Coastal grandmother (or “coastal grandma”) is a lifestyle and fashion aesthetic named on TikTok in 2022: breezy, neutral, beach-house dressing and living, modelled on Diane Keaton’s character in Nancy Meyers’s Something’s Gotta Give. Ideastream describes it as “a term coined by 26-year-old TikTok creator Lex Nicoleta to describe a beachy, romantic aesthetic.”
Origin
- March 2022, TikTok. Creator Lex Nicoleta listed the keynotes of a style and named it. Zoomer quotes her March 2022 video: “there’s a good chance you might be a Coastal Grandmother,” adding, “And no, you don’t need to be a grandmother to be a Coastal Grandmother — it’s for anyone and everyone.”
- April 2022. Anne Hathaway posted a photo in chinos, a button-down and a straw bucket hat, captioned (per Zoomer): “I have been ready for #coastalgrandmother chic since before TikTok was born. May this moment never end.”
- 2022, the film’s creators join in. AARP’s Ethel reports that “Something’s Gotta Give director Nancy Meyers joined in,” and that Keaton “posted a tribute video to the trend, featuring tweaked scenes from the movie.”
Defining Elements
AARP’s Ethel sums up the fashion: “Sleek, pared-down, calming and uncomplicated best describe coastal-grandma fashion.” FashionUnited calls it “classic put-together styles worn by an older woman who lives by the ocean.” Ideastream’s example of the look is the cashmere sweater Keaton wears tied across her shoulders in the film.
The Film Touchstone
| Element | Detail | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Film | Something’s Gotta Give, a 2003 romantic comedy | AARP’s Ethel |
| Director | Nancy Meyers | AARP’s Ethel; Zoomer |
| Character | Erica Barry, played by Diane Keaton: “A successful novelist with an enviable monochrome wardrobe in the palest neutrals and luxury fabrics” | Zoomer |
| Signature look | Cashmere sweater tied across the shoulders | Ideastream |
| Palette | The palest neutrals, monochrome | Zoomer |
Recent Developments
- 2024. FashionUnited reported in May 2024 that “the aesthetic is still relevant for consumers in 2024 and beyond.”
- October 11, 2025. Diane Keaton, the trend’s muse, died at 79 in Santa Monica, California, according to Wikipedia.
The western-leaning offshoot is covered at #CoastalCowgirl.
Sources
- https://zoomer.com/celebrity/2022/05/05/grand-style-channeling-diane-keaton-again-the-elegant-laid-back-coastal-grandmother-look-is-all-the-rage/
- https://ethel.aarp.org/entertainment/culture/the-coastal-grandmother-trend-everyones-talking-about/
- https://www.ideastream.org/news/2022-08-22/meet-tiktoks-coastal-grandmother-rebroadcast
- https://fashionunited.com/news/fashion/coastal-grandmother-2024-25-update-the-enduring-tiktok-trend/2024050759734
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diane_Keaton