RIP to These Viral 2025 Trends—Here’s Everything We’re Wearing in 2026 Instead
How much can change in a year? If the fashion trends that feel inherently dated for 2026 are any form of measurement, it’s quite a lot, actually. It’s true, the sonic speed at which the trend cycle moves these days often has viral silhouettes or specific fads falling out of fashion’s favour sooner than you can say trompe-l'œil. (Remember that trend that tricked the eye into thinking leather shirts were made of leather at Bottega Veneta or the clothes that had bodies and other garments printed onto them for Glenn Martens’s takeover at Jean Paul Gaultier haute couture?)
It might feel soon to tell which cuts and colours are already entering early retirement to the untrained eye. Yet, as a fashion writer who has made a career of chronicling consumer data, previewing new season collections and understanding the machinations of how this industry works, knowing these things is not only a prerequisite for staying ahead, but my job.
So, what does 2026 have in store for us, and what are the styles that certainly won’t be getting as much airtime over the next 12 months? After the reign of quiet luxury, shoppers are looking for new and exciting pieces to invest in. These are styles that offer the same longevity, but aren’t as demure and toned-down as we’ve seen previously. Others are looking to buck this trend entirely, looking to vintage stylings as far back as the Victorian era for inspiration. Most are bidding buying into “—cores” adieu, and for good.
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All in all, 2026 is promising a mode of fashion that’s ornate, joyful and coherent. As we inch towards the turn of the decade, consider the year ahead to be one that’s distilled everything we’ve loved about the past five years of fashion and disregarded everything that’s proven controversial or problematic. (See: Becoming a micro trend final boss). Without further ado, scroll on for the 7 key fashion trends that appear dated and the styles that feel relevant instead, ahead.
7 Fashion Trends That Feel "Dated" in 2026
1. Passing On: Jelly Sandals
1. Wearing Instead: Wedge Trainers
Style Notes: Despite originating in the ‘80s, jelly sandals returned with a vengeance over the past summer, with high-octane heeled versions from Chloé, mellow and luxurious slip-on styles from The Row and sickly-sweet flip-flop iterations from Ancient Greek Sandals. Whilst I’d contend that this gelatinous and textured footwear style is wading into “timeless” territory, it’s arguably no longer the shoe trend du jour, which is why I’m predicting they’ll be put on pause during the warmer months ahead.
If we were to look at which hybrid shoe trend—one of the biggest categories to boom over the past few years—is just starting to peak, you’d notice that wedge trainers are certainly the most viral. With Isabel Marant’s iconic pair on the feet of nepo baby scions like Romy Mars and Blue Ivy, Puma’s Wedge Speedcats already on their second release after selling out immediately after their launch and Chloé’s boxer-meets-ballerina Kick style gaining traction, this is one trend you’ll assuredly see nonstop throughout the entire year.
Shop the Trend:
2. Passing On: Sardine Girls
Isabel Marant
Bekett Sneakers
Chloé
Kick High-Top Sneakers
Tuck your jeans into the high-top straps for a nostalgic spin on the silhouette.
Puma
Speedcat Wedge-Heel Sneakers
The newest iteration to the wedge trainer. canon.
2. Wearing Instead: Poet Core
Style Notes: We’ve officially hit micro-core fatigue, with the last niche aesthetic, a mania that swept the first half of the 2020s, taking the form of the “sardine girl” trend. (Tinned fish forever, but may I please implore you to stop dressing like a can of Ortiz.) Replacing these hyperspecific and style-led subcultures is a return to third spaces and physical media through acts like journaling, collecting, writing and participating in community book clubs.
