I might be biased in saying this, but how you dress is an extension of who you are. Everything we know and love about Carolyn Besette Kennedy is linked to her dedicated sense of ’90s minimalist style, and who would Carrie Bradshaw have been, if not for her eclectic sense of dress and love of Manolo Blahnik shoes? In fact, I’d go so far as to say that not caring about how you dress, is an informed decision in itself that projects a point of view.
When you work as a fashion editor, you almost by proxy become a good judge of character, because it’s your job to observe and understand culture in the context of history and trend cycles. And it’s especially true if you’re a fashion editor that’s chronically online, like me. More often than not, a trained eye can tell not only where a person shops, but the music they listen to, the celebrities they love and the contents of their Instagram Saved folder, all from their outfit. Undoubtedly, these are all generalised superficial things, and not a real tell on who a person actually is, but their hobbies and interests? For sure.
Whilst season after season there are some trends that dominate—quiet luxury, Y2K nostalgia, for example—your approach to style, the brands you love and the colours you’re drawn to, are (whether you know it or not), part of a style tribe. It’s not just a case of minimalist vs maximalist, lately the different personalities within personal style are more nuanced. You have your classic dressers that are refined and elegant, they appreciate pretty things, will adopt some trends, but nothing that feels too alternative, rather timeless yet cool. These people look to the likes of Laura Harrier, Hailey Bieber, Kendall Jenner and Katie Holmes.
Then there are are ‘fashion girls’, who adore Alexa Chung, Emma Chamberlain and Chloe Sevigny, they have a more eclectic taste, shop a lot of vintage and will likely have an extensive knowledge of a brand’s archive, there are a few types of these, so I’ve divided up into their own tribes. Notable mention should be made to the return of boho chic, which has inspired so many sub-trends and growth for brands like Dôen, Hill House, Sea New York, Bode and of course, Chloe. This aesthetic has become a tribe in itself. With the return of Indie Sleaze comes conversation around again around the ‘Hedi Girl’. “Hedi” referring to Hedi Slimane, a noted fashion photographer and the ex-creative director of Celine.
And there are so many more! See below the 5 I think will be most dominant for autumn 2026.
5 Style Tribes For Autumn 2026
1. The Coach Kid
Style Notes: Making the top 10 on Lyst Index‘s hottest brands in the world for Q2, it would be remiss to not mention the power of Coach in fashion right now. With a slightly more affordable price point, a global marketing strategy that hits the mark with its Gen-Z cool consumer, the Coach Kid *that* girl, especially for those below 30. Most often dressed casually, in low-slung bootcut jeans or grey 3/4 length sweat pants and a sports jersey, the Coach Kid is the cool younger cousin to the Miu Miu Maven and Archivist (more on those later). Never without a matcha latte, the signature ‘platypus pout’ (as well as her Coach Tabby, of course), she’s probably busy growing out her brow slits and considering a brow piercing instead. When she’s not browsing Vinted, the Coach Kid is shopping at independent brands such as Mode Mischief, Attega and Jaded.
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