Juliet Son’ 28
In Gossip Girl, Blair Waldorf says, fashion is “the most powerful art there is. It’s movement, design, and architecture all in one. It shows the world who we are and who we’d like to be.” Fashion defines who you want to be and how you want to be perceived by people. In 2026, the flow and trend of fashion changed rapidly with the development of social media, allowing people to share and connect.
As the 2016 era is going viral, messy, splendid, and the use of anything that goes with bold is becoming a part of the new 2026 trend. Oversized and big-framed sunglasses such as Chloè’s square frame sunglasses and Gucci’s special fit square sunglasses, big, long, and multiple-layered jewelry, and bold colors – hot pink, sky blue, and green – clothes especially tracksuits from IAMGIA and Juicy Couture are examples of this trend. Regarding the ‘messy’ trend, wearing silky slip dresses with long and very sparkly accessories, skinny scarves, splendid purses, and bold makeup, which is called lingerie fashion, is also a part of the trend. Women’s Fall/Winter 2026 Runway Show from ‘7 for all mankind’ showed this trend amazingly, evoking early 2000s nostalgia.
One trend that blew up the millennial generation has come back in 2026, which is military-style jackets. Military-style jackets are often referred to as Napoleon jackets, a military coat style worn by Napoleon during the early 1800s. Its genderless style and traits make people more fascinated and want to wear it. Double-breasted, high collar, and gold buttons are conspicuous. People often match denim, skinny jeans, and sunglasses with it to add more chic and classy vibes. Cropped style, long style, and fur style, so many types of Napoleon jackets are coming out, and lots of brands are recreating it with their own styles. Alexander McQueen’s S/S 2026, Balmain F/W 2025, Ann Demeulemeester’s S/S 2026, and Dior S/S 2025 are examples.
The footwear trend highlights the balance between comfort and style. Slim sneakers are leading this trend with a wide range of styles within low profile, flat or minimal sole, lightweight, and simple design. This trend significantly emphasizes the change in footwear characteristics because it shifts from big, bulky designs to cleaner, refined, and understated designs. Also, slim sneakers give off quiet luxury and are stylish, but not flashy, which shows that the minimalism trend is back. Moreover, Sneakerina shoes are the evolution of this trend combining ballet flats and 1970s sport shoes to evoke a more classy and elegant style. Speedcat ballet venus from Puma, Tokyo MJ from Adidas, and LV Sneakerina from Louis Vuitton show several different styles within Sneakerina styles.