TikToker Who Went Viral for Wearing $9K Sweater Dress on Thanksgiving Teases Extravagant Christmas Look (Exclusive)

Brigette Pheloung of Acquired Style tells PEOPLE how she pulls off her over-the-top holiday looks every year — and reveals if she actually wears them for the entire night

When TikToker Brigette Pheloung received the “casual” dress code for her family’s Thanksgiving plans in November, she didn’t show up to the function in traditional fall attire.

No, she arrived in an ensemble that was more fit for Paris Fashion Week than a cozy dinner at home — and one with a price tag equivalent to about eight pairs of Jimmy Choo shoes.

Naturally, she documented the moment — and the reactions it received — online. 

On Nov. 28, Brigette, who goes by the moniker Acquired Style on the Internet, shared a series of TikTok videos showing herself extravagantly dressed in an $8,800 Parker Zinn cable-knit merino wool gown so popular it was previously worn by Kathryn Hahn. It was also so complex that it came with a petticoat to wear underneath.

Brigette's content revolving around the avant-garde item, which started off with a get-ready-with-me vlog (complete with an unboxing) and ended with a clip of her cousins lining up to get a photo with her like they were at the Met Gala, went viral. In total, all four videos garnered more than 30 million views.

The N.Y.C.-based content creator, 27, tells PEOPLE that she has been creating a spectacle out of her outfit choices since 2021.

For three years now, she’s stuck to her Thanksgiving and Christmas tradition of bringing a sartorial shock factor to the table, knowing it’ll always garner “some laughs."

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Behind the scenes, there are very niche situations Brigette has to think about when planning her holiday looks.

Since most, if not all, of her outfits are loaned to her, as was the case with her Parker Zinn dress (which can be made to order and takes 1 -

Finnish Family Portrait Balances Christm,...

0-12 weeks to produce), she has to "take extra good care of" the piece she's in. She also doesn't keep the outfits on all night, "only until after we eat and clean up,” she admits.

And just what if her twin sister, Danielle, who’s a well-known style influencer herself, arrives in the same look? “I’d say Danielle definitely dresses up more than the average member in our family, but nowhere near what I do. Even though we do almost everything together, this is my thing,” jokes Brigette.

With Christmas right around the corner, Brigette, who ditched the festive jammies in favor of an Old Hollywood-style cocktail gown last year, is already planning another showstopping outfit. “It's being custom-made. Think 'Holiday Barbie'!" she tells PEOPLE.

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Surprisingly, her relatives get excited for her high-fashion shtick every time, even though it's expected now. “They love it! Knowing how they would react is truly what got this tradition started, since they’re usually a jeans-and-sweater kind of family.” 

But Brigette’s dramatic fashion unveilings aren’t only subject to her loved one’s opinions. Having a TikTok platform with 1.3 million followers means her outfits are open to commentary, good and bad. 

On how she handles the latter, she says: “In my experience, the people who react negatively on the internet almost always are unhappy with themselves, so I know negativity is more often than not a projection. I just keep that in mind and don’t take it personally. At the end of the day, I’m happy with who I am and what I’m doing, and that’s all that really matters.” 

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