Keyboard jackets and garden ornament bags: Welcome to the new maximalism movement

Jaclyn Smith, left, and Myra Magdalen are pictured in a split image. (lolfashiondump/Myra Magdalen via CNN Newsource)

Coco Chanel, possibly apocryphally, once said: “Before you leave the house, look in the mirror and take one thing off,” establishing the idea that, in her eyes, to be overdressed was a fashion faux pas.

It’s a commandment that has informed many fashion houses for decades; take the monochromatic styling of Issey Miyake, or the clean leatherwork of Hermès. Muted, neutral tones, simple silhouettes and chic fabrics have previously found favor in the fashion world thanks to the “quiet luxury” aesthetic, made even more visible by shows like HBO’s boardroom drama “Succession.” (HBO and CNN are owned by the same parent company, Warner Bros. Discovery.)

Yet recent runway shows by the likes of Valentino, Prada and Ashish indicate maximalist fashion — a style with roots as far back as 17th century Rome — might be staging a loud return. The economic timing certainly feels right too, as maximalism movements often bubble up around times of sustained economic hardship, such as the one gripping much of the post-Covid-19 world right now.

In an interview with CNN, Melissa Marra-Alvarez, curator of the 2019 exhibition “Minimalism/Maximalism” at the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York explained it thus: “In the broadest terms, if we look back at fashion history, we can see alternating periods of minimalist and maximalist aesthetics in fashion. It is the back-and-forth nature of these two opposing aesthetics that propels fashion forward.

“Every time an aesthetic re-appears it is not only expressing the social and political climate of the moment — it is also reacting to what came before it,” Marra-Alvarez added. “For this reason, it’s never the same iteration of minimalist or maximalist expression. It evolves every time.”

Indeed the current maximalist movement, popularized on social media, is more extreme and theatrical than ever before. It also brings the look to a whole new demographic that may not have previously experienced earlier iterations of the style.

Jaclyn goes by @llolfashiondump on TikTok and has 1.2 million followers. In a Zoom interview with CNN, she said that, for her, maximalism is a way to be “like a walking shrine of my art” — it has become a physical embodiment of her creativity. Through her popular “get dressed with me” videos (which average 200,000 views and can sometimes reach up to 4 million people) Jaclyn challenges the conventions of clothing, wearing jumpers upside down, attaching various accoutrements and layering endless accessories. It’s a style that at times seems cumbersome, presenting its own challenges and needing dedicated sewing techniques. Yet, she said, this is all part of the fun.

Myra Magdalen is another prominent TikToker in the maximalist space, who joined a Zoom call with CNN wearing a top embroidered with an image of nail clippers. She has encountered similar issues with attaching heavier embellishments to her outfits, like dolphin lamps or computer mice. The solution? “Multiple (points of) anchoring,” she said. “If you’re going to attach something, especially if it’s heavy, you need to have it where if one point of attachment fails it will not fall off.”

Both Jaclyn and Myra enjoy experimenting with bold statement pieces like long nails and decorative headphones. But for those looking to dip their toes into maximalism, fashion stylist Kristine Kilty suggests picking up a statement piece from a thrift store and using the color palette to inform the rest of the outfit. Finding inspiration photos on social media can also combat some of the anxiety people might feel during their first foray into a more experimental style of fashion, said the creative director, who focuses on maximalism, over Zoom. Most importantly, she added, “more is more.”

“You can’t really go wrong… It’s not that the outfit isn’t working. You just haven’t finished it yet,” she said.

When curating their wardrobes, the US-based Myra and Jaclyn both rely heavily on secondhand clothes, whether from in-person shopping in thrift stores or online platforms like Depop and Vinted. The algorithms have adapted to their unusual tastes, helping Myra find unique pieces — such as a jacket resembling a computer keyboard — to complete her looks. In videos styling these pieces, Myra takes a statement item, like a DIY duck bag, and adds seemingly-endless matching accessories including a duck-patterned skirt, a duck neck necklace and press-on miniature duck nails.

Both TikTokers say their creativity is well-received not only on social media but also in real life. While Myra and Jaclyn know when to dress down in jeans and a simple T-shirt, they enjoy the spectacle of wearing bold outfits in public.

“It’s such a positive feeling to have confidence in what you do,” said Jaclyn, who admitted that her maximalist clothing originally acted as a mask for insecurities stemming from psoriasis — wearing unusual clothing blurred the reasons behind peoples’ stares. “It radiates into so many other aspects of your life,” she said. Myra’s unique approach to fashion has also caught on among her friendship group which, she said, has become more experimental in its own sartorial choices.

Kilty strongly believes that people should use fashion to inspire confidence and creativity. “Fashion can be an armor or it can be a disguise,” she said. “But ultimately, it’s what you feel comfortable in.”

For some, this might be sleek silhouettes in muted colors, while for others it’s clashing colors and contrasting patterns. If the latter is you, Kilty had some parting words. Just “go really extreme — don’t hold yourself back.”