Vintage to Vibrant: Spring 2026 fashion trend predictions

Brett Shuster
Fri, 27 Mar 2026 01:17:35 +0000
Arts & Life, Fashion, Features, Instagram Page, News, Pop culture, Barcelona street style fashion, colorful makeup trends 2026, denim mini skirts trend, Depop vintage shopping, gaucho pants comeback, High Street fashion OSU, jorts trend 2025, Kat Gallaugher fashion, low rise skinny jeans trend, neutral tones fashion staples, Ohio State fashion trends, Paloma Wool clothing, pastel spring outfits, Pitaya Columbus Ohio, Poshmark fashion resale, Sammy Chavez Scarlette, Scarlette Magazine OSU, shell jewelry trend, spring 2026 fashion trends, spring outfits college students, student fashion Columbus Ohio, Susmies brand fashion, thrift shopping trends 2026, vintage 2000s fashion, y2k athleisure trend

Students outside of Browning Amphitheater. Credit: Faith Schneider | Arts & Life Photo Editor

As spring season goes into full swing, temperatures are heating up and with them, so is fashion.?

Fashion trends are always changing, but current trending fashion consists of bright colors, vintage apparel, early 2000s inspired clothing and so much more.?

“One of my predicted fashion trends for Spring 2026 is vintage 2000s athleisure … I feel like we’re starting to see a lot of brands move to emulating vintage activewear,” Kat Gallaugher, editor-in-chief of Ohio State’s Scarlette Magazine, said.?

Gallaugher said the recent focus on vintage fashion in the industry has assisted in revitalizing thrift stores, as thrifting has become extremely popular in recent years. Beyond going to thrift stores, people are also using online vintage shopping platforms such as Depop and Poshmark, scoring deals on vintage finds without having to physically look for them.

She said another trend prediction she has is Barcelona Streetstyle.

“By this I mean lots of feminine silhouettes, bright earth tone colors and pattern mixing,” Gallaugher said. “I think brands like Susmies and Paloma Wool will be huge this spring as they’re very effortlessly chic.”

Last year saw the return of longer shorts and jean shorts, or jorts. This year, Gallaugher said gaucho pants might make a return, serving as a middle ground between capris and oversized shorts. Sammy Chavez, junior marketing director for Scarlette, said she predicts a different shift.?

“I think fashion will change this spring compared to last season, because there will be less jorts this season and more low-rise skinny jeans,” Chavez said.

Pitaya is a women’s clothing store located on N. High Street, just steps from campus. According to employees, students and community members are mostly purchasing bikinis and denim mini skirts, and are gravitating towards more colorful pieces.?

“[The] trends in the store right now are bottoms and shell [jewelry],” Catherine Barron, a first-year in international relations and employee at Pitaya, said. “Pastel colors for the spring are big and so are the dresses.”

Chavez said she also predicts a pop of color in this year’s spring lookbook.

“I think an upcoming fashion trend would be colorful makeup and big scrunchies in buns,” Chavez said.

Gallaugher said this rise in colorful apparel marks a shift from the more minimalistic style seen in past trends.?

“I’ve been seeing jewel tones and color become much more popular at the moment,” Gallaugher said. “I think quiet luxury is getting tir[ing], and people want to see more color.”

Despite this shift, Emma Miller, a fourth-year in dental hygiene and employee at Pitaya, said neutral tones will remain closet staples.

“Neutrals, brown, cream, blacks [are] always popular,” Miller said.