Click here to buy: why shopping influencers are flocking to Substack

There is plenty of chatter around trends this time of year. What aesthetics will fade away and what will be this year’s version of tomato girl summer. TikTok is already championing “mob wife era”, featuring faux-fur coats, big hair, tennis necklaces and reruns of The Sopranos. Meanwhile, I’ve been thinking about shopping. Specifically, how we shop and the continuous chrysalis of consumerism.

Not long ago, if you wanted to find a new pair of jeans you’d have gone to a physical shop or picked up a fashion magazine. When blogging took off circa 2007, you could browse 36 vaguely different images of someone posing in their favourite pairs. Next came Instagram, which turned bloggers into influencers as they monetised posts, becoming internet sales assistants of sorts.

Now another shopping shift is underway. Substack, an online platform that allows users to send digital newsletters directly to their audience, is changing the way people in-the-know buy clothes. Founded in 2017, the American company quickly became a mecca for well-known writers, novelists and academics covering everything from film to food and science. More recently, however, it’s seen a huge surge in fashion content, with subscriptions in the fashion and beauty category up 80% year-on-year, according to Substack.

A big part of Substack’s appeal is that fashion content on social media platforms such as Instagram and TikTok has become saturated, homogeneous and often so glossy it’s hard to trust. On the flip side, a disingenuous “relatable aesthetic” is also rife. Buying clothing from a link posted by someone who is only promoting it under duress of a paid partnership or ad has started to feel a little … icky.

So to Substack, where former editors and stylists give their shopping recommendations to hundreds and sometimes thousands of subscribers. They have become a new type of personal shopper and sometimes even stylist. Often they’ll answer a subscriber’s specific question. Sometimes they’ll show how to wear a piece in multiple ways. Other times, they provide just a simple styling trick, or lengthy lesson in say clashing textures.

In the newsletter 5 Things You Should Buy, the Wall Street Journal’s former deputy fashion director Becky Malinsky describes herself as “a veteran fashion editor breaking down trends and making shopping easier. I scroll so you don’t have to.”

That’s where the crux of the appeal of these Substacks lies. Who has time to scour the internet searching for that perfect pair of jeans? Much easier to let someone else do the filtering, separating the skinny from the wide leg, and homing in on what’s actually worth spending your money on.

The vintage buyer Subrina Heyink focuses on “how to get dressed”, covering everything from underwear to “holiday dressing for procrastinators and frugality”. Shopping is also the focus of Laura Reilly’s bi-weekly newsletter, Magasin. “Everything on this list is under $250” reads one September issue. “I’m wearing this Toteme top every three days,” reads another.

It’s fascinating to check out what these new adjudicators of shopping buy. And how much they spend. But what’s even more intriguing is the influence they have on their subscribers. Everything from Uniqlo’s crossbody bag to the Toteme scarf coat and High Sport’s kick-flare trousers have become cult items in part due to their endorsement

Of course they are still earning coin from their recommendations – but rather than paid partnerships with brands, most use affiliate links, meaning they earn a small commission from sales driven by their recommendations. Alongside unedited images showing themselves wearing pieces they’ve actually bought with their own money, it feels slightly more authentic than a polished Instagram post and similar to the OG blogs of the late aughts. Some are even OG bloggers such as Jess Graves, who resuscitated her much cherished Love List. Some such as Reilly are early adopters of the wardrobe-tracking trend, disclosing just how much they both buy and spend. It’s still promoting consumption, but perhaps, this type of considered purchases can lead to less?

Of course they are still earning coin from their recommendations – but rather than paid partnerships with brands, most use affiliate links, meaning they earn a small commission from sales driven by their recommendations. Alongside unedited images showing themselves wearing pieces they’ve actually bought with their own money, it feels slightly more authentic than a polished Instagram post. Some such as Reilly are early adopters of the wardrobe-tracking trend, disclosing how much they buy and spend. It’s still promoting consumption, but perhaps, these types of considered purchases can lead to less?

As many consumers mark high street and luxury brands’ weekly marketing emails as spam, these shopping Substacks feel like a systematic shift in the future of retail.

What’s hot – and what’s most definitely not – this week

Going up

Mime | Some beauty TikTok users are posting silent videos reviewing products. Best watched to be believed; prepare for a lot of enthusiastic head nodding and ASMR-inspired nail-tapping.

Jellyfish | BetweenHunter Schafer’s trailing tentacle Prada dress and searches for jellyfish haircuts (it involves two mismatched layers) being up 615 percent on Pinterest, it’s gearing up to be a big year for coelenterata.

Football fits | Balenciaga has released a “soccer series” featuring jerseys and socks inspired by those worn “during gameplay and drills”, while clubs including Tottenham Hotspur are posting TikTok videos of its players “best fits” as they arrive to training.

Going down

Post-dinner doomscrolling | Thanks to BBC’s The Traitors, spin-off board games of viewers’ favourite reality TV shows are seeing a spike in demand.

Streaming | Compact discs are making as comeback, with gen Z fans collecting ones by their favourite artists.

Oat milk | Could 2024 be the year that the oat-milk flat white is finally toppled? In-and-out trend lists and nutritionists say yes.

Chloe Mac Donnell, deputy fashion and lifestyle editor, solves your wardrobe dilemmas

Q: I’m going skiing for the first time in March. I have no gear and definitely no idea. What should be on my shopping list? – Clare

A: Lots of fashion rental sites now have a ski-wear section, meaning you can test out pieces while you discover if skiing is going to become a lasting hobby. Hirestreet offers everything from base layers to trousers starting from £15 hire for 10 days. You can channel A-listers via Perfect Moment’s retro-inspired ski suits available from My Wardrobe HQ, while By Rotation has a plethora of Moon Boots. Pack some HeatTech socks from Uniqlo and don’t forget the suncream.

Got your own style question? Send it to fashionstatement@theguardian.com.