bechtel make a cottage pie. Is this a normal FYP? Or am I just ready for dinner because it’s 6pm and social media is reading my mind? Although likely the latter, the internet is eating up (ahem) viral fashion-food girlies, and our subsequent obsession with them is getting hard to ignore.
While I could make multiple recipe books full of concoctions curated by fashion IT-girls (hey, Gigi Hadid’s vodka pasta), if there was one particular person who has seamlessly blended food and fashion, it's Nara Smith. The TikTok sensation went viral time and time again last year for making everything from cough drops to spaghetti hoops entirely from scratch, from the comfort of her own kitchen. No doubt an impressive feat, but arguably not nearly as impressive as the ensembles she wore to do so – luxury, high-end labels that wouldn't look out of place on the runway.
You need only check the comment section on a recent Instagram post of Nara making gnocchi to know that it hasn't gone unnoticed, too, with one follower writing, “All I could focus on was the Schiaparelli dress,” and another adding, “So no aprons just bomb ass attire to cook 😂❤️.”
Her virality even saw her collaborate with Ferragamo to create a homemade panna cotta whilst wearing a deep red, scalloped dress from the brand’s Autumn/Winter 24 collection, as well as a tongue-in-cheek skit which saw her ‘cooking’ a Marc Jacobs tote bag in the oven. Amongst the adoration for her style and recipes, Nara has also faced backlash, with some viewers interpreting her content as trad-wife cosplay. However, from a fashion standpoint, her feather-adorned dresses and long-sleeve gloves (that include fingernail detailing, BTW) make it hard to say who’s eating more – Nara’s style or her family at the dinner table.
Fashion and food have long been intertwined. It was back in 1937 that Elsa Schiaparelli created the much-renowned Lobster dress. Illustrated by Salvador Dalí, the large crimson lobster was then printed onto an A-line off-white silk evening dress and was made famous by Wallis Simpson, who modelled it for Vogue. Fashion writer and author of The Little Book of Schiaparelli, Emma Baxter-Wright explains that, “Dalí’s work often dealt with themes connecting sexuality and consumption, and here Schiaparelli aligns herself with the same ideas.” But why are we now all so obsessed with fashion girlies cooking crazy meals? Are we really going back to trad-wife culture, or associating ‘sexuality’ with ‘consumption’?
No, I don’t think so. While celebs have long been at the forefront of popular cuisine (honestly, Nigella Lawson walked so Nara Smith could run), I personally think the catalyst for this influx of fashion foodies was lockdown. Everyone, including the A-list, had a lot more time on their hands, and sharing their mundane kitchen habits was a way to pass the time and connect with their fanbase. Watching Florence Pugh’s cooking Stories on Instagram was a lockdown ritual for me, alongside Zoom quizzes and 5km runs.
The trend has only gained momentum since lockdown ended, with people more interested than ever in drinking less, going on ‘hot girl walks,’ and generally leading a healthier way of life. In this way, it makes sense that food – a vital part of a healthy lifestyle – is also being honoured, sparking moments like ‘tomato-girl summer’ and ‘girl-dinner’ (a way of eating intuitively and celebrating the foods which bring you joy).
“Gen Z, in particular, is embracing this shift… In a culture where trends are no longer linear or confined to separate categories, they now merge to create a full lifestyle aesthetic,” says Shakaila Forbes-Bell, Clearpay’s Consumer Insights Psychologist. “It’s not just about what you wear, it’s about the entire experience, from what you eat to how you present yourself.” In a single TikTok, you can see what your fave celeb is chowing down on, how they dress whilst they do so, what their house looks like, *and* who they’re eating with (multitasking final boss over here).
In turn, brands have picked up on the interest and are trying to capitalise. From the Prada Café in Harrods to Anya Hindmarch’s ice-cream shop, or even Lidl’s pop-up patisserie in celebration of London Fashion Week last September. Did you know that Giorgio Armani has TWENTY restaurants?! For brands, it’s a diversification of revenue. For us, it’s a way to indulge in a luxury label, without having to fork out on a triple-figure price tag. Fashion houses have seen us all participate in the little treat culture, and they want a piece of the action. A slice of the pie, if you will. We might not be able to afford an Hermès mini Kelly (which can fetch up to a casual $33,000), but we *can* afford an oat flat white a few times a week.
Forbes-Bell agrees, “Consumers are now being enticed through the allure of indulgence… A lifestyle influencer posing at a cafe with a delicious coffee and croissant could just as easily be heading to a fashion event, blurring the lines between everyday moments and high-fashion aspirations, and making consumers want to do the same.”
A treat a day keeps the scaries away, and the scaries really are scaring right now. When the cost of living is at an all-time high, owning a house seems like an increasingly unrealistic prospect. The Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) reported that the number of under-30s living with their parents has risen by a third over the past 20 years. So you can hardly blame us for wanting to indulge in a fancy Prada pastry every now and then.
With financial pressures not looking to ease up anytime soon and celebs serving their fave (and usually bizarre) snacks on a silver platter, it’s never been more fashionable to be a foodie. You can participate in fashion trend cycles and buy into luxe brands without the financial implications. In some ways, this means fashion has never been so accessible. So, consider this is a call to arms to all fashion food girlies: keep making those TikToks, because I, for one, will be eating them up.
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