Chokers, Bomber Jackets, Millennial Pink

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At one point, it was common knowledge that trends — especially those in the universe of fashion — came back every two decades. Now, that length of time has been shortened to 10 years, what with the boom of all things 2016-coded in 2026.

Since turning their calendars to the Year of the Horse, people have been obsessed with trying to resuscitate the age of the Mannequin Challenge and the fidget spinner. Outlets report that searches for the term “2016” surged by over 400 percent in the first month of this year, with both everyday sentimentalists and celebrities digging up the archives to find authentic representations of themselves from the time.

This phenomenon has been brewing for a while, though. On social media, millions of users have been collectively expressing the notion that 2016 was the last good year. It was the year of the world’s initial acquaintance with “Stranger Things”; car stereos blasting The Chainsmokers’ “Closer” on repeat; platforms like Vine and Musical.ly exploding in popularity; the Rio Olympic Games; Instagram’s then-new Stories feature; and Leonardo DiCaprio’s first Oscar win. On the fashion side of things, 2016 was also when chokers reigned supreme (and were given the seal of approval by everyone from Gigi Hadid to Rihanna), not to mention ankle boots, all-too-skinny skinny jeans, graphic tees, and normal tees that were shortened by way of tying a flimsy knot right below your belly button.

If some, or most, of these moments feel questionable at best, that’s because they are. Still, it seems like we’re all too tempted to look back on this era with something close to yearning. And what better way to honor said emotion than by inviting back some circa-2016 sartorial trends back into our closets? Sure, you might never want to be caught applying the “flower crown” and “tongue-out dog” Snapchat filters over your face ever again, but bomber jackets, logo-adorned tops, and maximalist leggings that are a far cry from Lululemon’s latest just might be the healing salve we all need in an increasingly unstable, rapidly changing world.

Below, the five distinct fashion trends that had their heyday 10 whole years ago but which are, someway and somehow, appearing in our shopping carts yet again. Some things never change (and shouldn’t).

Bomber Jackets

In 2016, the New York Times reported a “500 percent year-on-year increase in Google searches involving the term ‘bomber jacket,’” which is not at all hard to believe considering the likes of Pharrell Williams, Hailey Bieber (well, Baldwin), and Gigi Hadid all opted in to this outerwear style — originally designed for military purposes — at around the same time. No matter if you sourced yours from Gucci or Forever 21, bomber jackets were edgy: especially when paired up, like in the Hadid visual above, with skin-tight bottoms and round, flimsy-looking sunnies that gave off major model-off-duty energy.

And while leather bombers have actually had their time in the sun as recently as last year, seen on the spring/summer 2026 runways of designers like Rick Owens and worn by what felt like the majority of Paris Fashion Week attendees, we’re advocating for a comeback of their satin counterparts specifically: previously adored by Drake and Kendall Jenner alike. Featuring attractive luster and in many cases a cropped silhouette that can work well with your high-waisted denim picks, satin bomber jackets are the transitional-weather buy that will get you through the tail end of winter this year (and be there for you when summer turns to fall). Don’t miss the moment and shop some bestsellers today.

Millennial Pink Everything

2016 marked the first time that color authority Pantone (yes, the one behind this year’s controversial “Cloud Dancer” shade better known as white) crowned not one but two hues as its Color(s) of the Year. They were a light, dusty pink and a baby blue, joined for the sake of relaying the “gender blur as it relates to fashion” experienced at the time, according to Pantone. The proclamation held water — turning said pink into a veritable sensation by way of the Millennial Pink mania, which made everything from Paul Smith’s Melrose Avenue Pink Wall to Louis Vuitton’s 2016 runway looks into a headline (and, in the case of the latter, an influencer magnet).

The color has once again entered into the cultural conversation: perhaps spearheaded by the fashion set’s penchant for the coquettish and dainty, perhaps not. Either way, we’re not mad about its return one bit, seeing as how Millennial Pink can infuse easy elegance into even your most casual of ensembles. See our pink-swathed favorites below.

Chokers… but Make Them Elevated

Gracing city streets and red carpets, chokers were ubiquitous in 2016, especially in conjunction with off-the-shoulder tops — working to further accentuate their wearers’ necks, collarbones, and shoulders. You likely remember the prevalence of faux-tattoo chokers made from woven black plastic, whose accessibility was contrasted by the more upscale appearances of diamond- and crystal-clad styles sported by the Hollywood elite. There’s a particular photo of Taylor Swift that still lives in our heads “rent-free”: taken in May 2016 at the BMI Pop Awards, to which she came dressed up in a velvet Monique Lhuillier dress rounded out by a black diamond choker that popped against the backdrop of the star’s rebellious, bleached bob.

Knowing it’s probably not going to go over well, our fashion editors aren’t recommending you bring tattoo chokers back. Instead, interpret the trend through the lens of all that you now, gloriously, know about fashion — going for selections that are layer-ready and made from the finest of materials. Good news: There’s no plastic in sight here (and no Claire’s visit is required to hop on the bandwagon).

More-is-More Activewear

While your arsenal of leggings these days is likely marked by some combination of black, magenta, navy, or gray, life was different a decade back. Read: Everyone ran around in bolder-than-bold activewear and didn’t bat an eye. Mesh cutouts on leggings were cool, and so were prints of palm leaves, paint splatters, galaxies, and marble. Back then, it was definitely a “party on the bottom” situation all around, with A-listers from Sofia Vergara to Alessandra Ambrosio and the aforementioned Swift allowing their pants to do all the talking — whether they were running to the gym, from the gym, or simply checking errands off their to-do lists.

While galaxy-printed leggings are not on anyone’s bingo card this year (well, maybe we should speak only for ourselves), it’s fine time to spice up this apparel category vis-à-vis statement designs. All that will be missing? A muscle tee and some neon-colored Nikes, of course.

Quiet Luxury Who?

Move over, stealth wealth: If you wanted to signal you were someone in 2016, you wore Supreme, Gucci, and adidas, making sure people knew your clothes were sourced from there by leaving zilch to the imagination. As a result, the year of the Kylie Lip Kit also gave rise to logo-forward tees and those featuring graphics or cheeky phrases. Think Bella Hadid’s long-sleeve shirts with “Tommy Jeans” written on them front and center or else the slogan-centric releases luxury labels presented on runways (remember Dior’s “We Should All Be Feminists” tee?).

While you won’t catch us going to work in something that has the name “Calvin Klein” dominating its exterior, 2016 street style also showed us that vintage band T-shirts are an apt choice of garb, and so are precious pieces of tour merch. Never managed to score a souvenir from Justin Bieber’s Purpose World Tour? It’s socially acceptable to snag one off Amazon right now.

Who would’ve thought?

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Meet the Author

Stacia Datskovska is a Senior Commerce Writer at WWD. Previously, she worked at ELLE DECOR as an assistant digital editor, covering all things luxury, culture, and lifestyle through a design lens. Her bylines over the past five years have appeared in USA Today, Baltimore Sun, Teen Vogue, Boston Globe, Food & Wine, and more. Prior to joining ELLE DECOR, Datskovska learned the ins and outs of e-commerce at Mashable, where she tested products, covered tentpole sales events, and curated gift guide roundups. She graduated from NYU with a bachelor’s degree in journalism and international relations. Datskovska regularly reports on fashion trends, including throwback ones, worth shopping. In 2016, at the ripe old age of 13, she was busy telling her 200-something YouTube subscribers what to wear on a night out and how to make money fast as a teen.