This is Bazaar's 2026 ins and outs list

An unserious but deeply considered audit of what’s in, what’s out, and what we’re all quietly over.

Jan 09, 2026 | by Alex Duffy

TREND FORECASTING is less about prediction than intuition, deciding what still holds up and what’s ready to be left behind.

An ins and outs list might feel peak millennial, but the impulse behind it is far older. In 1978, Nina Hyde set the template in The Washington Post with The List, an annual audit of what was rising, fading, or overdue for retirement. Long before algorithms, it functioned as a cultural temperature check. It endures because it still does the job, defining collective taste and calling time when a moment has passed.

We’ll admit, 2026 already feels slightly dystopian. Pantone’s colour of the year, ‘Cloud Dancer’ white, isn’t actually a colour at all, while Time’s Person of the Year went to the architects of AI. The mood feels uncertain, overstimulated, and primed for a reset. So when it comes to vibes, if it has to be loud, shared, or documented to count, it’s out.

Here, the BAZAAR team sat around and put Sharpie to paper for a non-definitive, completely subjective look at the internet’s favourite trends.

What’s OUT in 2026

Everything performative is out

All symbols of effort dressed up as ease. The idea of always being on, perfectly curated, and visibly improving is officially exhausting.

Voice notes

I have to be honest, I’ve never really been a voice note kind of girl to begin with. As someone who needs to put pen to paper and fingertips to the keyboard to process my thoughts, I find recording a voice note too overwhelming. Then there’s the reply: do I write back? But is that weird? Do I send a voice memo back? Surely we should have picked up the phone by this point, which is exactly what I’ll be doing in 2026. That, and sending stream-of-consciousness texts riddled with typos when I get too carried away to care. – Alex Duffy, Senior Beauty and Digital Editor

Capsule wardrobes

… because why limit yourself? That’s simply too stressful.

Pilates princess energy

A matching set was never meant to be part of the workout.

Flat stomachs

Do you remember the first film you watched that you definitely weren’t old enough to understand, but did anyway? Mine was Pulp Fiction. I was ten, most of it went straight over my head, but one scene lodged itself there for good. Maria de Medeiros tells a young Bruce Willis that she wants a pot belly, declaring a softer midsection on a woman “very sexy”. When he asks whether men would actually find that attractive, she shrugs it off. “I don’t give a damn what men find attractive. It’s unfortunate what we find pleasing to the touch and pleasing to the eye is seldom the same.” I didn’t have the language for it then, but I understood the feeling. Queen behaviour. – Arielle Katos, Digital Director

Forced identity signalling is out

Trends that are worn to announce something rather than because they feel right.

Posting a significant other on social media

I’m sorry, but if I follow you, I want to see you, not your boyfriend. A cameo arm next to a perfect plate of pasta? Fine. A few vacay snaps in a ridiculous location? I’ll allow it. But the full-time boyfriend content? Absolutely not. The only acceptable appearance is one annual post on his birthday. Otherwise, the only engagement you’ll be getting from me is a mute. – Sophie Howe, Head of Brand for Women’s Health

Polka dots

There might be nostalgic charm to the pattern, but the negative space between the dots reminds us of looking at a disease through a microscope.

NEW YORK, NEW YORK – JUNE 21: Hailey Bieber is seen in SoHo on June 21, 2025 in New York City. (Photo by TheStewartofNY/GC Images)

Cowboys

Okay, we’re running late to this rodeo. Following Beyonce’s Cowboy Carter tour, the final season of Yellowstone and Bella Hadid’s ranch girl era, we’re leaning into leather fringe, vintage denim and plaid … and the idea of a cowboy boyfriend (ignore what we said about boyfriends above).

Flared leggings

We’ve stretched this one far enough.

Bangs

There’s a time (fresh after a breakup) and place (on Brigette Bardot and Dakota Johnson) for bangs. While we won’t ever judge those who feel that bangs could cure all, 2026 will see the rest of us growing our hair into long layers as full, glossy hair and low-fuss hair cuts stay top of mind. – Alex Duffy, Senior Beauty and Digital Editor

Dakota Johnson and Lily Allen perform on Saturday Night Live | COURTESY

Optimised pleasure is out

Leisure that looks suspiciously like work and hobbies that require a personality transplant.

Planks

… mostly because they’re boring, but also because there’s stronger and more targeted exercises to tone the core.

Movie press tours

After two consecutive years of the psych ward of a press tour that was Wicked, we’re ready for press tours to be professional again.

Fitness trackers

The data is in. We’re tired.

Aperol spritz

This is the summer of the St. Germain spritz. Or the martini. Or the cosmo. Basically, any other cocktail that will broaden your horizons.

Karaoke

What’s IN in 2026

Slow living is in

Opt for a softer pace and fewer declarations, because your attention is a luxury.

Quiet dating

Less performance, fewer updates, and no need to turn early connection into content.

Casual posting

Out is the curated Instagram dump, here to stay is casual posting that arrives unprompted, unrehearsed and just a little messy. – Scarlett Wallace, Account Manager

Leaving work on time

Not as a rebellion, just as a boundary.

Tarot

If Jonathan Anderson can entrust this spiritual practice to power his countless collections, we have high hopes for our cards.

Cancelling plans

… Because sometimes we just can’t. And that’s okay.

Reading

With the real world fast becoming a digitally enhanced dumpster fire, the novel shapes as an increasingly attractive escape from the doom and gloom of the endless scroll and its all-seeing algorithm. No likes, comments, bots or braggarts – or feelings of regret about wasted evenings. Just don’t spoil it with a humble brag post listing your ‘month’s best reads’. – Ben Jhoty, Men’s Health Australia Head of Brand

Yearning

Let’s bring back yearning, the kind Emily Brontë captured in Wuthering Heights. Centuries later, Cathy and Heathcliff’s impossible love still sets the standard for longing. – Arielle Katos, Digital Director

Ignoring trends is in

Style that feels intentional, not algorithmic. Fashion that assumes you don’t need to explain yourself.

White jeans

A slightly rogue return, but among the early 2000s revivals, this is one of the most wearable, instantly lifting even a black T-shirt.

Monologue karaoke

“It’s a recent trend I’ve been seeing on gay TikTok where people book out karaoke rooms to scream, say, Toni Colette’s Hereditary monologue into the mic. I imagine it would do wonders to let off steam. The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills ‘Beast’ monologue would be good too.” – Tyler Dane Wingco, contributing writer

Aviators

Big sunglasses are back, and this classic style has been spotted on everyone from Bella Hadid to Georgia Fowler. This is your sign to dig them out from the back of that drawer, or to invest in a new pair.

Chartreuse

‘Cloud Dancer’ white might be Pantone’s 2026 Colour of the Year, but we’re taking matters into our own hands with our colour trend predictions.

Spotted at Loewe, Valentino and Prada for spring-summer 2026, this bold, almost yellow citrus green cuts through the runway palette with a zing that feels upfront and full of attitude. – Arielle Katos, Digital Director

Military jackets

An icon returns and commands authority. Cue: the Napoleonic military jacket. Steeped in nostalgia and now a true wardrobe staple, it’s long been fashion’s go-to for instant attitude. From the Beatles, the Rolling Stones and Jimi Hendrix to Kate Moss at Glastonbury; from Westwood to Jean Paul Gaultier and Balmain, the military jacket never really left. For Spring Summer 26, it’s back with individuality. It’s been seen on the runways at Ann Demeulemeester, Jonathan Anderson’s Dior, Sean McGirr’s Alexander McQueen and Vaquera. Jenna Ortega, Jodie Turner Smith and Zendaya have proven their status as modern icons once more, too. – Jessica Steuart-Hoyler, Fashion Director

Sequins

Soft-matte makeup

Dewy skin has been good to us over the past five years. With the rise of skincare education, active-infused formulas and makeup minimalism, our skin has taken a breather and beamed with balmy illuminators. In 2026, we’re entering an era of a soft, hazy glow that’s more matte than we’re accustomed too. While makeup will continue to prioritise skin’s natural radiance, foundations and cheek and lip colours will take on a blurred, blotted and diffused effect. (A light dusting of setting powder won’t go astray, either). Celebrity makeup artist, Nina Park, whose makeup signature is currently sweeping TikTok, is the ultimate inspiration here. – Alex Duffy, Senior Beauty and Digital Editor

Men’s jewellery

Men’s jewellery is here to stay, less about spectacle and more about ease, think the quiet confidence of Paul Mescal’s gold chain or Jacob Elordi’s rings, styled as part of the look rather than an afterthought. – Arielle Katos, Digital Director