No, Not Leggings—Gen Z It Girls Are Wearing Heels and Ballet Flats With This Unassuming Winter Staple
Gen Z Says is a bimonthly column chronicling the latest trends in the fashion-and-beauty space through the lens of Who What Wear's own Gen Z editors. Expect a download on the upcoming class of tastemakers, emerging designers, and shopping and style choices straight from the generation setting the trends.
Gray sweatpants have quietly pulled off the biggest rebrand of the decade. Once the universal sign for “I’m not leaving my apartment,” they’re now doing double (and conflicting) duty as both the unofficial bed-rot uniform and the internet’s most classic 21st-century thirst trap. Twitter has litigated this extensively. TikTok has provided evidence. And Gen Z, naturally, decided to lean in.
You might not notice it at first glance, but slowly and surely, Gen Z is replacing their simple black leggings and barrel-leg jeans with gray sweats. Frankly, they've pulled off the biggest rebrand of the decade. What makes the gray-sweatpant comeback feel different this time is that it’s not about nostalgia or athleisure maximalism. It’s about contrast. The pants themselves are aggressively unremarkable—soft, slouchy, borderline boring. In my opinion, that’s exactly why they work. Instead of defaulting to chunky sneakers or hoodies, Gen Z girls are styling gray sweatpants with shoes that feel like they don't belong, embracing stylist Allison Bornstein's "wrong shoe theory," which fashion people relied on a few seasons back. Think sweats paired with designer ballet flats that skew sweet and coquette or kitten heels that suggest you might have a meeting later. Even full-on sparkly sandals are being paired with elastic waistbands like it’s no big deal.
This is wrong shoe theory in its purest form. Take something casual to the point of anonymity and throw off the balance. The Y2K crowd, of course, is doing their own version—gray sweats puddled over Ugg boots, channeling early 2000s mall culture and tabloid paparazzi pictures with a side of intentional irony.
The result feels effortless but very online, cozy but self-aware—like an outfit that knows it’s being perceived but doesn’t care too much. Gray sweatpants aren’t trying to be cool—Gen Z just decided they are (and styled them accordingly). Below, shop the best gray sweatpants and the off-kilter shoes that make them feel intentional, current, and winter-ready.
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