PHOTO: COURTES @VICTORIAFENNALVARADO VIA INSTAGRAM
Side tattoos are your perfect fall accessory, and we are here to show you why! These tattoos are delightfully versatile because they are easy to cover in the workplace and fun to show off on your day off!
Be sexy, confident, wild and free with your side tattoo because the possibilities are endless. You can get them in one million-and-one different designs, and that’s underestimating it. Side tattoos will be your next obsession, and we bring you some of the best inspo on Instagram right now to prove it.
Celebrity Side Tattoos
We love side tattoos on everyone, especially our favorite celebrities. Beauties like Rihanna and Selena Gomez have had their side ink for years with the most tasteful placement. Here are some of our favorite celebs with side tattoos.
Selena Gomez (@selenagomez on Instagram) has many tattoos, but we love her side tattoo in particular. The Arabic scripting translates to “love yourself first,” and we agree. We are all beautiful inside and out and can absolutely stand alongside this beautiful message.
Rita Ora’s (@ritaora on Instagram) side tattoo is inspired by artist Alberto Vargas, who specializes in pin-up girls. The image shows a pin-up style woman with pin curls who is draped in a satin cloth, clutching her breast and smelling a rose. Her design is both delicate and passionate, a really wonderful combination.
Instagram influencer Sophie Hannah (@sophiehannah on Instagram) has many tattoos across her mid- and lower body, but the one on her side is definitely a mood. Her massive dreamcatcher is a beautiful addition to her body art. I feel like it brings all of her ink pieces together perfectly!
Rihanna (@badgalriri on Instagram) is a trendsetter and an icon through and through, and everything about her has never ceased to inspire. Her side tattoo by Keith “Bang Bang” McCurdy is a small (presumably handheld) gun and although it may be a bit intense for some, we think it is powerful for Rih to display the gun as something referencing her own liberation from the opinions of society. Yes, queen!
Cici Stamper (@cici on Instagram) is a shuffler and fit girl for Bang Energy products whose side tattoo is beautiful. The idea of important coordinates is extremely impactful and calming to us, and we’re sure they’re incredibly meaningful to her.
Singer Lennon Stella (@lennonstella on Instagram) has a pretty uniquely designed side tattoo that is also incredibly simple. Stella has the word “fragile” inked on her side to mimic the format of a stamped moving box or envelope. I love the look and the design itself.
Luciana Del Mar (@luchi on Instagram) is another of Bang Energy’s enlisted modeling beauties with some gorgeous ink! Her side tattoo is a quote that extends all the way down the length of her side and we couldn’t love it more. I am actually thinking of getting something tattooed in the same spot because of its uniqueness and because of how cool it looks on her. We love it, Luciana!
Flower Side Tattoos
Flowers are some of the most common side tattoo designs, and you can’t help but see why! Here are some of the best flower side tattoos on Instagram right now.
James Cooper (@jamescooper_tattoo on Instagram) inked this exquisite bouquet of baby’s breath and wild daisies on his client’s side in early June. The side tattoo is delicate and simple, with flawless shading on the petals of the flowers.
Katelynn Rhea’s (@katelynnrhea on Instagram) magnolia design is the ideal cover-up for her client’s simple sunset. As a fairly intricate flower in the first place, the magnolia covers the previous image and stands in its own right. This side tattoo is an incredible floral design!
This traditional-style hand holding flowers design by tattooist Julie B. (@j00lie on Instagram) is a stunningly applied design that we love! She uses muted coloring that accurately defines the hand and flowers. The pairing of this design and the quote sitting above it (not done by Julie) is about as delectable as good spaghetti and red wine (the best!!).
The fine linework of Rach Ainsworth’s (@rachainsworth on Instagram) lily of the valley side tattoo is beyond compare. Even though the lines are so dainty, the image comes out to possess a very realistic quality. Ainsworth pairs the lilies with a geometric dashed circle on the lower half of the tattoo.
Animal Side Tattoos
Side tattoos of animals can be both significant and symbolic in many ways. Whether it’s a beloved pet or extensive symbolism, animals make perfect side tattoo designs! Here are some of our favorite animal-inspired side tattoos.
Seasoned tattooer Frank (@frank_drpeppertattoo on Instagram) understands the importance of tattooing well-loved pets without flaw. This side tattoo is of a micro realistic cat accompanied by two impeccably detailed roses just below the whiskers! The cat quite literally looks like it will walk right off of the model, and we are in love with it. It’s purr-fect!
Although the design of this side tattoo by Amber Albano (@ambernalbano on Instagram) may seem simple, it is actually pretty intricate. To explain, the tattoo shows that it’s okay to be different and swim to the drift of your own water current so to speak. Albano pairs the image of the design with an Emma Stone quote, “What sets you apart can sometimes feel like a burden and it's not. And a lot of the time, it's what makes you great." We couldn’t agree more!
Brooklyn-based tattoo artist Mira (@fleurnoiretattoo on Instagram) showed off this intricately designed side tattoo in early June. The floral, black-ink designs inked into the snakeskin make this sexy snake unique and extremely captivating. Many of Ms. Mira’s tattoo designs have this same whimsical, swirly quality that we are obsessing over. It is both definitive and abstract!
For the more gothic ladies of the world, this spider tattoo is insane! Tattoo apprentice Polly (@polly.tattooer on Instagram) of Bridge Street Tattoo in Chester, UK has a decisively realistic style of side tattoos. This spider looks a lot like it’s going to crawl across her client’s torso, right down to the subtle shadowing of the spider’s limbs.
Abstract Side Tattoos
Side tattoos don’t have to involve flowers and animals; the rest of the universe has infinite ways to inspire your ink as well! Here are some of our favorite portrait side tattoos!
Toronto-based Victoria’s (@victoriafennalvarado on Instagram) side tattoo is one of my personal favorite designs. Its design is more creatively put together than some. I appreciate the abstract, sketched quality of the faces because the style is so interesting. We are obsessed, girl!
Tattooer Brad’s (@tattoosbybrad on Instagram) side tattoo is a fantastically inspired piece of art. It shows an entwined man and woman who appear to resemble an artistic depiction of Father Time and the Universe. It speaks volumes with its color palette (with blues and purple twining down her hair and golden tones to accompany his skin and shattered hourglass) The palette reflects the total whimsy of the idea. The side tattoo is absolutely dazzling and actually leaves me a bit speechless in its wake!
“Speak no evil, see no evil, hear no evil.” The saying is the concept behind this side tattoo done by tattoo artist Miko (@samuraimiko on Instagram). I heard these words many times as a girl, so I am loving this piece with all my heart. The girl in the ink has simply detailed dark hair with bangs, and she consists of all three poses making it seem to related to the client herself. Tattoos that have meaning are definitely the best kind, and this one absolutely does!
So What Do We Think?
We love the side tattoo trend and know it will stick around forever! You cannot go wrong with this tactful tattoo placement because it’s easy to conceal and sexy as heck. Pretty much any design can be tattooed on your side; from sweet and soft to dark and powerful. You can have a quote or an image, or even an entire painting. Embrace your wild side for the side tattoo, and we promise you won’t regret it.