Gen Z’s take on Fashion: Recent Trends

Photo from Pexels by Shattha Pilbut

Ella Hutton

Social media websites like TikTok and Instagram have become the new platforms for finding inspiration for your next outfit. People used to flip through magazines with the hottest tips on how to style their newest pair of jeans or what shoes to get. One thing that has remained constant in fashion, however, is the ever-changing trends that are always appearing online.

Within the past five years, there have been a plethora of trends, some better than others. The COVID-19 quarantine had brought up rather unique fashion styles, which I do believe was a baseline for what we see in today's trends. These are some of the more recent fashion trends I’ve seen online and in school.

Uggs

To start off, I decided to start off one of my favorite trends at the moment. Uggs have started to see a comeback after they were deemed “cringey” in the 2010s. The higher-boot-like were super popular in the 2000s and I believe the reason they’ve started to come out of the closet again is because of the rise in the Classic Mini Boot and specifically the Tasman Slippers.

Personally, I love that these are coming back. After owning a pair myself, they are definitely worth the high price. They are comfortable, reliable, secure, and basic. Basic might sound like a bad descriptor, but the classic brown color can easily match jeans if you want to dress them up, but still stays cute with sweatpants on lazier days.

I have also seen people take their old Uggs and cut them to the trendier, shorter height to stay following trends, but on a budget. Honestly, I give Uggs extra points for this for influencing sustainability.

Backless Shirts

If I am being honest, this has to be the first time I’ve seen backless shirts look good. Backless tees have always been a thing, but they didn’t appeal to everyone, but respectfully they had to be styled the right way to make them look good/the way you intended.

The most I have seen these on is social media platforms like TikTok and Instagram, but I have noticed more seamless and tighter fitting backless tops in stores as well.

However, I really like this trend. Although it may not work for everyone, it has the potential to be cute. As we enter the winter months, I wouldn’t recommend wearing this out in 30-degree weather, but that’s just my opinion. The open back is an accessory itself and changes the plain fitted tee into something a little less boring.

Birkenstock Bostons

The recent fame of Birkenstocks grew in the 2010s with the classic two/three strap sandals. These were a staple for every teenager to have and were wearable all year long. The German Birkenstock brand is known for its high-quality, leather shoes that can last you years, but at a high price.

Despite the fact that the Bostons had already existed on the market, they recently were advertised by more and more younger customers on social media, which began their popularity.

In my opinion, they are cute and have a similar concept to the Uggs. The classic brown/beige color leather can easily match almost any pair of bottoms and can easily be styled up or down. These are, however, limited to a certain audience. That doesn’t really change the fact that they are still good-quality shoes, but I have seen polarized opinions on these.

Reeboks/ New Balances

This is what I like to call the classic case of “cringey to cute”. New Balances had their reputation for being a dad/grandpa shoe, and no one really wore Reebok apparel, unless on clothing. The rise of the Club C 85 Vintage Shoe gave Reebok popularity among the younger generation. If you scroll through their website for white sneakers, they offer tons of models that look super similar but each has little different decals and colors.

For New Balance, I’ve seen a lot of 574 Core sneakers. These are gray in color and you can practically match them with anything.

These shoes offer cheaper options, as most of them don’t even cross $95. They’re durable, cute, a staple shoe, and can be worn on almost any occasion.

I love seeing the rise of older brands that were deemed ‘weird’ years ago. A lot of Gen Z’s fashion influence came from older styles from the 2000s, 90s, and so on, so I can’t wait to see what brand gets revived next.

Slick Back Ponytails

Thinking about it, I am not 100% how this hairstyle began. I started seeing it get popular online and being advertised as a “clean girl look” (which did create some controversy), but it’s evolved into a popular hairstyle, and I am loving it.

It’s practically low effort, the most you probably need with it is hairspray or maybe gel, but it adds a classier look to your lazy low ponytail. One thing I like about this hairstyle is its versatility. You can just wear your hair in a ponytail, you can braid it, you can keep it up with a claw clip, or you can tie it into a bun.

All in all, there’s not much to say about this, except how much I love how cute it looks.

Low-Rise Pants

Low-rise jeans have finally made their comeback from the 2000s, but I’m not sure how I feel about it. I love the look, don’t get me wrong. High-rise pants may not suit everyone’s body type and make them feel confident, so low-waist pants have become a more suitable and trendy option. I, however, cannot stand low-rise pants on myself, but don’t let my opinions dictate what you wear.

They are cute when paired with the right top and accessories and along with that, low-rise pants come in basically every style (jeans, cargo, etc). I have always felt in the world of fashion, pants/bottoms have always been lacking in variety and trendiness, but low-rise jeans hit the right spot.