MANILA, Philippines - If a certain kind of fashionable voyeurism is your thing, Snapchat deserves a slot in your social media regimen. Snapchat is an app, an audio-visual crush of information that is designed to exist for not more than a few hours. Snapchat is visceral, it’s off-the-cuff — it’s the unglamorous backstage to every polished runway and red carpet (and sometimes, infinitely more interesting), a platform for the larger-than-life personalities that serve themselves better when they break the fourth wall.
The app plows through the uber-staged veneer made famous by Instagram — from seeing a photo of a perfectly coiffed and posed Alexa Chung on the CFDA red carpet, to suddenly “sitting” next to a Rodarte-clad Kirsten Dunst, unguarded and free, by way of a mere swipe and tap.
There is an art to Snapchat that isn’t obvious to most. It’s a great way to get your fashion news — direct and unfiltered — and, if done well, it can really disarm you with its candor. In the sea of the very many fashion Snapchat accounts out there — from brands, to bloggers, to it girls and retailers — it can get bloated real quick, mundane, and just like some of your IRL Snapchat following, you might ask yourself the very pointed question: “Why am I following this loser anyway?”
Here at YStyle we know it’s easy to lose yourself in the crush of a Snapchat binge. This week, we’re giving you a ruthless (and digestible) 10 must-follow Snapchat accounts to cover every fashionable need. Trust us, we’ve done most of the unfollowing for you.
Gucci
@gucci
If there’s one label to follow on Snapchat, let it be the esteemed house of Gucci (less Frida Giannini, more Alessandro Michele). With a maximal approach from runway to retail, let Gucci’s host of larger-than-life personalities take you behind the scenes; from parties to campaign sets; Hari Nef and makeup artist Pat McGrath hanging out backstage; photographer Petra Collins’ star turn in front of the lens during a shoot; and most recently, Soko’s well-documented shenanigans before their upcoming 2017 cruise collection.
Vogue Magazine
@voguemagazine
Nothing translates to “exclusive access” quite the way Vogue magazine does its Snapchat. Minutes before a look hits the runway, @voguemagazine gets the exclusive with runway rehearsals and behind-the-scenes model takeovers (see: Dior Cruise 2017).
Irene Kim
@ireneisgood
Korean model and global pop personality Irene Kim lives the life of a modern day Insta-girl. Her Snapchat @ireneisgood documents the happenings behind a top-tier fashion personality (as we see them now) — with guaranteed front-row fixings at fashion week, a full entourage that travels from New York, London, Milan and Paris, “fittings” with each fashion house, and the list goes on. But with a cheerful vibe and a killer sense of personal style (Chiara who?), Irene is someone we could definitely get behind.
Bryanboy
@bryanboy
In a sea of queen bees and wannabes, Bryanboy has always stood out from the pack with a level of unflinching authenticity. He keeps it real, simply put. As one of the pioneers of fashion blogging 1.0, @bryanboy on Snapchat is raw, unfiltered (and sometimes unhinged) to a fascinating degree — be it his 2 a.m. pizza binges, his constant travels and perennial front-row seat at fashion weeks the world over, to his recent (and fully-documented) bout with cosmetic surgery — his outsize personality makes for a very entertaining feed.
Derek Blasberg
@derekblasberg
Harper’s Bazaar editor at large and the host of CNN Style, Derek Blasberg, sits permanently on every fashionable guest list. Perennially in the vicinity of top fashion personalities (namely Karlie Kloss, Gwyneth Paltrow, Lauren Santo Domingo, designers Jack and Lazaro from Proenza Schouler), @derekblasberg on Snap is basically a moving montage of society’s best.
Louis Vuitton
@lvlive
Louis Vuitton is the kind of monolith fashion brand you’d be remiss to ignore. @lvlive on Snapchat gives you a front-row seat to their global destination events — most recently, being their Cruise 2017 runway presentation at the Niterói Contemporary Art Museum in Rio.
Alexa Chung
@chungalexa
When she’s not busy taking over Gucci’s Snapchat or Vogue for a day, follow Alexa Chung’s it girl adventures on @chungalexa.
Hunger Magazine
@hungertv
Hunger magazine or @hungertv on Snapchat set themselves apart with a graphic-driven approach to their feed. Delivering fashion news in bite-size pieces and deliciously pop colors, you’ll want to up your sticker game after seeing this.
W Magazine
@wmagazine
W magazine slays the competition when it comes to a killer Snapchat takeover. Nobody takes a more insider approach with a gaggle of of-the-moment models and fashion personalities: from getting ready in their boudoirs with Maria Borges, pre-Balmain and pre-fete ready, to hanging out uptown with the Brant siblings, to a downtown rave with Korean model Soo Joo Park.
Pat McGrath
@patmcgrathreal
Nothing says major quite like the queen of major herself, makeup artist Pat McGrath. Get an exclusive behind-the-scenes look at her backstage shenanigans with top model subjects at some of the hottest shows. If that isn’t enough for you, a sneak peek at the next Pat McGrath Labs product might just entice you.