The Best Fashion Trends 2026: What to Expect This Year

It’s always fun to see what’s coming up for the new year and new season in fashion! And I, for one, would get very bored and depressed if we dressed the exact same way every year and everybody looked alike.

I would just be really sad. So anyway, let’s talk about some upcoming trends for 2026, what we can expect, what I’m curious about, and what’s exciting in the fashion world!

The Best Fashion Trends 2026: What to Expect This Year

The Pendulum is Swinging!

I think 2026 has a VERY big chance of swinging the proverbial pendulum back in the other direction in fashion, and I think you’ll see what I mean with some of these trends!

First, I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but the 2020s have been heavily influenced by the ’90s – which was 30 years ago. That’s so crazy! And that whole ’90s vibe of shapeless outfits, wide-leg jeans, and untucked shirts is still very much on trend even going into 2026.

Now, does that mean you need to start dressing like your emo 1996 self? Absolutely not! But I do think adopting some of these trends – like the relaxed fits, boyfriend cuts, and slightly oversized looks that have been really big for the last several years – is not a bad thing. Frankly, I think it’s more comfortable and flattering on a lot of us, and all of that is here to stay!

Hello, ’80s Influence!

But in 2026, we’re also going to start seeing some more ’80s vibes coming around! Think pencil skirt suits, bow tops (I’m positive I’m not saying that right!), and strong shoulders with cinched waists.

We’re already seeing the parachute pant be a very big trend – which I think is more late ’80s, early ’90s, that whole hammer pant vibe. Polka dots have been HUGE lately! We’re seeing a lot more cinched outfits, strong shoulders, maybe belted waists.

And yes, all of this is happening at the SAME TIME as those ’90s influences with shapeless outfits. There’s so much happening in fashion! I think it’s just hard to believe that there are so many things that are on trend right now. But I just think that’s the way it is – there’s something out there for everybody!

It used to be that there was only skinny jeans, and if you didn’t wear skinny jeans, you were out of style. It’s not like that anymore! There’s just a lot going on in fashion, which I think is really exciting.

Oversized Outerwear & Retro Sneakers

In that ’80s vein, we’re seeing leather bomber jackets, funnel neck jackets, and oversized outerwear be a really big trend right now and going into 2026!

We’re also continuing to see late ’80s, early ’90s vibes with trousers and sneakers. Sneakers with everything – that’s still here, guys, going into 2026! We’re seeing a lot of retro sneakers like the Puma Speedcat and the SL72s by Adidas being really big trends.

Goodbye Quiet Luxury (Sort Of)

Now for something a little more new – and where I think the pendulum is really swinging – I think we’re going to be walking away a little bit from this HUGE quiet luxury trend that’s been dominating the trend cycle for the last several years. I think we’re moving into some more maximalist looks!

Does that mean quiet luxury is out of style? No, no, no, no, no! As we all know, quiet luxury was basically classics and beautiful classic looks. It’s still very classic! What I think will happen is that people who were wearing this look just because it was a trend will probably move on to something else. But women for whom this really resonates as their personal style (like me!) will continue wearing these more classic looks – and maybe throw in some trends here and there!

I just think this whole quiet luxury era will start moving to the background a little bit, and we’ll start seeing more maximalist pieces come in. On the runways, The Row (you know, their whole thing is quiet luxury) had feather skirts! Feathers were also all over Balenciaga and Victoria Beckham for 2026. I think we’re going to see a lot more ostentatious looks, more luxe looks, and more unique individual styles!

Color is Coming Back!

Up till this point, we’ve been loving and living for our neutrals! Chocolate brown has been reigning over 2025. We’ve seen beautiful neutrals and neutral-adjacent colors like burgundy, reds, beautiful browns, and ivories dominate the scene.

But I think in 2026, the pendulum is swinging! We’re going to see more colors, more saturated colors. I don’t know if we’re reverting back to 2020 dopamine dressing (even though there was some of that on the runways), but I do think we’re going to see a lot more colors in 2026.

Will that mean neutrals are out of style? Of course not! Neutrals never go out of style. But I do think there will be more focus on bright, saturated colors – and these beautiful bold colors mix so nicely with neutrals anyway!

Preppy Athleisure is Here to Stay

You know how the track pant and rugby stripe shirt have been really big this year? That’s just going to keep getting bigger for next year! The whole preppy athleisure aesthetic is still a very big trend going into the new year.

I’ve really been loving this because brands are coming out with athleisure that doesn’t look like the loungewear/pajamas we were wearing in 2020. It looks like elevated athleisure – things you’d actually go out in and be proud of!

Cable knit sweaters, boat shoes (which became a trend in the last few months!), rugby stripes, polo shirts, polo cashmere shirts – all these preppy items are definitely very on-trend for 2026!

Mixing Prints (Maybe?)

Another trend I think we’re going to see more of in 2026 – which we haven’t in a while – is mixing prints! With the ’80s influence, we’re seeing a lot of polka dots. So we’ll see outfits with polka dots and florals, plaids with stripes, things like that.

Will I be mixing prints? I don’t know. I did like this the last time it came around – what was that, 10 or 15 years ago? I was very big into mixing prints back then. I don’t know if that’s my vibe anymore as a 44-year-old woman! Sometimes things I loved back then, I’m just like… I don’t know if it’s for me this time around. But we’ll see!

The Best “Trend”: Smarter Shopping

One trend I find very interesting – and I think we can all agree this is great – is that people are becoming more educated when it comes to clothing and shopping! Consumers are getting smarter. We have higher standards, and many of us will not settle for sheer, cheaply-made, poorly-made garments that were running rampant 10 years ago.

Now we want cotton, cashmere, wool, silks, and high-quality synthetics! Even though this has nothing to do with actual style trends, I do see this in fashion, and it’s really interesting that brands are trying hard to get on board with this. Obviously, that’s really good!