When Larry Pennington began his TikTok account late final 12 months, he did so in hopes of exhibiting off his love of vintage dwelling decor and costly outfits. With a particular eye for hidden gems and a traditional Southern private fashion, Mr. Pennington, a 79-year-old former instructor, has been honing his tailoring abilities for many years. He thought he may educate younger folks on social media a number of issues.
Mr Pennington had no concept that his account – which options outfit-of-the-day posts and residential decor hacks – would develop to greater than 225,000 followers in simply over a month, shortly positioning him amongst TikTok’s thrifty elite similar to this social community media platform is facing a potential ban within the USA.
Mr. Pennington was born in Charleston, West Virginia, to 2 trendy mother and father — his father a company govt who wore customized fits and his mom a housewife who chosen the designers and fashions.
“I grew up with fantastic reminiscences of hers and his garments, and that is what received me began,” he mentioned in a latest cellphone interview. Mr Pennington, who describes his private fashion as “traditional masculine” – jackets paired with sweaters, plenty of pockets and bow ties, a neatly trimmed mustache – typically incorporates sentimental tributes to his mother and father into his outfits, reminiscent of sporting one on his earrings his mom as a lapel pin.
Mr. Pennington’s love of thrifting and antiques started in earnest within the Eighties when he lived in Washington, DC. Now nearly 80 years previous, he has mastered the artwork of scouring the web and social media for high-quality classic gadgets: he typically buys issues on eBay, Etsy and Poshmark.
“It’s important to prepare your eye to search out issues that look good, which have the suitable proportions,” he mentioned. “Now you possibly can go to the greenback retailer and discover some very nice issues — you simply should have an eye fixed for them.”
Mr Pennington’s fashion – and his movies – are paying homage to a earlier vogue period when everybody dressed up for events like eating out and touring on a airplane, and pajama bottoms had been by no means worn exterior the home.
“We received dressed to go someplace within the automobile,” Mr. Pennington mentioned.
He and his husband of 20 years, David, stay in Rehoboth Seaside, Delaware, however lease a house in Florida within the winter, the place they preserve their custom of dressing up each evening, typically in complementary outfits.
“We exit, have drinks, purchase dinner, take it dwelling, go to the piano, sing and play, then sit down and have dinner,” Mr Pennington mentioned. “So posting an outfit of the day is really easy – I am dressed anyway after which I get the possibility to speak about issues just like the distinction between slip-ons and loafers.”
The couple has excessive fashion expectations not just for themselves but in addition for these of their inside circle.
“We have now an enormous celebration each Christmas,” Mr Pennington mentioned. “First I mentioned: Gown on a regular basis. Then I attempted to say enterprise. I lastly needed to say semi-officially, as a result of I am from the South: If I’ve a celebration and you do not costume up for it, I am offended. It is like you have not tried. I lay our a fortune – I’ve bartenders, waiters and caterers – and also you got here as for those who had been going to weed the backyard.
His TikTok account has appealed to younger folks – “My new mantra is ‘What would Larry do?'” one other TikTok creator, Touring Terry, not too long ago monitored — who’re drawn to his timeless fashion and style in dwelling decor and impressed by his social media savvy.
“Persons are so sort and good and say the nicest issues to me,” Mr. Pennington mentioned of his followers.
However the truth that younger folks love him doesn’t imply that he’s impressed by the present tendencies in youth vogue. “I do not perceive the sportswear form of factor,” Mr. Pennington mentioned. “I am not going to put on a T-shirt. For me, underwear is just not outerwear.”
“I do not perceive sweatpants both,” he added.
