What goes around, comes right back around. A decade after the emergence of Kylie Jenner Lip Kits, Beyoncé’s hit “Lemonade” album and the tribulations of “Pokemon Go,” people all over the internet have united for a common mission to reignite the aesthetics of 2016. If you are an Instagram or Tik Tok user, your feed has most definitely been flooded with photo dumps from celebrities to your own family and friends posting their 2016 highlights.
Current Fairfield students were around the middle school age group in 2016, probably sending selfies of them along with their friends in the goofy dog and flower crown filters to the sixth grade Snapchat group chat. With the rise of discussions around a year filled with hope, free-spirited ideas and viewing the world with rose-tinted glasses, here is a list of trends and fashion predictions that just might come back in style in 2026.
Fangirling is Back In
Despite 2016 marking the end of One Direction, it was a time of a pop culture frenzy. Taylor Swift rocked a bleach blonde bob at Coachella, Justin Bieber dominated on his Purpose World Tour, and we were first introduced to the concept of the Upside Down as “Stranger Things” became a sensation. Fangirling will be just as impactful in 2026 as in 2016.
At the end of 2025, “Stranger Things” released its fifth and final season, making people shocked by Will’s powers (spoiler alert), fall back in love with Steve Harrington and feel deeply for the characters they grew up with over the past decade. In 2026, Finn Wolfhard, actor who plays Mike Wheeler, hosted SNL and theories of the “Conformity Gate,” a secret ninth episode are still circulating. The power of fangirling has also been restored in the fandom of “Heated Rivalry,” new HBO queer hockey show, whose storyline even takes place over the course of the 2010s.
Harry Styles is finally coming back to music after his three year hiatus with HS4, an album called “Kiss All the Time. Disco, Occasionally.” Styles released his first single off the album called “Aperture” on Jan. 22 with a corresponding music video on Jan. 23, leading fans to believe his new vibe will be if ABBA and the Bee Gees decided to make music together. His 2026 tour of “Together, Together” will host 30 nights at Madison Square Garden, which is about a 70 minute commute on the Metro North for Fairfield students, and will take place from Aug. 26 to Oct. 31. The fangirls are back, so get ready for the glitz and glam that “Together, Together” will bring to the party!
A VSCO and YouTube Resurgence
It wouldn’t be 2016 without VSCO filters layered on top of each other accompanied by brightly saturated colors. VSCO is essentially a digital diary of fond memories. Despite VSCO being a social media platform, there is less pressure to have your posts “look perfect” for your followers. It is not uncommon to get caught up in the midst of followers, likes, and comments on most social media apps. VSCO leaves that pressure aside since there are only two buttons on posts: favorite and repost. Grainy vignettes and monochromatic filters will become popular in 2026.
Along with VSCO’s revival will be a YouTube renaissance, another social media app popular in 2016. Back in 2016, Bethany Mota, Alisha Marie and Rachel Levin better known as RCLBeauty dominated the internet with DIYs, makeup tutorials and fashion hauls. Some content creators today that carry forth the trendy yet relatable precedent set out for them by the OG YouTubers are Danielle Carolan, Brooke Miccio and Bailey Dedrick. 2016 will be the year of long-form content instead of solely TikTok doomscrolling.
Is it too much to ask for a Vine comeback? (And no, not talking about this section, but rather another social media app).
Skinny Jeans and Bomber Jackets
Skinny Jeans will make a significant impact on the 2026 style guide. In more recent years, baggy and wide leg jeans have been the most popular in media with celebrities such as Katie Holmes, Jennifer Lopez and Reese Witherspoon rocking them in a streetwear fashion. While I don’t quite think that lace-up tops will make such a trendy revival, I do believe that many people will start to wear their skinny jeans with long tank shirts that have embellishments such as sequins and lace. Colorful blazers will become an anomaly for days walking around the city and nights out to dinners. Flamboyant shirts can be found at stores such as Anthropologie, J. Crew and Altar’d State. The popular patterns of 2026 will be polka dots and zebra print.
The 80s bomber jacket will make a comeback, particularly for men, which was a trend in 2016. Old-school leather and throwback varsity jackets will make for an interesting juxtaposition to traditional male outfits. The bomber jacket could spice up a simple outfit, over a sweat set or even over a white tee and a pair of jeans. Fernando Mendoza, University of Indiana’s star quarterback, guest appeared on “The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon” wearing a bomber-styled jacket.
EDM for Days
2016 was the year of EDM beats. The anthem was Roses by the Chainsmokers featuring Rozes. Most pop artists collaborated on songs with the Chainsmokers, DJ Snake, Zedd and Marshmello. Zara Larsson released songs like “Lush Life” and “Never Forget You.” She is re-emerging this year as a pop sensation, touring around the world. Fairfield University was ahead of its time, getting Larsson to perform as the MainSTAGe act at the 2024 fall concert.
Along with Zara Larsson, the Chainsmokers, Shawn Mendes (a girl can dream) and Rihanna will make a strong musical comeback in 2026. EDM will arise in pop songs and even will be popular among country music artists such as Morgan Wallen and Jessie Murph.
Soul Cycle never goes out of style, but is having a major resurgence with themed workout classes. Heated Rivalry and the Harry Styles’ album will get the cyclers going wilder than Justin Bieber in 2016.
A trend starting in 2025 that will continue into this new year is the hobby of DJ-ing. It will build a positive broader community on social media between those we mix up the craft, soul cyclers and music festival goers.
Sprinkling “Millennial Optimism”: Millennial Pink
The term “millennial optimism” has been resurfacing on social media, referring to the time where the Millennial Generation was in their early 20s. It was a period of optimistic promises of the future filled with bright concepts and down-to-earth connections.
Along with the optimism this generation brought to 2016, is the nicknamed color “Millenial Pink,” which can be described as a blend of Pantone colors named Pale Dogwood and Rose Quartz. The color impacted how people dressed because it represented gender fluidity while also keeping a subtle feminine energy. In 2026, millennial pink will resurge in how all genders dress and rose gold will be back in the conversation.
Gen Z’s romanticization of the 2016 aesthetic is the nostalgic longing for simpler times where society was more united than divided. Things probably weren’t better in 2016 although it might’ve felt like it. But we had trust in each other, had more collective interests and had optimism. With the resurgence of 2016 trends, just maybe this optimism will ensue again.