The vibe for summer 2022? According to TikTok it’s being a coastal grandmother

Nancy Myers movies, white wine, fresh flowers and button down shirts. If you’re into the majority of these items then chances are you’re a coastal grandmother in training. The coastal grandmother is that boujee friend who wears minimal makeup, can cook up a feast to rival Nigella Lawson and walks around her classically decorated kitchen in a cream jumper with a white wine glass in hand, whilst Etta James blasts on the speakers. She’s fancy but low key.

@lexnicoleta GRAN EXPLAINED #coastalgrandmother ♬ This Will Be (An Everlasting Love) – Natalie Cole

The coastal grandmother trend came from TikTok and was started by TikToker Lex Nicoleta. It’s usually called coastal grandmother but is also referred to as simply “coastal chic” on TikTok too.

The hashtag has over 7 million views but what actually is the coastal grandmother vibe? This is everything you need to know:

What is a coastal grandmother?

At her core a coastal grandmother is the rich older woman in films that feature rich American families living on the east coast, who often visit their relatives in the Hamptons in their beach houses.

Picture Meryl Streep in It’s Complicated, Diane Keaton in Something’s Gotta Give and Reese Witherspoon in Home Again, actually just picture Reese Witherspoon in general for this.

@lexnicoleta coastal grandmother starter pack #coastalgrandmother ♬ original sound – Lex Nicoleta

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She knows how to cook, wears neutral colours and stripes, her home is impeccably decorated and never messy.

Her very essence is cosy chic relaxation. The coastal grandmother spends her time entertaining, gardening, creating art or simply chilling with a cup of coffee out on her deck watching the sea.

According to Lex Nicoleta, who created the trend, she is all about “romanticising your own life” and enjoying the comforts of domesticity.

Who created the coastal grandmother trend?

TikToker Lex Nicoleta first coined the term “coastal grandmother” in March this year. She’s been posting regular videos about the trend since then and her TikToks will get anything from 15,000 views to 1.5million views.

Lex is 26 years old and lives in California with her husband of three years Nick Foglio.

via Instagram @lex_nicoleta

She studied journalism in college and now works as part of her family’s agriculture business, which is very coastal grandmother vibes FYI.

Lex now has 83,700 followers on TikTok and has created a playlist on Spotify of all the essential coastal grandmother tunes and it has nearly 60,000 likes.

How do I become a coastal grandmother?

First things first you thankfully do not need to have any kids or grandkids to be a coastal grandmother, or even your own house for that matter.

According to Lex, a coastal grandmother is simply “a successful woman who creates a beautiful life for herself”. So how do you create this beautiful life?

Well you need to get a collection of button down shirts in a range of neutral colours – white, blue, navy and a blue and white striped one of course. A cashmere sweater, linen trousers, a few turtle necks and a cardigan. Hit up Boden, Gap, H&M and Arket for your chic basics.

via Instagram @lex_nicoleta

Next up in your kitchen you’re gonna need a tea and coffee cup set, fresh fruit and flowers on the counter top and a fully stocked fridge of white wine – preferably chardonnay and pinot grigio.

If you don’t know how to cook now is the time to start. All good coastal grandmothers are masters in the kitchen and know exactly how to decorate a table. Get those candles on the table, have a signature drink you always serve and of course you have to buy all your ingredients from a farmers market.

You’ve got to be listening to Natalie Cole, Stevie Wonder and Otis Redding on Spotify at all times. On Netflix The Women, It’s Complicated, Something’s Gotta Give, Monster In Law and Grace and Frankie are going to be your go to movies and TV shows.

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