2026 Fashion Trends I'm Passing On

Last year I wrote about 2025 fashion trends, particularly those I would be participating in for one reason or another. Because I love being a hater from time to time, it’s truly one of my guilty pleasures, I thought I’d dive back in for 2026. After all, I see plenty of fashion trends on TikTok, some of which make me gawk at my screen and ask “what are we doing?” 

Polka Dots

Truthfully, I think polka dots aren’t the most flattering pattering. It doesn’t matter if they’re on pants, shirt, dresses, shoes, anything polka dots are on my eyes are immediately drawn to. But not for any good reason. Some may say they are very Americana, I would say they’re an eyesore. Don’t get me wrong, I love a good pattern, but polka dots aren’t my first option, and definitely not my second. One of the reasons might be because I find the pattern rather childish. Seeing them on adult clothes always takes me out just a little. 

Bubble Hem

This is a returning offender from 2025 as is seems the trend hasn’t died completely. Once again, I’m going to say these are rather unflattering just like polka dots are unflattering. They don’t fall right on anyone, they bunch up, and they really make the wearers look like children. I’m not sure that says anything good about the state of the world today. Perhaps they look a bit better when the skirts are longer, but with the heat we’ve been having I’m not sure long skirts are the right call either. 

Shield Glasses

These look like something you’d find during the winter, not summer. I’ve seen sunglasses grow larger and larger over the years. These sort of sunglasses cover practically half the face as well. That seems highly impractical from a logistics standpoint. Aren’t they more difficult to store? What if you want to just put them up on your head? Do they slip down loads more? These are all questions I have surrounding these sorts of sunglasses, and really any pair of chunky sunglasses. Plus, I just don’t think they look good.

Babydoll Tops

If you’re sensing a concerning pattern, I think we might be on the same page. Pair these with bloomer style shorts and a trend arises that I think should really be addressed. What is with the obsession with dressing in child-like styles. Between the polka dots, the bubble hems, and now the babydoll tops, it almost seems as though adults are parading as toddlers. It’s not lost on me that most of these trends are found in women’s clothing, an indicator of the possible infantilization of women in current years – a trend only worsened by phrases like “just a girl”, “girl dinner”, or similar phrases. If there’s anything at all we should leave in the past, it’s treating women like children. 

Cape-Sleeves

Another hit for practicality! To those that wear shirts with these sleeves, are you not getting them caught on everything? I mean that in the most genuine way possible by the way. On top of them seeming like a nightmare to wear, hasn’t it been way too hot to wear any sort of sleeve at all? I’m lucky I live in a place with air conditioning because the thought of wearing something like this in Europe makes me physically ill. 

Raffia Hats

Perhaps I just hate hats, but these are ones I hate even more than the typical baseball cap. More specifically I’m thinking of the raffia hats with thin brims. The point of a hat is to shade your face and eyes; these hats aren’t shading anything at all. Those with wider brims make complete sense, plus they look nice, but the short ones? They are failing at being hats. If you’re going to invest in a hat, at least ensure it’s actually useful. 

Sailor Hats

Now who thought this was a good idea? As someone who used to cosplay, that is the only time a sailor hat should be worn. They look silly, they only fit nicely on certain haircuts, and once again they look a little childish. Seriously, what are we doing? I mean, every time I see one of these hats I can’t help but think of Stranger Things, and I never even watched the show. Let’s just leave these caps for Halloween. They’ll work a lot better.

Tassles

Tassels trending is almost like the universe heard my pleas for fringe to stop being popular. Almost. We downsized a little, so at least we’re heading in the right direction. Much like shield glasses, I don’t see how these are practical. These seem like they’re just waiting to get caught on anything and everything. Plus, have you seen the tassel shoes? Those look like a functionality nightmare! Between those and the tassel necklaces that look like something straight out of an early 2010s teen show, I’m begging for the populace to put the tassel away. Leave them for the graduation caps.

Barrel Jeans

Does anyone else look at these pants and think it looks like the person wearing them is bowlegged, or maybe like they might have rickets? The cut of these jeans just don’t make any sense to me. Straight-legged? Yes. Flare? Yes. Even skinny jeans? Yes. Those all look good in my opinion. Barrel jeans just look odd in a way that I’m not a fan of. There are some “odd” jeans like patterned jeans or ones in vibrant colors that I think are cool. Barrel jeans just don’t fall into that category.

Minimalism

This one’s truly going to come from my heart. I hate everything about the minimalist aesthetic – beige and white clothes, slicked back hair, the “clean girl” aesthetic. It’s all very bland and boring. It feels soulless. Sure some might actually enjoy the minimalist aesthetic, and good on them for doing so, but I’m not one of them. Minimalism makes everyone look the same. In an era where we’re all sort of acting the same, talking the same, doing the same things, do we all need to look the same on top of all of that? 

Once again, this isn’t to tell anyone what they can and can’t wear. Anyone is allowed to pick their personal styles. And I think it’s rather beautiful when people pick trending pieces and incorporate them into their personal styles.

We’ve been rather monotonous in the past couple years, personality being stripped from things we should consider our own. Rather than mindlessly following trends we see on social media, we should follow what our hearts are telling us. If your heart says reach for the polka dots because you like them, not just because some influencer told you to.