Four Fashion Trends My GenZ Assistant Really Likes

Although my jeans are baggy and my hair is middle-parted at times, I am proud to be a millennial. Since 1995, I’ve been giving fashion hot takes! My generation is responsible for many trends, but I don’t want to forget some. Gen Z has the most influence on fashion’s future trends.

This is in some ways a good thing. The old guard is still in charge, but there’s nothing better than a breath of new air, which includes inclusive sizing and sustainable fabrics. While their brief obsessions with «insert virtually every word»-core aesthetics may have accelerated the trend cycle at an alarming rate, I find their overall approach to fashion fascinating.

To help me with some of the minor stressors of fashion week, such as schlepping bags from show-to-show to taking good outfit photos, I hired a part time assistant. It’s not surprising that Brooke Frischer (22), a fashion student, was my assistant.

Frischer quickly clarifies that she is not the Voice of Gen Z. She says, «I feel like Gen Z, especially in fashion, is rounded up into one entity but there are so many categories.» «Gen Z’s fashion sense is difficult to define in one way, and probably more than any other generation.»

She agrees with me that Gen Z has a unique approach to fashion criticism. She credits her digital age upbringing for her open-mindedness. She says, «We were raised in an age of social media and our minds are open to ideas that perhaps previous generations weren’t exposed to because they didn’t have the same access to the whole world as we do now.»

Frischer and me chatted about top looks, and I was amazed at how different our trends roundups looked between shows. Frischer seemed to prefer certain looks more for their symbolism than for their aesthetic.

«When I look at fashion photos, I look out for inspiration that I haven’t seen elsewhere.» Frischer says that she is looking for something that evokes strong emotions. «It is important that designers who are artists, use their platforms to make statements with their clothes, and not just make pretty things.»

Frischer was a big fan of Tanner Fletcher and Simone Rocha, and she also loved reimagined millennial staples like bomber jackets and peplums. This is why I am grateful that Frischer took the time and generously broke down Gen Z’s top fashion trends for me. Below are her top picks from New York to Paris.

Reimagined Lace

Fischer says, «I have never been really into lace. As a young girl, my perception of lace was that it was feminine. I feel almost overwhelmed when I dress too femininely or use things that are stereotypically female. It’s never comfortable.»

Frischer liked to use lacy accents in edgier pieces this season. This gave the traditionally feminine material a little more grit. It’s a great idea to see designers use lace in contrast to other fabrics and textures. It touches on something nostalgic, like the lace-trimmed camisoles that we wore in middle school. But it’s not so one-dimensional.

Big Bags

Frischer shared, «As a schlepper myself I have never been interested the tiny bag trend and I appreciate when I can carry all of my stuff.» «I think big bags have always held the key to my heart».

Mini bags were certainly fashionable thanks to Jacquemus, who glamorized the practical. However, larger silhouettes are clearly on the rise.

Frischer cites pieces from Sportmax and Molly Goddard as a key trend. They had distinctive shapes…they actually had a design element that was more than utilitarian.

Fresh Denim

It was not often that Frischer noticed jeans in the denim pieces she liked this season. She says, «It’s exciting to see different take on the fabric that doesn’t have to fit one piece of clothing, the jeans.»

Instead, she was delighted to see fashion’s most beloved pants reinterpreted in new ways. From a JW Anderson collar made from the waistband from a pair of jeans to Dilara denim underwear, to a JW Anderson collar.

Frischer also praised Diesel and MashaPopova for their innovative denim silhouettes. She says, «The Diesel collection’s boning is amazing—even if your not interested in wearing a full Canadian Tuxedo in denim Canadian Tuxedo, it’s hard not to love it.» «That collection was to me why we had fashion shows. To be awestruck by things.»

The Anti-Silhouette

Frischer’s fascination with embracing many silhouettes comes down to her critique of the hourglass, which is often embraced by so many. She insists that «emphasizing the form of a woman’s bodies is not the only way it can represent what it means for her to be feminine» and criticizes designers who rely on thin models or models with perfect measurements to bring their clothes life.

Together, we coin the phrase ‘anti-silhouette’ to represent looser, less traditionally-flattering silhouettes that can be just as stunning.

Frischer says, «I find the anti-silhouette to be my preferred way to express my femininity. I like to draw on big shapes and volume to certain parts of a clothing, to emphasize parts of me that don’t have a cinched waist.» She mentions Simone Rocha and Sportmax as being able to send unique silhouettes down the runway.

There are many ways to express your femininity. Frischer says that you don’t need to look like a girl with a cinched waist. You don’t even have to wear a corset or a skirt that flares out. You can look just as glamorously feminine with oversized, billowing clothes.