Welcome to the Gen Z Mood, where I—Who What Wear UK’s 27-year-old social media editor—keep you updated with my mood of the month and the most exciting things I’ve spotted on the scroll. I’m always looking for new and thrifty ways to shop trends, and I’m taking you with me.
The mood: Trendsetting
Social editor and Gen Z columnist Annie Wheatland wears one of 2026’s biggest trends, a touch of texture in this gorgeous fluffy jacket from Topshop.
Are we done taking stock of 2025 yet? The Spotify’s have been wrapped, gifts unwrapped, and as the ‘what I got for Christmas’ TikTok’s trickle in, it’s time to start looking forward, instead of back.
The Betwixmas week is prime time for ruminating on what’s to come (as well as over-indulging). So I’ve been thinking about what 2026 has in store for my specialist subject–Gen Z–and making some predictions (I find these are much more fun than resolutions) to foresee the five fashion trends they’ll be wearing in 2026. After all, if Romy Mars’s embracement of Isabelle Marant’s sneaker wedges is anything to go by– they will be the ones to watch in 2026.
With the vision board well in motion, scroll on for what I’m predicting to be the biggest Gen Z fashion trends next year.
Gen Z Fashion Trends 2026
1. Slouchy silhouettes
After a decade of millennials favouring cinched waists and tailored lines, Gen Z is initiating a changing of the guard, favouring slouch over structure. Just like their ‘laissez-faire’ attitude towards life, their styling preferences are just as relaxed, and I’m predicting more so than ever in 2026. From boots to blouses, recently I’ve spotted the most-stylish Gen Zs opting for slouchier styles.
Tops are off-the-shoulder, waists are dropped and there’s a slinkiness to outfits we’ve not seen since the ‘00s. It feels straight out of the Mischa Barton/Paris Hilton playbook–all silky and draped–making it a perfect trend for our thrift-loving Gen Zs rifling through the rails of charity shops and vintage haunts. But this shift hasn’t been conjured out of thin air; cult Gen Z brands like Isabella Vrana, Peachy Den and Paloma Wool are the blueprint for this whimsy and modern fabrication. Scroll on to shop the trend.
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