With the seasons changing and the weather warming up, a wardrobe change is essential. Fashion trends are constantly going through a revolving door of in and not in, so we decided to do the research and find the hottest current fashion trends waiting for you to try them on.  

Spring ins:

Cargo shorts

This spring, cargo shorts are in high demand. These versatile shorts are a staple in your closet. You can effortlessly pair them with anything. You can dress them down with an oversized graphic tee or dress them up with a crop top. They are perfect for a practical outfit, baggy and comfortable with pockets. You can find cargo shorts at stores like Target, American Eagle and more. For a great deal, you can find them at stores like Ragstock and Goodwill, which often have a great selection.    

 Denim  

Looking for a new staple in your closet? It’s a one-word answer — denim. People have always found creative ways to incorporate denim into their everyday outfits, even combining their jeans with another random clothing item and making a fusion baby. But in recent years, we have evolved from jeggings to jorts, bringing a fundamental change to coolness. The recent rise in Jorts-wearers is more of a resurgence, with jorts first becoming popular in the ’60s and ’70s when people just cut off the bottom half of their jeans. Today, you can find these clothing items all across the US and in other parts of the world. They have found a home in certain groups and aesthetics like grunge, sk8er boy and surfer boy.

Converse

The staple shoe for this spring is the Converse shoe. You can find at least five people with the classic high-top in the halls of your school. The shoes are great for everyday use. Converse are great shoes to wear, whether it’s for going to school or going out with friends. Converse shoes come in many different shapes and styles. From the classic high-top to knee-high laces to platform boots, Converse has them all.

The shoes come in a variety of colors and shades. Some come with designs and embroidery, and they can even be customized. If you get them customized, you can change the laces and even the Converse logo. You can also add embroidery and patches; they have many designs to choose from.

Recently, Converse has been partnering with popular celebrities for their shoe collection, including Billie Eilish, who had shoes dedicated to her album “Hit Me Hard And Soft.” Most recently, Converse dropped a new collection with Chuck Taylor for their spring collection. You can find Converse at many different stores like Shoe Dept. Encore, JD, Scheels and more. If you want to get them customized, you have to shop online or go to one of their stores that offer customizations. 

Altar’d State

This spring, Altar’d State is a must-shop store. If you like floral prints, bows, lace and ruffles, then Altar’d State is the store for you. Their clothing pieces fit with many styles, like coquette, hyper-femininity, cottage core and even country. They sell many different types of clothes, like activewear, pajamas, basics like tops and bottoms and even shoes. What Altar’d State is most known for are their dresses. Their dresses come in many different styles; from mini to maxi, they have it all. Their dresses often embrace and romanticize femininity with puff sleeves, corset shaping, bows, layers and lace trimming. Although their dresses are on the pricier side, ranging from $60 to $80 for their mini dresses alone, the dresses are great quality. Their fabrics are nice and soft, but they’re also sturdy and don’t rip after the first wash. 

Thrift stores

Not only are clothing items coming back from the dead, but ways of buying as well. Thrifting has always been an option for those looking for cheaper, unique clothing, but second-hand shopping has become increasingly popular among teens and young adults recently. Revival and Ragstock are popular second-hand stores in Iowa City, offering handpicked second-hand clothing items at a lower price. Iowa City is also home to Goodwill, Crowded Closet, Stuff Etc. and multiple other classic thrift stores. Teens may be drawn to these stores because they are the perfect place to spend money with their friends on the weekend. 

Lululemon

On the opposite end, Lululemon is also gaining speed this year. Although more expensive and less versatile, Lululemon is a key brand if you’re looking to become a “Pilates princess.” Especially popular spring pieces include relaxed athletic pieces, like the Dance Studio cargo pants and their Groove Nulu flared leggings. The brand is meant to make working out luxurious, and it does the job. Many of its customers find it easy to look past the high expenses because of the instant boost it adds to your look. “Clean Girl” is a popular aesthetic often featuring Lululemon. The look and the brand blend seamlessly together with their feminine and finished look.

Hollister

Recently, Hollister has made a comeback. After dropping their spring collection on socials, everyone has been shopping at Hollister again. The reason why this comeback is so popular is because they brought back their early 2000s classics. Their best sellers from this latest collection are the babydoll tops and sweaters, and their off-the-shoulders sweaters. Hollister also returned a new line of denim skirts with cute detailing like stars and flowers on the pockets. You can see at least five girls at school in the latest collection.

Hyperfeminine style

With spring here, you can find a rise in the hyperfeminine style. The hyperfeminine style contains other styles like the coquette and ballerina styles. Using ribbons, bows, lace, ruffles and more, the style focuses on embracing femininity, as well as romanticizing it. Popular colors within the styles are pinks, blues and purples; most color palettes in this style are softer pastels. Florals are a very popular pattern witing the hyperfeminine style, which makes it perfect for spring.      

Retro

A resurgence in the ’70s and ’80s retro style has been upon us for a while now; today, you can find a modernized version of it in cropped graphic tees and high-waisted bottoms paired with a baggy button-up jacket. This style could be cousins with streetwear, the effortlessly cool style that’s been a go-to for decades. Baggy clothes, like an oversized sweatshirt or pair of cargo pants, characterize this style. Recently, a new staple for this style has risen in camo print, adding a new flair to the older style. Camo can be found in many different styles today, but it unites its various wearers with its effortlessly cool nature. 

Jewelry stacking

An essential part of every girl’s wardrobe is jewelry, but how has it evolved this year? Gold hoops have always been the IT-girl of earrings, becoming popular in the ’60s and ’70s, and then worshipped in the ’90s and ’00s with hip-hop and R&B musicians as the wind beneath its wings. Gold hoops are still at home in nearly every aesthetic, now accompanied by various other earrings on each ear. These are called earring stacks, an array of different earrings displayed on the ear, sometimes reaching ten on just one ear. A similar trend is ring stacks, which is exactly what it sounds like. People stack several rings on each finger, customizing the array to match the outfit. Another piercing that has become more popular in recent months is the belly button piercing. While it’s true that belly button piercings have been popular for decades, teenage girls are leading the piercing into a new era of limelight. 

Spring outs:

Resin jewelry

On the other hand, Resin jewelry has been falling off since its heyday in 2020 to 2021. Resin is a harmful substance to the environment, used to make any product cheap. While it was popular for a while for its new look, it seems to have left the minds of the in-crowd.  

2020 patterns

In addition to 2020 jewelry, 2020 prints are six feet in the ground by now. Patterns like cow prints and wavy-checkered designs were labeled as distinctly Gen Z, pushing against Millennialism and making a new trend for the young generation. But now, these prints have left stores and outfits, becoming ‘cringe’ as time moves on. While this trend was everywhere on TikTok and other social media a few years ago, now only their memory lives on.

Skinny jeans

During the summer of 2024, the Y2K style had a comeback. Clothes like low-rise jeans and fit-and-flare leggings are becoming trendy again. At the same time, people were trying to bring back skinny jeans. TikTok influencers have attempted to bring these back through social media, but so far, have been shot down by the general public.

Zara and Artiza

Not only have certain styles and prints gone out, but entire stores as well. If you’re in the fashion realm of social media, you have probably seen videos of fashion influencers going into stores like Zara and Aritzia. These are popular stores known for having high-priced clothing, with a simple top costing around $40 to $100. Even a simple dress, shorts, or pants can cost from $100 up to $200.

What makes this controversial is that fashion influencers have been calling out these stores for selling their clothes at high prices just to receive poor fast fashion quality. Often, you can walk into Zara and Artiza already seeing the fabric and thread faring away. Many have found poor stitching, fabric and structure quality. When you’re spending upwards of $100 at the bare minimum, you should expect good quality fabric, stitching and structure. Although these stores are still popular, many find themselves going to cheaper alternatives like H&M, where you can get the same quality, if not better, for a fraction of the price. If you’re seeking good-quality alternatives, check out Macy’s or Dillard’s.            

Brandy Melville

Another store that has been riddled with controversies is Brandy Melville. It became popular amongst teenage girls when the first US store opened in Westwood, Los Angeles in 2009. For the past two decades, it’s been a staple to own at least one of Brandy’s basics. But recently, they’ve been in the media for many negative reasons. For years, they’ve been getting called out for only selling to a thinner audience. Brandy is exclusively known for selling one-size-fits-all, but the size only fits a person with a thinner figure.

Many don’t like this because not only is it against body positivity, but it also promotes eating disorder culture and the need to be thinner. In late 2023 and early 2024, Brandy Melville’s store in Paris, France, went viral after videos of the narrow door and spiral staircase were uploaded. Many noticed how small the doorway is, with many stating how upsetting and unnecessary this is. Even in the US, Brandy Melville gets away with this by having one of their double doors closed at all times. What severely impacted Brandy Melville’s reputation was the HBO documentary “Brandy.”

In the documentary, multiple previous workers and shoppers describe their experience at the store. After the documentary was released, many were disgusted and horrified by the disturbing topics brought up. Not wanting to support this behavior any longer, many stopped shopping and supporting the store. Many opted to shop at similar stores like Hollister or H&M, and even Amazon to get “Brandy dupes.” But to this day, Brandy Melville has a large following of young teenage girls.

Next spring, who knows what on this list will be thriving and dying, so try to enjoy these trends while you still can. You might also want to take this advice with a pinch of salt, or you might get caught in the next fashion renaissance. Good luck!