Kendall: Dressed by the Algorithm (and Gen Z Follows)

She’s everywhere, isn’t she? Kendall. On billboards, magazine covers, your niece’s meticulously curated TikTok feed. And the clothes? A constant source of online chatter, dissected, replicated, debated. It wasn’t always this way, was it? I remember a time when models, real models, were more myth than accessible Instagram story. But Kendall, and her ilk, they’re different. They’re products of the algorithm, dressed by it, shaped by it, and in turn, shaping the desires of a generation glued to their screens.

Don’t get me wrong, the girl’s got style. A certain off-duty model chic that seems effortless, even when it’s clearly anything but. The vintage tees, the perfectly tailored trousers, the way she can make a simple tank top and jeans look like a million bucks. It’s aspirational, sure, but it’s also strangely attainable. At least, that’s what the endless stream of “Get the Look” articles and sponsored posts would have you believe.

But here’s the thing that strikes me. I was at a cafe the other day, eavesdropping, as one does. Two young women, barely out of their teens, were discussing a recent Kendall outfit. “It’s so her,” one gushed, holding up a blurry phone picture. “I saw it on Depop already,” the other replied, not missing a beat. And that’s when it hit me: this wasn’t just about clothes. It was about identity, about belonging, about buying into an image that was being sold to them, pixel by perfectly filtered pixel.

We’ve always had our fashion icons, of course. Women (and men) whose style we admired, emulated, even envied. But there was a distance, a remove. They existed in the pages of glossy magazines, on runways in far-off cities. We might have coveted their clothes, but we understood, on some level, that their world was not our own.

This new breed of influencer-model, however, they operate in a different realm. They invite us into their (highly curated) lives, sharing snippets of their days, their workouts, their breakfast bowls. And, of course, their clothes. It’s a constant stream of content, designed to entice, to engage, to ultimately, make us buy.

The algorithm, that silent puppet master, plays a crucial role in all of this. It knows what we like, what we click on, what we ultimately purchase. And it feeds us more of the same, creating a feedback loop of desire and consumption. Kendall, savvy as she is, understands this game better than most. Her style, while seemingly effortless, is carefully calibrated to appeal to the algorithm, and by extension, to Gen Z.

Take, for instance, her recent penchant for vintage finds. It’s a smart move, tapping into the growing trend of sustainability and conscious consumerism. But it’s also a way to stand out from the crowd, to differentiate herself from the endless parade of perfectly posed influencers in their fast-fashion hauls. The algorithm rewards this kind of individuality, boosting her visibility, cementing her status as a trendsetter.

It’s a fascinating, if slightly unsettling, phenomenon to observe. This merging of fashion, technology, and celebrity, all driven by an algorithm that seems to know us better than we know ourselves. And while I can appreciate the entrepreneurial spirit, the business acumen of it all, I can’t help but feel a pang of nostalgia for a simpler time. A time when fashion was less about likes and follows, and more about personal expression, about finding joy in the cut of a dress, the drape of a fabric.

But then again, maybe I’m just getting old.

Shop the must-have Taylor Swift outfits-https://www.cusuti.com/category/taylor-swift

Taylor Swift Wearing light blue crewneck sweater Out in Malibu With Travis Kelce

Buy Now