The Business Behind Fashion Fan Accounts

Taylor Swift is admired for her ability to string together lyrics, sparking a single emotion by way of meticulously chosen words. But Sarah Chapelle, the face behind Swift’s biggest fashion fan account, @taylorswiftstyled, is a writer who’s arguably up to par, thinking critically about the meaning behind Swift’s street style outfits and incorporating her analysis into a detailed review every time Swift steps outside. 

As a journalist exploring the relationship between identity and fashion, Chapelle’s been documenting Swift’s closet as a longtime fan since 2011, starting with a blog. Her Instagram coverage of Swift’s Clio Peppiatt birthday dress is one such example that impressed me, and also proved how knowledgeable she is about the world-famous musician’s sartorial history. “On its surface, this is a fun party look that’s perfectly coordinated between the silver embellishments scattered like the night sky across her dress, to her bag, and even into the details of her shoes. Plus the extra shine factor of her jewels,” she wrote. “But like with any Taylor look, it’s one that gives me pause and makes me think of the context to what got us here and also to where she may be going.” It’s an interpretation that also acts as an exciting foreshadow for the 288K Swifties that follow Chapelle’s account. And that’s her very intention. 

Chapelle, whose book Taylor Swift Style: Fashion Through the Eras is now available for pre-order and will be out Oct. 8, writes about the pop star’s fashion evolution and the way in which she tells stories through her clothing to coincide with her music. She coins her page as “critically kind fashion commentary” and is unique in that approach, which is why her followers keep coming back for more. “The greatest compliments are from people who say they come for the fashion, but stay for the commentary,” she tells The Quality Edit via email. “We’re in on the joke when Taylor wears something backwards. We make “Clueless” references when she wears Alaïa (a totally important designer). We affectionately shift into Kate Sanders mode when we recognize part of her outfit as one she’s previously worn (an outfit repeater). It’s gratifying to connect with people not only for our mutual admiration for Taylor and the clothes she wears but because of our desire to go deeper and think more critically about the meaning of the clothes she wears — and we laugh along the way.”

In the same vein, Julia and Helena, the duo behind @haileybstyle (346K followers), tell TQE that their thoughtful fashion coverage of Hailey Bieber’s looks inspired a loyal follower to start studying fashion; Alina Kraieva of @eilishoutfits (227K followers) says she responds to every DM since her launch in 2018, and enjoys meeting her own grateful fans at Billie Eilish’s concerts, many of whom arrive in pieces she personally ID’d and tracked down; and Susan Courter behind @whatmeghanwore (51K followers) says her fan base is appreciative of the warm and drama-free community she’s cultivated since 2016, which speaks to her niche — people looking for a positive space to celebrate and exchange notes about Meghan Markle’s wardrobe. 

It is, after all, the celebrity sightings in-between high profile events and red carpets that make them feel more relatable to fans. And if someone can pinpoint exactly where they shopped for these occasions, their style becomes instantly more accessible — especially when the clothing happens to be affordable or from a well-known brand.

But with the rise of shopping on social media, and the undeniable allure a celebrity outfit can inspire (Lyst reported the “Meghan Markle effect” led to a 500% increase in demand for her clothing following an appearance in 2019), you have to wonder whether these fashion fan accounts are monetizing their accounts that are attracting so many avid shoppers on the internet. And if they aren’t, are they missing out on valuable business? 

Shopify, the leading global commerce company that powers about 10% of US ecommerce, partners with Meta, Instagram, TikTok, and more to provide merchants of any size with tools to start, scale, market, and manage their retail businesses. “Social commerce is not a nice-to-have, it’s a must-have for businesses, especially if you’re selling to Gen-Z,” President Harley Finkelstein tells TQE via email, confirming that the company has continuously seen a shift toward younger shoppers purchasing gifts through social media. “This highlights the growing significance and importance of social commerce and the opportunity it presents to attract new customers. At Shopify, we develop solutions that empower businesses to leverage social media platforms as effective sales channels meeting consumers wherever they are,” he says. 

One such example is Westside Storey, a Kansas City, MO thrift shop that’s been powered by Shopify’s retail operating system since 2015. If you’re a Swiftie, you’ve probably heard of it. Described by NFL Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce as “a swaggy vintage joint,” it’s the spot Swift sourced $1,200 worth of game day apparel, as confirmed to TQE by founder Chris Harrington. Following the Dec. 17 Chiefs game, where Swift wore a Kut the Knit for Westside Storey beanie stitched with Kelce’s jersey number, Shopify says the business experienced a 700% increase in sales, with all transactions processed through Shopify’s checkout. 

Harrington, who’s been collecting and selling Chiefs vintage apparel for six years, acquiring items through various outlets and friends in the vintage community, describes the reverberating support from Swifties as overwhelming. “I think fans found out about us through a lot of different outlets,” he says, noting that Chapelle’s fan account reposted Westside Storey a couple of times. “There was quite a bit of national press coverage we would typically never receive, and we’ve had so many messages we are still trying to get back to everyone.” Following the Swift boom, Harrington says his account received an unbelievable amount of traffic, and things have only snowballed from there. “We had a current and very notable Chiefs player wipe out our inventory with the largest purchase we’ve ever processed in-store or online.” Was it Kelce? Your guess is as good as mine, but being that the 34-year-old athlete and fashion maven follows Westside Storey on Instagram, that sale can very likely be tracked down to a few social media clicks.

Another method of monetizing via Instagram comes from 17-year-old Audrey Long, the founder of @xoxoposhipgirl, an account that documents the most iconic screen style moments from The CW hit series “Gossip Girl,” HBO hit series “Sex and the City,” and more. However, Long, who has over 90K social media followers and a careful understanding of her audience, has taken her coverage one step further. Long has sourced over 1,000 vintage pieces, as seen on the celebrities in these TV shows, and sold them in her personal shop at xoxoposhipgirl.com. She confirms to TQE that she has grossed over six figures in revenue since the start of her business in March 2020, with sales driven from her social media pages.

Whether all of these social accounts — which have become fixtures in the celebrity fashion world — are monetizing or not, the day-to-day work is grueling. Each founder swears by different tactics that allow them to quickly and efficiently ID an outfit the moment their muse hits the streets. Emily from the UK, who has run @kimkstylebook (50K followers) since 2022, but switched to a fashion details page in Nov. 2023 and promptly gained 36,000 followers in a year, relies on Google Photos when in doubt. However, her diligent studying has led her to pinpoint Kim Kardashian’s pieces almost instantly. “I’ll see a pair of sunnies and think ooo definitely Balenciaga, or I recognize that style of dress — must be Rick Owens!” she tells TQE via email. Chapelle agrees, explaining that her identification process is rooted in having an in-depth knowledge of the brands Swift relies on, while also being able to identify the aesthetic of her go-to designers. “It’s combined with endless research and keeping up on the latest collections to keep myself familiar with their work and most current designs she might wear.” 

Chapelle was particularly proud to ID the Oscar de la Renta dress Swift wore to the Eras Tour movie premiere in LA in under five minutes. Swift had posted a teaser photo of herself before hitting the red carpet on X, and four minutes later, Chapelle posted designer confirmation for Swift’s fans. “I immediately recognized it was OdlR because I had just been looking at that collection for my own predictions post, guessing what Taylor might wear to the event (I ended up picking another gown from the same collection),” she tells TQE. 

What’s more, Chapelle has delivered the exciting news to brands that Swift wore their pieces after being first to ID them (see: this Mejuri ring). Julia and Helena of @haileybstyle also connect with fashion houses via DM, where they receive quick confirmation of Bieber’s outfit credits, and Kraieva of @eilishoutfits messages Eilish’s stylists for details while scouring online marketplaces with trial-and-error search terms for anything that appears to be vintage. Courter has even written a blog post on whatmeghanwore.com, shedding light on her ID process. She maintains a private group with select bloggers where they consult on looks and share insights in real time. All of this is cause to believe there could be room for a financial partnership between fashion fan accounts and the labels celebrities are wearing.

Of course, photo sourcing for these fan accounts can be an expensive caveat. @haileybstyle and @kimkstylebook only post images with permission, according to their founders, whereas Kraieva of @eilishoutfits says she is sure to credit photographers, stylists, designers, and brands. But Courter of @whatmeghanwore has contracts with a number of photographers and agencies to legally license photos, and she enlists graphic artist Amelia Noyes to illustrate the photos she doesn’t feel comfortable using. She employs affiliate links and ads to external sites on her content that may generate revenue, which is then, in turn, used to pay photo licensing fees, monthly costs for site hosting, site security, and bandwidth coverage fees. She is always upfront about running sponsored content on a post.

Chapelle also utilizes affiliate links to direct her followers to purchase Swift’s exact items or similar options. She also maintains a Patreon with bonus content, such as styling inspiration and podcast episodes, which her followers can subscribe to for up to $5 a month. Chapelle, it seems, is more focused on celebrating Swift’s moments with the steadfast community she has built (hence her forthcoming book), rather than capitalizing on each and every post. This seems to be a common theme between these superfans-turned-savvy-reporters. “I love that even if we’re highlighting the fashion of different people (whether that be Beyoncé, Lady Gaga, Zendaya, Adele, or Margot Robbie), the love of documenting the evolution of their style is what bonds us,” Chapelle says of her fellow fan account creators. “There’s a camaraderie and mutual understanding of the excitement, the pressure, and then the rush to get a post up.”

Courter tells TQE that she connects with Chapelle frequently to exchange notes, even though they’re covering different celebrities, and Emily of @kimkstyleblog has become close friends with @kyliejennercloset and @rihannastyleguide. At the end of the day, they understand one another for their shared love of celebrity style, and that connection reigns supreme. Their goal is simply to build repertoire and hopefully gain the respect, or at least recognition, of the celebrity they follow. Many of them have accomplished this and consider it their proudest achievement. Chapelle and Kraieva have met Swift and Eilish, respectively; Bieber and Kardashian follow their fashion fan accounts as a token of appreciation; and Long celebrates comments and likes from Blake Lively and Michelle Trachtenberg, both of whom starred in “Gossip Girl.”

Courter, who has earned significant esteem within the royal fashion community, has accumulated a number of items that Markle has worn, and they now hold sentimental value in her wardrobe. In this way, she is a testament to the powerful effect of Markle fashion coverage, and proof that in the world of fashion fan accounts, admiration may trump financial gain.

While Shopify’s products would support growth and scale for any of these accounts to turn entrepreneurial (Finkelstein says “it’s possible to have an idea in the shower in the morning, and have a business up and running by the afternoon”), Emily, for one, has no current interest in monetizing @kimkstyleblog. “I just do it because I love it,” she tells TQE. “It’s such a fun hobby for me and I get so much joy just finding the outfits.”

It’s Chapelle who explains this most poetically, in signature Swiftian fashion: “Through the power of the internet, a community has flourished built on trust and authenticity and highly specific niche moments of fandom that you can’t explain to a regular person.” That sounds pretty priceless to me.