The Peculiar Fashion Community and its Queen: Myra Magdalen

Written by Natalia Cordero

Photography & Styling by Rishita Nannapaneni

Modeled by Mikayla Buneta, Lilly Templeton, Nakaja Weaver, & Caroline Sluss

Myra Magdalen is a name you might not have heard, but after seeing her style once, you will never forget her. Magdalen is a fashion designer, content creator and visual artist — a fashion icon that has changed the game forever. Her innovative style has consumed the TikTok world, gaining her over 940,000 followers. 

I’ve seen so many advancements in fashion lately. People are becoming more and more creative when thinking about what to wear. The peculiarity comes from having to think outside the box and Magdalen has done just that. She may not have been the first, but she has had a large influence on odd and unusual fashion. 

Myra Magdalen first gained popularity in the early stages of the Covid-19 pandemic for her peculiarly decorated bathroom. From top to bottom, her bathroom is covered in computer keyboards. Very rarely will you see a Myra Magdalen get ready without the iconic keyboard bathroom background. It is easy to see how her style inspiration carries into room decor. 

Many compare her to gen-z early childhood fashionistas such as Harper Finkle from “Wizards of Waverly Place” and Miss Frizzle from “The Magic School Bus.” Each of her outfits has a central theme to which she adds accessories until the overall look is brimming with add-ons. From a large computer mouse accessory covering her entire body to a catfish purse the same size as her, the contents of her closet are unbelievable. 

Her maximalist style takes random objects and transforms them into something wearable. She has created entire outfits from inanimate objects such as nail clippers, Barbie couches, toothbrushes, and safety pins. Not only that, but Myra also pulls a lot of inspiration from bugs and plants. She loves worms, and you can tell by the recurring slimy invertebrate in her wardrobe. 

Magdalen is very versatile when it comes to designing each of her looks. The objects she incorporates range from all different sizes, making it easy for Magdalen to stand out. She thrifts large objects that add dimension to the outfit. Since these objects are so big and often draw your attention, the outfit turns into a piece of art. The dimension created gives her style a sculpture-like feel. Even in simpler outfits, she still adds contrasting textures by attaching cut outs or stickers of an object, bug, or plant. Her style completely manifests into her direct surroundings.

The creative freedom she gives herself is something that everyone should utilize when experimenting with their style. Yearning for a new sense of style, we put together four outfits inspired by the very own Myra Magdalen. Rishita Nannapaneni created the looks and drew outfit mock ups. After hours of thrifting and crafting, four themes were developed and listed below.

Sartorial Magazine

As an homage to Sartorial Magazine, it was only fitting to add a magazine themed outfit. The model, Nakaja Weaver, is wearing a two-layered skirt made of magazine pages. Rolled up pages line the skirt, giving it the dimension Magdalen has in her outfits. The top is completed with computer keys across the front, reflecting the hard work of the writers and editors of Sartorial magazine. The computer keys also mirror Magdalen’s computer keyboard covered bathroom. A silver necklace with a canon camera lens cover as the pendant is a symbol of the photographers in the organization. The metallic high heels are added to bring in the fashion component of Sartorial Magazine. It is coupled with a silver headpiece to match.  

Cowgirl

While Magdalen has had her fair share of cowgirl looks and other barn animals such as lambs, goats, and horses, living in the Midwest calls for a recreation of a western look (especially in Myra’s style). Rishita thrifted mini boots that are attached to model Mikayla Buneta’s shorts on the side. There are horses pinned to her long socks and a large blue horse is wrapped around her neck. These add-ons make the look more interactive and create the sculpture-like vibe mentioned before. Paired with the horse accessories, a white horse shirt made by Rishita was added to complete the outfit.

Ladybug

Because of Magdalen’s continuous expression of her love for bugs, we had to include an insect to stay on theme. A ladybug is often seen as a symbol of good luck, especially when one lands on you. Magdalen has never decorated a look with ladybugs, so we decided to recreate one of her iconic bug looks with this particular polka-dotted insect. The model, Lilly Templeton, is dressed with a ladybug shirt coupled with mini ladybugs cut from felt that creates the differing textures that Magdalen uses in each look. A headband is topped on her head with ladybugs as the focal point. Her nails and makeup are ladybug themed to tie the look together.

Myra Magdalen
Myra Magdalen has come a long way since the beginning of her style. The incorporation of different items gives her the intriguing dynamic that she is known for. We wanted to create a look of Myra Magdalen in her own style. A Barbie doll is attached to the front of the tank top, modeled by Caroline Sluss, representing Magdalen and her “crazy” fashion sense. The Barbie is wearing a ladybug dress as a nod to the previous look. With this outfit being completely dedicated to Magdalen, we cut out mini Magdalens to paste around the skirt and arms of the model.