One of the cool things about our editorial team is that we fall into different generations, and we are constantly inspired by each other’s style. The internet—predominantly TikTok—likes to lightheartedly remind us of the differences (and rift) between Gen Z and millennials—especially when it comes to fashion choices.
As a millennial fashion editor who has worked at Who What Wear for seven years and manages several Gen Z editors, I certainly do see and embrace the fun differences in styles. As someone who leans toward classic dressing, I always find Gen Z outfits are such a fun feast for the eyes. But there are also plenty of trends we have equal interest in.
After an in-depth discussion on this year’s trends with my Gen Z co-worker and assistant shopping editor Ana Escalante (who is always so on top of the latest TikTok trends and the Gen Z fashion set), I thought it would be fun to share some of our personal insights on the trends we are both excited about and aligned on as well as the trends we had opposing thoughts about.
As always, here at Who What Wear, we are advocates of wearing whatever you want no matter your age. These trends are purely our personal takes! Keep scrolling to see what we’re both tapping into this season and the items we agree to disagree on—then shop our picks.
Ana and I are both all about the long, loose baggy jeans trend that’s everywhere right now. And I’m even on board with a lower rise in this silhouette, but I just can’t bring myself to wear the distressed low-rise Y2K bootcut styles that are often embellished with rhinestone back pockets. (I wore a pair of True Religion studded jeans back in 2005, and I won’t let them come back to haunt me!) Ana, however, is all over this jeans style right now. She explains, “Maybe it’s because I’ve seen Almost Famous three times this year alone, but the resurgence of retro bootcut jeans has really been doing it for me. The Gen Z version—low-rise hemlines with a slight flare at the calves—has become an unexpected staple in my wardrobe. It feels edgy and adds more personality to an outfit.”
From shoes to handbags, pants to skirts—Ana and I are loving this season’s metallic trend and agree that when styled with the right pieces, the finish adds such a fresh and cool touch to an outfit. However, we are not in accord with each other on the Miaou-style blurred prints that are all over Instagram right now. I personally think they are hard to style in my everyday looks, but Ana has a different take. “Hazy, blurred prints have been a big thing among the Gen Z fashion crowd for some time now and, in my opinion, are much easier to wear with staple pieces like denim or miniskirts,” she says. “I’ve been collecting mesh shirts from brands like Miaou, Heaven by Marc Jacobs, and Kim Shui featuring blurred, glitzy aesthetics, and I’ve never felt like my wardrobe reflects my personality more.”
Like most of the editors on our team, Ana and I are obsessed with the pretty 3D florals that have been all over the runways and street style set this season, and we’ve actually both worn rosette chokers with our outfits in the past few months. But an accessory we can’t seem to agree on are the fluffy and fuzzy bucket hats, which are a huge trend among Gen Z right now. Okay, so I do think they’re fun, and I love seeing them on other people, but I can’t get on board with wearing one out myself—especially the bold, colorful iterations. I did, however, catch Ana wearing a statement red hat at NYFW, and she looked great! Ana explains, “I surprisingly love furry hats with overly feminine dresses or softer silhouettes like bell sleeves or tie-front tops—the hat adds a bit of an unexpected punk vibe, which plays off the rest of the outfit. If it’s good enough for Rihanna, it’s good enough for me.”
While we may be styling them in slightly different ways, Ana and I are loving the sheer fabrics that are trending this spring. I’m favoring Prada-inspired gauzy knits (especially skirts), and Ana just bought the cool Réalisation Par Amber Zebra dress and told me she’s been obsessed with sheer dresses, skirts, and tops ever since seeing Camille Charrière’s daring lace wedding gown. While we can agree on this bold fashion statement, we can’t seem to agree on another: sports jerseys. Unless I’m actually going to a game, I’m just not into wearing sports jerseys for everyday wear. Ana, however, told me she’s about to go into her boyfriend’s closet and dig out his old soccer jersey to wear with her Maison Margiela Tabi slingbacks. “After designers have been experimenting more and more with sportswear, the only thing left to adopt the athletic trend is to wear sportswear itself,” she says. “Gen Z influencers such as Reese Blutstein have been wearing brightly colored sports jerseys and T-shirts alongside frilly dresses and skirts, and I’ve got to say it may be my favorite trend of the year so far.”
Wedges are going to be huge this spring, and I can’t wait to style a sleek pair with a minimalist miniskirt and a cool, oversize button-down. Ana told me she’ll be styling them with maxi skirts to add dimension to her outfit. We agreed to disagree on super-high and chunky platform shoes. I’m much more practical these days with my footwear choices, and I can’t imagine sporting these day or night, but Ana can’t get enough of the chunky, sculpted silhouettes. “I’m really into it. Sure, I may look like a Bratz doll—but I’ll try anything in the name of fashion,” she says.
Although I was slow to get on the cargo-pants train, I’m really loving some of the modern and comfortable styles that around right now. They’re practical and stylish, and they’re a great alternative to wearing jeans. Ana agrees that they’re unabashedly cool, but when we talked about new takes on basics such as the tailored, nipped-in blazer trend we’re seeing crop up right now, we had differing views. Ana much prefers loose and oversize blazers, yet I simply can’t resist a chic sculptured silhouette.
