At the beginning of a new year, the pressure to revamp starts to kick in. For many, a big piece of their rebrand is developing a new personal style. If some trends die out, new ones will take their place — and try to dictate closets.
Last year, the top trends were Y2K, small glasses, low-rise jeans for women and baggy jeans for men. Jorts stayed in style throughout the year. Men’s quarter-zip sweaters were trending through the end of 2025.
“I think Y2K has been prominent, and now, people are just getting tired of it and moving towards 2010s,” said Lily Lee, a 21-year-old employee at thrift store Flashbacks Recycled Fashions.
If Y2K is leaving, another era is bound to replace it. Lee said “the trend cycles have gotten shorter and shorter.” She said she finds it crazy that trends from 10 to 15 years ago are already coming back around.
In previous generations, trends typically took 20 years to break through mainstream fashion again. In 2022, the historic 20-year trend cycle started to become irrelevant as microtrends garnered attention on social media.
In Gainesville’s The Oaks Mall, the current common pattern in stores is stripes. American Eagle, francesca's, Pacsun, H&M and Altar’d State all have striped items, from crewnecks to T-shirts to poofy jackets. The women’s striped clothing are vibrant in color, which could be a result of the incoming spring season or reflect a resurgence of funky or whimsical fashion.
“Funky” in fashion is an expressive and unconventional style that makes a statement – complete with loud colors, big purses and chunky jewelry. Last year, the style became popular once more, seeing as Y2K is a version of funky. Along with stripes, one “funky” prediction for the new year is big glasses: wide, long frames instead of the micro glasses styled in 2025.
Alongside stripes and funky patterns, one classic jean shape is also claiming space on clothing store shelves. Vanessa Clavell and Sierra Lehman, The Oaks Mall American Eagle employees, said stovepipe jeans are currently their most wanted item in store.
The stovepipe jean is low rise with a straight fit down the leg. The question of skinny jeans returning in 2026 is going around TikTok, but so far, it hasn’t come into fruition.
Fabrics go in and out of fashion alongside patterns and shapes. Amber Reyes, a 20-year-old employee at Anthropologie, said the trend forecast for the year may be a shift away from polyester toward natural fibers.
As a UF political science major, Reyes studies trends, she said. Sometimes, the cultural or even political climate of the day can inform what people wear. If the country is leaning more conservative, Reyes said, people may start to wear clothes with more coverage.
Women used to wear a longer hemline until the flapper era of the 1920s. Some people theorize hemlines go up or down based on the economic state of the country, which is often referred to as the “hemline index.” If the current shift in politics is to go back to a more conservative time, clothing can reflect that.
On a personal level, Reyes said she would like to see more ruffles and flowy clothing. But she already has a feeling about what’s next.
“I feel like we already have the polka dots going out. We have a lot of polka dot stuff in store. So I feel like buttons is the natural progression,” she said.
Contact Teia Williams at twilliams@alligator.org. Follow her on X @teia_williams.
Teia is a general assignment reporter for Metro. She is also a second semester journalism transfer student from Daytona State College and served as Editor-in-Chief for In Motion, DSC's student newspaper. When she's not writing, Teia can be found reading, going to concerts, at the beach and talking about her favorite artists.
