Gen Z Says is a bimonthly column chronicling the latest trends in the fashion-and-beauty space through the lens of Who What Wear’s own Gen Z editors. Expect a download on the upcoming class of tastemakers, emerging designers, and shopping and style choices straight from the generation setting the trends.
For some, December marks the beginning of the end. The month is spent drawing one year to a close, celebrating another, and acknowledging all the good and bad things that come with both. For me, however, the month also signals a sort of rebirth for my appreciation for the fine arts onstage, in museums, and on my bookshelf. You can imagine how excited I was to discover that Pinterest’s 2026 trend predictions for beauty, fashion, and lifestyle included something dubbed the opera aesthetic with images of velvet theater seats, dimly lit aisles, and light-flooded stages followed by pictures of opulent perfume bottles, ethereal hair accessories, and elegant makeup kissed by candlelight. The entire trend feels like something straight out of Gaston Leroux’s 1910 classic novel The Phantom of the Opera.
“Enter: the opulent party. Dial up the drama with velvet drapery, red roses, and string quartets,” reads the description found beneath Pinterest’s featured board. As a lover of the extravagance, romance, and mystery of the opera, I found myself creating an entirely new Pinterest board dedicated to my interpretation of the trend as a beauty editor. My take leans into the trend’s softer, more whimsical side, evoking everything from the excited whispers behind the curtain to the dried flower bouquets hanging in dressing rooms to must-have beauty essentials, such as diffused blush, glitter-flecked nail polish, heady floral scents, and more. Interested in seeing the trend through a beauty editor’s eyes? Scroll on to see which products capture Pinterest’s predicted opera aesthetic best and how to bring it to life with or without ever stepping into a theater or having been in the midst of a prima donna.
Candelit Makeup
Chantecaille
Lip Definer in Chic
