Remember skinny ripped jeans, VSCO feeds, and Closer on repeat? 2016 might have been a wild era, but its influence is back—reworked, refined, and ready to haunt your wardrobe.
Do you remember the era when we had to use a separate application to make a vertical photo fit in Instagram’s square feed format? How about hearing “Closer” by the Chainsmokers on repeat in clubs and retail stores? Sorry to break it to you, but that era was 10 years ago—yes, 2016 was a decade ago, and we feel that it is having a comeback.
A little throwback won’t hurt anyone, so try to remember where you were in 2016. Personally, I was still in junior high, struggling to survive 10th-grade math. Beyond figuring out how to apply the Pythagorean theorem in real life, I also remember 2016 as one of the most colorful eras, both figuratively and literally. So, let’s take a little stroll down memory lane, shall we?
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Life A Decade Ago
Looking back, 2016 stands as one of the most iconic eras for social media, fashion, and pop culture. It’s been ten years since Instagram unveiled its then-infamous rebrand—swapping the retro camera logo that defined its early days for a sleeker, more “aesthetic” icon washed in pink and yellow gradients.
That visual shift was more than just a design update; it signaled a broader transformation in the kind of content that would come to define the platform. Back then, curated and themed personal feeds were the unwritten law on Instagram—remember VSCO? Yes, that era! Everyone was customizing their feeds, turning them into a reflection of their personal style and branding.
In fashion, 2016 was the era of skinny, tattered jeans—and that says a lot about the year. As my editor put it, it was the year defined by a going-out top and jeans. Personally, I remember pairing a graphic tee and a flannel from Forever 21 or H&M with tattered jeans and Nike Air Force 1s—casual and totally 2016.
Styles were also heavily influenced by rave and music festival culture, as well as streetwear trends. Pop culture also played a huge role in shaping what people wore: Vanessa Hudgens at Coachella, Kylie Jenner during her King Kylie Era, and for men, whatever Kanye, Migos, or G-Dragon were rocking became instant style inspiration.
Together, these trends captured the essence of 2016—a moment when self-expression, pop culture, and online presence collided. Social media feeds weren’t just timelines; they were stages, and fashion was the costume. Everything felt curated, intentional, and shareable, setting the tone for how style and personal identity would continue to evolve in the years that followed.
2016 is Coming Back…But More Refined
The return of 2016 style isn’t about a literal carbon copy of the past. We aren’t necessarily rushing back to hazy and grainy VSCO filters or those super-tight, shredded skinny jeans that were nearly impossible to take off. Instead, the “2016 comeback” is being filtered through the lenses of the trends that dominated the early 2020s.
Take the infamous ripped jeans, for instance. In 2016, “distressed” usually meant spray-on skinnies with horizontal slits at the knees that barely let you move. Today, the tattered look is back—but with room to breathe. Heavy distressing now shows up on architectural barrel legs or ultra-baggy silhouettes. It’s less “pop-punk concert” and more high-fashion, deconstructed, and effortlessly thrown on.
Then there’s athleisure. A decade ago, it was matching spandex sets and a pair of Yeezys—basically “five minutes from spin class” energy. In 2026, comfort has evolved into bedroom-to-boardroom style: silk pajama trousers or structured boxer shorts paired with oversized blazers and loafers. Still rooted in 2016’s love for ease, but now it’s all about laid-back luxury instead of gym-ready vibes.
Whether we’re ready or not, the 2016 ghost is haunting our wardrobes—but she’s had a serious glow-up. Tight jeans are replaced with breathable silhouettes, and the frantic “doing it for the ‘gram” energy has softened into a style that actually feels like us. So go ahead, blast some “Closer” for old time’s sake—just maybe leave the highlighter-blue VSCO filter in the archives.
