Gen Z Fashion: Trends To Know In 2022

Now that we as Gen Z’ers are coming of age, we’re ruling the fashion world with fresh styles and new takes on looks from past decades. With social media making fashion trends more accessible than ever, people can see the fashion choices we make whenever they turn on their screens. We are the ultimate influencers when it comes to naming the hottest fashion trends!

We know that you probably don’t need a lesson in fashion, but it never hurts to take a deeper dive into current fashion trends. You just might learn something new and fall in love with a trend you didn’t know about.

We hope this trend guide inspires you to try something new and exciting or even helps you come up with new trends of your own!

Jeans & Wide Leg Pants

Denim is a universal favorite for all generations. Millennials remember the days of low-rise, flare-cut jeans with a slight cringe (it’s fine, we’ve all been there). Thankfully for us, this tragedy paved the way for the higher-waisted, skinny style that has ruled the fashion world for almost a decade.

After we all fell in love with the coziness of wearing sweats during the pandemic, Gen Z is bringing back chill vibes with straight-leg cuts. The fit is more friendly (especially mom/boyfriend jeans), and the styling options are endless!

Loose and flowy tops give you that relaxed, laid-back aesthetic, while tighter crop tops allow you to explore your playful, cool girl side. Even as the flared cut of the Y2K days comes back around, the higher waist is generally comfier when compared to low-rise skinny jeans.

You can throw together such a cute and simple outfit with a pair of jeans and a top. The best part? You’ll still be comfortable enough to sit at your desk all day, every day.

Lingerie Tops

As pants become a little looser, structured tops help keep the look elevated. Lace-up and corset tops are no longer just for underclothing but are meant to be seen. With fresh prints and fabrics, these ultra-feminine tops give you shape and allow you to show a little skin.

Being cooped up inside has definitely caused us to see a rise in lingerie tops. We mean, let's face it! People want to get together and party again, and that means adding something to our shopping carts that is more sophisticated. Pick out a cute lingerie top and start planning all of your #hotgirlsummer posts (even in fall and winter) for TikTok.

Athleisure

Since the pandemic, working from home has become the new norm. With this new job dynamic, you probably don’t see the need for dressing up. Enter athleisure.

This fashion trend is your new best friend, especially if you’re one of the lucky ones who remove work from home full-time or have a hybrid role. And if you’re still in school (unless you have a uniform), athleisure is the best it gets!

While we want to relax at home, we also want to look put-together. With virtual meetings being a normal part of the workday now, the need to be business on the top and chill on the bottom makes athleisure all the more attractive. There’s nothing better than looking good and feeling good and still being comfortable.

Honestly, we’re so here for this trend and couldn’t be happier to spend the day in comfy and cute clothes.

Athleisure can be so much more than sweatpants and mesh shorts (though we do love those). Opt for joggers and tops that can take you from spin class or your weekly team meeting for your internship. Or, go for bike shorts during brunch. The point is, you have options.

Bathing Suits and Swimwear

Similar to athleisure, bathing suits and swimwear have become popular for everyday wear. No, we aren’t saying you should walk around in a string bikini and hop on a call with your boss (although, if your camera is off… fair game, we guess!).

However, you can definitely get creative and wear a bathing suit as an edgy chic look. It’s a great way to show up to a music festival wearing something a bit unexpected or strut your stuff while running errands like the world is your runway (it basically is, right?).

Swimsuit trends that are hotter than ever are everything high-cut and everything with cut-outs.

Try wearing a chic bikini top with your favorite pair of distressed denim or under your go-to mesh long sleeve for an easy-to-pull-off look! You can also wear a one-piece as a bodysuit with a skirt or pants. Don’t want to wear a swimsuit but love beachy style? Try mesh or lace cover-ups with a pair of jeans for the ultimate boho babe look.

Basically, you can use swimwear as a replacement for bandeau tops, bralettes, and bodysuits. There’s no limit to the looks you can pull off with a good bathing suit as your base.

Graphic Tees & Sweatshirts

When visiting vacation spots, a graphic tee or sweatshirt is a favorite souvenir for many, but many would keep these comfy keepsakes reserved for loungewear.

Using clothing to express yourself with graphics is becoming cool again, and that means all kinds of graphics are included.

Tuck a graphic tee into more structured bottoms, like a tennis skirt or trousers. You’ll still have that casualness about your tee, but tucking it in and wearing bottoms makes this look a bit more polished.

Try cropped graphic tees to break up the proportions between a higher-waisted bottom and your top. You can also wear a more fitted sweatshirt layered with a collared shirt underneath for a throwback preppy academic look.

The sky's the limit when it comes to graphic prints. Of course, wearable travel souvenirs are a trusty standby, but you can also wear graphics that enhance the style and aesthetic you want to portray. Who says that expressing your personality is only reserved for solids and prints?

Long Socks

These days, anything goes when it comes to footwear. With the higher hemlines of skorts and playful matching sets, longer socks create dynamic proportions by showing off the upper leg.

Don’t be fooled; long socks aren’t strictly for sneakers, either. Frilly, thin socks are perfect under sandals and heels, while mesh and fishnet socks give your outfit an edgy, chic vibe. You can also extend the wear of your summer sandals by layering socks to keep your toes toasty and warm during the cooler seasons.

Give your style some edge with a knee-high mesh sock that peeks under a midi-dress or a dark-academia feeling to a plaid skirt. While monochromatic dressing is here to stay, you can always break up a look and give visual interest by adding a bright, chunky sock in a complementary color. Talk about a fun color pop.

Tie Dye

Tie-dye had its heyday in the 60s and 70s and now this print is back with a twist. While rainbow colors and spiral patterns were the go-to styles during that era, this decade's reiteration is more watercolor-inspired. You’ll see more of a flowy look than the tight spirals or feasible shapes of earlier decades. These flowy looks are ethereal and give a dreamy look to any item of clothing you can think of, from dresses to pants to shirts and everything in between.

Tie-dye can be seen in every type of clothing and incorporating it into your style can be as subtle or over the top as you like. Dress head to toe in tie-dye with playful sets, or just add a simple tie-dye bucket hat for a look that combines the 90s and 70s.

Puffy Sleeves

The 80s reigned supreme on shoulder pads and made the upper body look a little broader, while the 90s and early aughts focused on a more streamlined approach. The cutout cold shoulder trend was so chic but no friend to the winter chill (or shoulder tan lines).

The cutout shoulder trend of the 90s and 2000s has stepped to the side to greet an OG icon: puffy sleeves.

We’re seeing puffy sleeves make a comeback, and we are absolutely loving this poofy confection on our Insta feeds. Seriously, we love that the 80s are back (just in a cuter and more polished way)!

With the cottage-core aesthetic keeping a strong arm on us and streaming Regency-era shows on our favorite streaming platforms, the puff sleeve is an easy style to recreate. It’s pretty without being too costume-like and you can make it edgy or sweet.

Keep it modest with a high neck or go sexy with a low cut. Either way, your sleeves will be a focal point. You can choose to go big or go home with a full-out poof that defies the laws of physics, or you can add an understated oomph with a poof on each shoulder.

Knitwear

When you think of knits, sweaters and cardigans pop up in your mind. In 2022, knitwear is present in every season, and you can bet that each color piece will have you reminiscing about that unfinished scarf you tried to crochet during the pandemic. The only difference is you can actually plan to wear your knitted items out and about and not #stayathome.

While sweaters with cutesy prints are a fresh look on a dreary winter day, knitwear can also be seen at festivals during the dog days of summer. Crop-top tanks and tube tops not only look cool but keep you cool in the heat.

You can also choose to tap into your bohemian side with looser styles and more psychedelic prints and colors or up the prep-school charm with stripes and more classic color pairs. From New York Fashion Week to beach days in SoCal, knitwear will have you on-trend no matter what.

Chunky Shoes

With all the new styles that Gen Z is making their own, accessories are a sure thing to have their own professional stylist makeover as well. Chunky shoes are making their own comeback and can help balance out the looser pants everyone is rocking. A super delicate look can be made edgier by wearing chunky boots to be the picture of Gen Z fashion trends.

Work shoes have also been made chunky via thick-soled loafers. A great way to bring some comfort to your feet on your daily commute. While we are super happy to get rid of the painful stilettos as we strut around town, watch those ankles in your platform shoes!

Staying En Vogue in 2022

It is so much fun watching the styles of previous decades come back. As fashion is always cyclical, there is still an art to how the current generation puts their own spin on it. With all us Gen Z’ers taking the reins of setting the current trends, it is interesting what styles are coming back.

They say that everything old becomes new again, and it seems that couldn’t be truer for 2022! Who’s to say what next year has in store?

For Millennials, it will feel like a blast from the past when they see the trends that they rocked in middle school and high school on this decade's crop of teenagers. What Gen Z’ers can learn from this is to hang on to a few of your favorite pieces; you never know when you’ll need to dig them out again.

Being connected to social media will constantly keep you updated and inspired, while shopping with Cider ensures that you have access to the newest styles. We have updated styles every week, so you can stay on top of current trends easily.

Sources:

Where Millennials end and Generation Z begins | Pew Research Center

The 100 Most Memorable '90s Fashion Moments | Marie Claire

What Do We Even Call "Athleisure" Now? | InStyle

Can You Really Wear a Swimsuit in the City? | Vogue

XOXO,

Cider 💋