Shorts, Slip Dresses and Tropical Barbies—The Gen Z Pop Stars Shaping Fashion

Whilst it’s true I usually dedicate this weekly column to the microtrends making waves in fashion (aquamarine blue, Pucci prints and bedazzled thongs to name a few), this week, I’ve decided to switch things up a bit. As a fashion editor, I’m just as interested in where a trend begins as I am in its longevity, and this summer, the answer (for the most part) has led back to the same sources. Week after week, so many of the season’s biggest style moments can be traced back to one group: Gen Z’s favourite pop stars.

With the cultural landscape shifting from quiet-luxury obsessed to something far bolder and braver, there is a handful of formidable frontwomen who are serving looks both on and off the stage, treating every appearance like their own personal runway. Famed for their signature style in an era of personality-based maximalism, their commitment to building their own unique aesthetic is exactly what’s called for in 2026. And Gen Z? Well, they’re eating it up.

Whether it’s Renee Rapp single-handedly reviving the Napoleon jacket and ‘60s-inspired specs in a way that Fight for This Love-era Cheryl Cole would approve of, or Zara Larsson thrusting glitter heels, sequinned T-shirts and diamanté jeans back into the limelight (all of which are trending according to the LYST Index), it’s impossible not to give credit where credit is due.

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