4 Instagram accounts to follow of "undercover" influencers in the fashion world

Becoming an influencer in her 70s, retired doctor Qin Huilan caused a stir during Paris Fashion Week in March 2023 when she walked the Miu Miu runway.
Ms. Qin, who has spent her entire professional career working in hospitals, often puts practicality over style when it comes to fashion - because no matter what you wear to work, there's always a blouse to cover everything.

Only after retiring and moving to Shanghai to be closer to her son did she begin a bigger fashion journey. Here, the rapid rise of young influencers is unlikely to overshadow the admirable image of an older Chinese woman who still knows how to enjoy a fashionable life.

It all started with borrowing a jacket from the wardrobe of her son, an avid Prada fan, who later also began working as a style consultant for his mother.

Not long after, they were rocking the streets of Shanghai, where they captured Qin Huilan's moments in selected outfits from the fashion house from previous seasons. Qin has garnered an online following who are obsessed with how she creates her own version of Prada, age being no barrier as she regularly wears shorts, miniskirts and high heels.

At the Pradasphere II 2023 show in Shanghai, where Qin was spotted wearing a yellow satin coat by Prada, the search for interesting faces to feature in the Miu Miu 2024 fashion show followed. Qin posted after the show: “Before the age of 70, I only cared about my patients as a doctor. Who would have thought that at the age of 70 today I would be standing on this stage?"

Founded by Madé Lapuerta, this account takes a completely uncool piece of data – numbers – and applies it to current fashion trends.

Some notable findings: skinny jeans may not be flattering but interest in them actually increased by 50.2% in January 2024; quiet luxury may be the buzzword du jour of the day, but Logomania's popularity grew 7% during Autumn/Winter 2023.

As a Harvard graduate, Lapuerta wanted to bring “logic and reason to something that is inherently subjective,” as she said in an interview. She injected humor into her posts by presenting facts and figures through memes related to pop culture classics like Gossip Girl, Sex and the City, and The Devil Wears Prada.

Most recently, she announced on X (formerly known as Twitter) who "really won the Superbowl", ranking the incoming outfits of American football players. The answer is San Francisco 49ers player Christian McCaffrey with his oversized Hermès Birkin bag.

For those who want to know the colour of the season, according to this data scientist, it's blue eyeshadow – which is trending up 6.7%.

Founded in 2021 by Beka Gvishiani, then an industry outsider with very limited access to fashion shows, the account's first posts documented what he was like self-described as “things no one talks about and are in some ways quite stupid”.

The account name, Style Not Com, is a play on Style.com, a now-defunct website that fans used to visit to find the latest looks from fashion shows. pages, reviews and casting information.

Gvishani's account began to gain traction, helping him receive invitations to events. Now he is a regular at fashion shows, sitting in the front row, from where he updates his followers on locations, first looks and newsworthy developments. attention.

The tone he maintains is always positive and upbeat, and he often celebrates behind-the-scenes figures in the fashion industry. For example: Jonathan Ros, PR director at media company Lucien Pagès.

Although he rarely posts photos or videos of events he attends, he only reports with descriptions like “Pharrell is attending the Dior show right now.” That alone is enough to make you look elsewhere for photos – Gvishiani's content is increasingly valued as an industry news source thanks to its catchy headlines.

If you want to know which fashion house a Hollywood star is wearing, chances are Check The Tag will have all the answers.

This account was started in 2016 by two Brazilian sisters Kathleen and Wenny Miozzo, living in Rio de Janeiro, who work as translators. They were later joined by Thomas Monks, from the United States. The trio has provided information on all the celebrity outfits, where possible, along with pictures of the outfits from the catwalk.

While their following isn't huge, some industry heavyweights have sought them out for their speed and precision - often jewellery, handbags and shoes are all recognized alongside the main apparel. To optimize effectiveness, this account has gradually built relationships with brands as well as with power stylists such as Law Roach, Karla Welch and Kate Young,...