The “Chic Desert Aunt” is who we’re all aspiring to be this summer

What is the “Chic Desert Aunt” aesthetic?

There’s a new fashion aesthetic that has been making its rounds on TikTok. We’ve seen the Coastal Grandmother and the Eclectic Grandpa, but now it looks like there’s a new member of the family that’s worth mentioning. The Chic Desert Aunt.

The term was coined by fashion stylist, Allison Bornstein and the name perfectly describes this summery aesthetic. You’ll know a Chic Desert Aunt when you see her – she’s wearing earth tones and probably some cool chunky bracelets and shell jewelry. She wears quality pieces, but in a funky and playful way. She loves natural materials, gravitating towards leather and linen for her closet staples and turquoise, amber, amethyst, silver, and gold for her accessories. Some people that emulate the aesthetic are Jennifer Lawrence and Ashley Olsen – they both have an elevated, yet undone style that is a more mature take on the “boho-chic” style that was popular in the mid 2010s. Some key brands that fit perfectly to this style are Missoni, Free People, The Row, and Elsa Peretti.

The Chic Desert Aunt has a timeless, yet elevated style and chooses silhouettes that are flowy and long, with lots of movement. Linen dresses, maxi skirts, and kaftans are some of her favorite pieces. As far as footwear goes she’s a wanderer, traveler, and explorer and she prefers shoes that are practical and comfortable, but still simple and chic – like leather sandals, moccasins, or clogs.

We took a look at some of the must-haves for the “Chic Desert Aunt” aesthetic and here are some of the most popular items that are trending right now:

“Chic Desert Aunt” trends

1. Earth-tone colors like olive, brown, beige, sand, and khaki: 53% increase in clicks on Stylight
2. Silk scarfs: 55% increase in clicks on Stylight
3. Amber necklaces: 194% increase in demand on Stylight
4. Suit vests: 46% increase in demand on Stylight
5. Maxi skirts: 14% increase in demand on Stylight
6. Kimonos: 32% increase in demand on Stylight
7. Shell jewelry: 8% increase in searches on Google

About these numbers: 

Stylight is the go-to destination for online shoppers to find and compare high-end fashion, beauty and home products from the best online stores and international brands. Our site boasts over 1,000 partner stores and 90 million online shoppers per year. At Stylight Insights, we publish exciting e-commerce statistics that offer insight into the search and buying behavior of our users. For this report, we analyzed our users’ search behavior on a monthly basis between May 1 and June 30, 2024, compared to the same period in 2023. The same time frame was then used to compare Google search figures.