Trust Me: These 5 Anti-Trend Pieces Are Still Stylish in 2026
Forgo fast-fading trends for classic, chic and minimalist pieces this season. Read on for my anti-trend edit.
It's true. With each new season comes an opening of the floodgates, when new trends, in-style pieces and fleeting fashion movements jostle for our attention. However, it is possible to step back and take stock of the classics, choosing only to invest in items which will serve you better in the long run.
As someone who takes pride in curating a tightly edited capsule wardrobe, I find myself in this camp. Don't get me wrong: I still love checking out the latest in runway and street-style trends, and I do like to dip my toe into those I feel will modernise my looks authentically and slip into my wardrobe easily. But for 2026, pieces that feel decidedly anti-trend are where it's at for me, and I'm doubling down on this sentiment this coming season.
From do-it-all coats to timeless knitwear, sleek tailoring, shirting and elegant jeans, I've formulated a chic and succinct wish list of five items I know will still be stylish in 2026 and beyond. Read on for my style file on the anti-trend pieces to know now, and where to get your hands on them.
The 5 Anti-Trend Items I'm Backing in 2026:
1. Waisted Blazers
Style Notes: Add a tailored touch to your look for day or night with a nipped-in blazer. A waisted blazer is such a wardrobe workhorse and can be paired with simple black trousers, corduroys or even jeans for an elegant, grown-up and sophisticated look. Add loafers or kitten-heel slingbacks plus a smart leather shoulder bag to take the executive realness up a notch.
Shop Waisted Blazers:
This Aligne blazer is a best-seller for a reason.
This soft tone is spot-on for spring dressing.
Team this with silver jewellery and black wide-leg trousers for a chic office-day look.
Nothing says spring like this cinched butter-yellow blazer.
Sharp, sleek and ideal for day-to-night looks.
2. V-Neck Knitwear
Style Notes: Arguably, this knitwear style still is "trending" right now, but for good reason, and I predict it will stay popular with classic dressers for seasons to come. The V-neck jumper taps into the penchant for vintage-feeling pieces and smart staples; the crew-neck sweater will always reign supreme, but there's just something about a V-neck that feels a little fresher for 2026. Whether you drape it over a white T-shirt is up to you, but just know it will always work with classic jeans or tailored trousers.
Shop V-Neck Knits:
A beige V-neck jumper is a wardrobe staple, mark my words.
Add a pop of red to your outfit, courtesy of Zara.
This cool-blue tone is set to be big this year. Get ahead of the curve now.
Nothing beats a chic piece of navy knitwear.
I swear by Rise & Fall cashmere. It's super-soft and cosy.
4. Car Coats
Style Notes: As we move away from the grip of winter into the delightfully bright days of spring, I predict a step change in our choice of outerwear. Some classic dressers will remain faithful to the humble trench coat, but I forecast a new swathe of minimalists reaching for car coats. Pared-back in design but still long in length and with a sharp, pointed collar, the car coat drapes over office looks and weekend attire so fluidly, and has a great swish factor. Whether you pick a felted-wool or a coated-cotton iteration, either will add an air of elegance to your outerwear arsenal.
Shop Car Coats:
This is one for the classic dressers. Whistles' coats are beautifully constructed.
I love the warm, nutty tone of this one.
Chocolate brown will never date.
This is elegance in a coat.
This will add a premium feel to your daily 'fits.
5. Checked Shirts
Style Notes: I've seen an uptick of checked shirts in fashion's innermost circles, and stylish influencers are finding new and exciting ways to wear them for 2026. This year, it's coming to the fore in blurred plaids, heritage-feel tartans and gingham-esque patterns. Less country bumpkin and more off-duty model, we're also seeing them tied around waists, layered with knitwear and even draped across the shoulders, adding a softly textured detail to an otherwise simple look. Take cues from Monikh, who wears her checked shirt with similar cool-blue-toned items and a biscuit-hued car coat. Simple, but effective.
Shop Checked Shirts:
This is such a good check! Team with blue jeans and ruched loafers this spring.
Monikh has this exact shirt. It's a beauty!
With Nothing Underneath shirts are elite: trust me.
I adore the oversized fit and feel of this Tommy Hilfiger shirt.
This nipped-in Róhe shirt is a modern masterpiece.
5. Wide-Leg Jeans
Style Notes: Jeans trends are seemingly changing by the minute these days, with cuts such as stovepipe, barrel-leg, cigarette, flared and baggy coming in and out of fashion dizzyingly quickly. One trend I know will stick around, though, not only now but for the foreseeable future, is wide-leg jeans. Super comfortable, easy to wear and apt for your off-duty ensembles, the wide-leg jean is an undisputed modern icon, particularly when in a classic shade of soft denim blue. Team yours with a simple white T-shirt, boat shoes and an Oxford shirt, just like Abisola Omole (pictured above), which is the ultimate spring look, if you ask me.
Shop Wide-Leg Jeans:
Agolde jeans are a fashion editor's favourite.
These Abercrombie & Fitch jeans come in a great range of sizes, fits and lengths.
Reformation's Cary Jeans are a badly kept inside secret.
The ultra-wide-leg cut is just what I've been searching for.
The high waist and light wash give these wide-leg jeans a vintage quality.
