Ten years ago, we had facetune and the Snapchat dog filter flooding our Instagram feeds. Tumblr gave us our fashion inspiration, and our chokers were so tight our airways were probably compromised. Our skinny jeans were ripped to shreds, and our shirts promoted bands we most likely have only heard of once (when we bought the shirt). 2016 was the best year for fashion, and also the worst, but we remember it like yesterday. For some people, 2016 actually was yesterday–fashionwise, at least.
There was something in the air in 2016. It could have been Justin Bieber consistently on the radios, or the demogorgons we had just been introduced to slightly haunting us. Whatever the case was, 2016 has left us nostalgic for a decade. In order to find that feeling again, to feel as care-free and whimsical as we did back then, the internet has turned to fashion. Get in your closet and dig up years of new trends and styles, we’re finding the pieces that shaped our 2016!
We have all been yearning for a feeling of comfort and peace recently. The world has become an even crazier place, changing by the minute, but reflecting on our old selves and prior fashion choices brings us a sense of comfort. One thing we all had in common back then–we cared a lot less about what people thought about us. All we strived to be was ourselves, through our wacky outfits and love for weird trends (if you remember the mustache trend, you know what I mean). A wonderful aspect of fashion is though it may be just clothes and accessories, styles can bring us the sense of nostalgia to calm down our minds and make our hearts warm.
A major fashion trend emerging a decade later is the rise of the infamous skinny jeans. After 2016, skinny jeans might as well have fallen off the face of the earth. Fashion gurus discovered the different styles of jeans–flare, baggy, straight. Once we realized our jeans did not need to hug our legs all the time, skinny jeans became shunned. However, they have crawled out of our grave and back onto our social media feeds. Often paired with an oversized top, skinny jeans were the epitome of much of the fashion we saw in 2016. Tumblr takes the cake for this one, as all our favorite “emo skater girls” were rocking the style consistently. Turning from Tumblr feeds to mainstream media, skinny jeans took over the planet for their versatility and easy-to-wear design. Now, in 2026, it seems we are turning our heads from the baggy jeans we know best and pulling out the decade-old jeans that defined our late childhood or early adulthood. Thank you Tumblr girls, you have no idea what you started!
If you are not a skinny jeans kind of person, no worries, 2016 is still calling your name in other ways. The classic bomber jacket has been seen again and we’re ready to look like Kendall Jenner on a casual walk. It mixes the 2026 clean girl aesthetic with the edginess of 2016, replicating the hottest celebrities sporting the look. Also, the accessories that took over our lives are remerging onto our shelves, yet again. Chokers and huge earrings and chunky bracelets, oh my! We definitely weren’t edgy at our age in 2016, but maybe in 2026 we will look more like the badass we’re trying to represent. Black thread with a pearl, as tight as can be, yes please. Huge, slightly tacky earrings with the perfect mix of gold and color, duh! And make sure our bracelets can be heard from a mile away too, please!
Unfortunately, a true year like 2016 may never be seen again. Our Instagram feeds are filled with the latest TV shows and celebrity drama, we replaced Tumblr with Pinterest, and everyone wants to look clean, not edgy. The ones who get it, though–they’re running right back to a decade ago where edgy was clean, and simple was boring.
