Some fashion accessories on top of a table next to a coffee and matcha. Photo courtesy of Sofia Ballesteros.
Every summer comes with its own memories and aesthetic, but this year, fashion trends seem to be coming from the past.
From cowboy boots and fringes to bright colors like coral, teal and yellow, many teens predict that summer 2026 will be inspired by 2016 fashion. What do San Luis Obispo high school students think about this year’s summer trends?
It looks like after years of minimalistic or “old money” styles dominating social media, fashion is beginning to shift to a more expressive look. “People are trying to bring back animal print like in 2024, and the boho chic style, especially after Coachella,” said sophomore Brooke Muir.
The Boho chic style is known for flowy blouses, layered jewelry and Western inspired accessories such as cowboy boots and fringes, and it has recently become more visible online and at events like Coachella Music Festival. According to some social media users, the Boho chic aesthetic is based on the Hippie styles we would see at festivals in 2016. Others disagree.
“The style is evolving in something new, the Boho chic style now is starting to be its own thing rather than what we used to see,” said sophomore Tierria Swain
Maybe the Boho chic aesthetic that we used to see Kendall Jenner wearing at Coachella in 2016 is not going to come back completely, but something is clear, fashion trends bring back nostalgia. Why do we feel nostalgic towards old trends?
“When teenagers see old pictures of celebrities with the style that was popular back then and they like it, bringing the whole aesthetic back makes teenagers feel nostalgic to times they didn’t even live,” said sophomore Loujayn Chafroud.
Nostalgia seems to play a pretty important role on why trends continue to return.
“Bringing back old trends also brings back good memories, we tend to bring them back because they make us feel happy,” said Swain.
We can see trends from the past coming back not only because of the Boho chic aesthetic, but also because of the comebacks of bright colors. We’ve been seeing colors like teal, light yellow and shades of coral all over the internet, an aesthetic we weren’t used to seeing so often a few years ago. Summer is the best time of the year to wear bright colors, mainly because they remind us of the ocean, so does this mean that we are going to start seeing the vibrant colors of swimwear on regular clothing?
“I have a feeling that after the popularity of vivid colors on every item of clothing we are going to start seeing people wearing swimwear more often. Also after summer, like girls pairing up a tube top with the bikini top under,” said Chafroud.
Even though the Boho chic aesthetic is predominated by whites and shades of brown, bright colors on flowy blouses and yoga pants are starting to become more and more popular on social media, which maybe would change the aesthetic a little bit before or during this summer.
Still, not every trend is expected to survive until this summer.
“Even though there’s still a lot of people that love them, I think Polka dots won’t make it to summer. People are always trying to find new patterns, like what happened in 2024 with animal print and last year with Polka dots, it seems like people are getting over with them and they are just trying to find a new trendy pattern,” said Muir.
Whether these predictions become reality or not, one thing seems clear, Summer of 2026 is going to be defined by boho fashion, beachy aesthetics, comfy and cute clothing, vibrant colors and the return to a more expressive personal style.
