If We're Partying in 2026 Like It's 2016, I Want to See Everyone Dressing Like It
- - If We're Partying in 2026 Like It's 2016, I Want to See Everyone Dressing Like It
Michelle LeeJanuary 27, 2026 at 9:00 AM
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Taylor Swift, Rihanna and Hailey Bieber in 2016
Kevin Mazur/Getty;Pierre Suu/GC
One of the first trends to hit 2026 isn't new at all
A couple weeks into the new year, the internet began calling 2026 the new 2016 and went wild looking back on that year's pop culture trends, including the fashion
Skinny jeans, bomber jackets and knee-high boots were reflective of 2016 style and were often seen on celebrities, including Rihanna, the Hadids and the Jenners
Before 2026 got here, I thought about something that I hadn't thought about in years — and admittedly haven't wanted to.
Like anyone, my style has gone through phases, but my skinny jeans era isn't something I'd picture myself ever returning to. The slim-fitting, unforgiving (and perhaps, torture-inducing) trend was all my 17-year-old self wanted to commit to. Why wouldn't I? All the cool girls were doing it.
So, when I began typing in "Topshop skinny jeans" into Google a few weeks ago, I thought it was a scary sartorial harbinger or a sign that I was having a fashion crisis. Turns out, it was a sign that 2016 is about to be so back.
Gigi Hadid in 2016
Lars Niki/Corbis via Getty
About two weeks ago, the internet declared that it was time we throw things 10 years back. No longer was it about "6-7," but rather 2016 as everyone began sharing Instagram photo dumps of where they were, what they did, and most importantly, what they wore that year.
In pop culture, there were a lot of exciting things happening. Beyoncé dropped Lemonade, then Netflix dropped Stranger Things; Justin Bieber's "Sorry" was a radio replay; the Mannequin Challenge was alive and well (so was the hit Broadway show Hamilton), and every other selfie on your Snapchat was no doubt of someone airbrushed and in a filtered flower crown.
Fashion and beauty were exhilarating too. Taylor Swift's hair rocked the world when it appeared bleached blonde at Coachella (and again at the 2016 Met Gala). Beyoncé's Roberto Cavalli dress from the "Hold Up" music video became one of her most memorable looks. Kylie Jenner's lip kits were all anyone wanted for their daily beat, while her sister, Kendall Jenner, alongside Hailey Bieber (then Baldwin), and Gigi and Bella Hadid informed a new kind of model-off-duty look.
Models in the 2016 Victoria's Secret Fashion Show
Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty
I hate to be that girl, but you really had to be there to experience what 2016 was about (sorry, Gen Z!). But to sum it up loosely: The trend of the time was dressing up for the club, a cocktail party, a basketball game and Sunday brunch — all at the same time.
Mixing it up was no truer than in 2016. You had stars such as Rihanna layering boxy bomber jackets with slip dresses and grungy boots, while the Kim Kardashians of Hollywood were making athleisure less sporty and more haute. Leather bags, leather dresses, leather jackets — essentially anything moto-inspired — were hot ticket items that went alongside grunge fashion's new life made possible through choker necklaces and flannels.
At the same time, the business casual look was achieved as long as a fancy blazer or trench coat were involved, while cutouts were major for skin-baring moments.
Kendall and Kylie Jenner in 2016
Astrid Stawiarz/Getty
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And of course, an honorable mention must be made for the knee-high boots that climbed so high up the legs, you'd thought a pair of scissors were needed to cut them off (alas, it would only take a year for the more egregious Balenciaga shoe pants to come along).
That's all to say that, if we're so excited to remember 2016 as one of the last times that felt like "being alive," how dedicated are we to dressing like it again?
Selena Gomez in 2016 George Pimentel/Getty
Ariana Grande in 2016 Theo Wargo/Getty
The styles might not've been as comfortable or coherent and honestly, a bit of an eye sore, but there was something so uncoordinated about it that makes it that much more enticing. Rihanna seems to agree. She gave me major déjà vu recently when she stepped out for partner A$AP Rocky's Don’t Be Dumb listening party dressed in a terracotta lace slip dress and a cropped green bomber jacket. There is hope for 2016.
So what do you say? Let's really bring it back and get our skinny jeans ready.
on People
Source: “AOL Entertainment”
