How TikTok Turned Coastal Grandmother Style into a Lifestyle Phenomenon

The coastal grandmother aesthetic moved from TikTok clips to commerce in weeks—@lexnicoleta’s viral videos kicked off a cascade that left editorial pages, fabric makers, and home guides racing to cash in. MermetUSA’s marketing now points directly to the trend, pairing fabrics like GreenScreen Evolve WIND, S Screen PORCELAIN, and Satiné GREY-NAVY with copy that reads, “Picture grainy white sands, cat tails, elegant linens, a nice glass of chardonnay and the New England coastal tides washing along the shore.” The company even invites readers to “ORDER FREE SAMPLES” and lists 1-866-902-9647 for orders.

The name traces back to TikTok creator Lex Nicoleta; multiple outlets and corporate pages point to @lexnicoleta as the handle behind the clips. Happy Healthy Caregiver reproduces a TikTok caption string — “> @lexnicoleta GRAN EXPLAINED #coastalgrandmother ♬ This Will Be (An Everlasting Love) - Natalie Cole - Natalie Cole")” — while lifestyle writers note a spelling variant, Lex Nicoletta, in one column. That minor inconsistency hasn’t slowed spread: Glamour frames the phrase as “the crisp, monied, perennially summertime lifestyle of a beautiful older woman in a Nancy Meyers movie or an Eileen Fisher photo shoot,” giving the viral moment editorial oxygen.

Visual shorthand for the trend is consistent. HGTV’s recent guide, published within the two weeks before Feb 22, 2026, lists “neutral palette, woven textures, relaxed linens, lots of basket” as interior signifiers. Retail and curation push white cardigans and long tees; Glamour’s shopping widgets feature a Frank & Eileen Beach Cardigan and Kule The Modern Long Tee. Mermet’s product frames extend the aesthetic into window treatments, naming new entries Sparta Twilight and T Screen KOOLBLACK as “available NOW.”

Fashion signals skew classic and quietly expensive. Nina Hendrick writes, “J. Crew chinos and half-tucked button-downs? My closet is full of them. Entertaining with fresh food, flowers, and wine? That’s my jam!” Her practical styling note—“Lots of TikToks would have you believe you need a wide-brimmed straw hat for this look, but that’s only appropriate on the actual beach or in the garden”—cuts through performative costume and keeps the look wearable in town.

Lifestyle content around the aesthetic emphasizes ritualized living: Glamour instructs readers to “Take a sip of a fresh-squeezed mimosa as we learn about the coastal grandmother aesthetic,” and lists fresh oysters, heirloom tomatoes, and long walks as part of the package. Happy Healthy Caregiver frames the movement as “essentially a self-care vibe,” following a personal travel vignette about an upcoming trip to the “Almafi Coast” with a daughter named Natalie, meeting family in Naples, and imagining “breezy walks among lemon trees” and limoncello on the patio.

Critics have noticed a tension at the trend’s core. Glamour concedes that “Coastal grandmother is an attempted rejection of life online and an embrace of what is real and tactile and simple,” then adds the paradox: “Coastal grandmother is about living the good life, but it’s also a lifestyle that depends on being heavily photographed and shared.” The result is a fast-moving cultural loop: TikTok births an aesthetic, lifestyle writers decode it, and brands such as MermetUSA translate it into SKU names and sample orders. Expect the coastal grandmother to remain a savvy marketing vector as long as it can be curated, photographed, and sold.