Recapping my 2025 ins & outs list
Brunch is done, stop coming for me.
It’s that time of the year again! As per ush, I won’t be publishing a gift guide (I’m currently unemployed, so no one is getting gifts this year), but I’m back doing what I do best. In & out lists.
My most popular article to date is a very lighthearted, zero-context, spaghetti-on-the-wall smattering of my personal opinions alongside trends I felt would materialize in the wider fashion industry. You can refamiliarize yourself with the full list here. In a few weeks, we can talk about what 2026 holds for us, but for now, I’m reviewing the year that was.
Brunch is the done, you can’t convince me otherwise, I WILL die on this hill
From the OG list, the item that got many readers’ tongues wagging was the declaration that brunch is over, which I still firmly stand by, despite people in my DMs saying I should be run out of town. Sure, in the 2010s you could find me almost exclusively at Green Refectory in Brunswick because they had a little white cat called Angel and did a full veggie stack - potato cakes, haloumi, tomato, spinach and a poached egg - for a reasonable $9 (a quick Google search tells me it’s since gone up to $15 which was waaaay less than I was expecting, considering the cost of living, dying and doing anything in Melbourne.)
Nowadays, I can’t think of a worse way to start my weekend than going for brunch. Having to wake up early and sit in a relic of the early-Instagram era cafe, paying a small fortune for the same damn thing served everywhere else. Smashed avo. Chili scramble. A burger you need to unhinge your jaw like a snake to fit in your mouth. Then you need to go home, take a massive shit, have a nap and your whole day is a write off.
So, you can imagine my snarky delight when Broadsheet published What Happened to Brunch? in October, discussing how Melbournians are no longer queuing up for this overpriced nothing meal - a result of the pandemic, inflation and the slew of delis and sandwich shops with boys’ names taking over the city (Hector, Dan, Hugo, Ollie, Nico, need I go on?). I’ve said it once, I’ve said it a thousand times. If I’m gonna pay for a meal, it’s gonna be dinner. I want moody lighting, wine and oily fish (in). Next.
Now, for your reading pleasure, let’s talk athleisure
Athleisure was one of the year's prevailing trends, though it differed from the 2014 iteration of head-to-toe Lululemon and chunky sneakers. Instead, we saw a more femme sportification, like windbreakers (in, yes, we all went to Oasis) paired with satin and lace dresses/shorts or with capris and sneakerinas. While I had “generational trend wars” on my outs list, probably one of the most talked-about topics in this space was the death of leggings. Fitted tights were branded with the dreaded “M” word (millennial-coded), further evolving this style of dressing from its origins to center on fluid, wider-leg silhouettes that toe the line with loungewear. Roll-down waistbands, trousers with skirt overlays, and genie pants became yoga studio and street-appropriate. Styles that all had a place in baby millennials' wardrobes years ago, but hey, that’s neither here nor there.
Skinny jeans reentered the chat
We all knew this was coming and no one wanted it to happen. Activewear may have moved away from skinny silhouettes, but Big Fashion is once again trying to sell you on its most polarizing shape. Though I’m yet to see any in the wild (is everyone wearing them to brunch?), the “everything, everywhere, all at once” mashup of nostalgic dressing (in) has designers simultaneously referencing the 60s, 80s, and 2010s, where skinny styles reigned supreme.
At the Spring 2026 shows, Celine, KNWLS and Chloé were among the labels giving this trend their blessing, while Kendall Jenner, Lila Moss and Bella Hadid have also jumped on board. Though my personal style compass is currently on the fritz and I don’t want to restrict my future self from experimentation, I am so fucking tired and don’t want to wear skinny jeans ever again, regardless of how juicy they made my ass look.
We weren’t ready for the Stan Smiths revival
Despite our obsession with the 2010s and dipping into the archives, I’ve been expecting the baroness basic of sneaker trends to make their reappearance in a post-Samba world. A few articles circulated (see GQ) and Old Mate received a sneakerina yassification, though the humble Stan Smith did not make a comeback in 2025, a time where we have more options than ever before and sneaker clout has dropped off in favor of freakier footwear. This is where I was on the money in regards to toe shoes (I’m a Tabi-apologist, so this isn’t a huge swing). Peep-toes were a callout and for Spring 2026, Sandy Liang updated the classic pump with asymmetric cut-outs, while Kim Shui and Vaillant showed bootie versions that I am so very here for.
It’s like no one wanted to work this year. It’s me. I didn’t want to work
Now, what I am not here for is the continued romanticization of traditional corporate culture. I spent a lot of this year working and commuting to an office and, not being dramatic, it ate away at my heart, mind, and soul. I fear I’m now a burnt-out shell of my former self who only finds joy in fantasizing about an impending apocalypse. WFH is glorious and it’s what I need to actually be a functional human being alongside prescription meds. Still, the 9-5 remains glamorized with office-appropriate tailoring continuing to dominate runway shows, campaigns and street style. Meanwhile, series like All’s Fair tries to repackage the gross, girlboss grind archetype, matching ties to exposed g-bangers in vintage Jean Paul Gaultier.
This brings us to the case of the tailored bermuda, which I felt would be a bigger fashion moment than jorts as we continue this awkward pant-length journey. It was. The tailored bermuda bridges corporate romanticization with an effortlessness that reflects a desire to no longer go above and beyond (that’s an out). Clocked with drapey asymmetric tops at Courrèges and sumptuous oversized leather coats at Bottega Veneta, these in-betweeny styles are only going to become more important. They’re also favored by our newest first lady of fashion. I’m a sucker for mixing lengths, all hail Rama Duwaji.
Belts on belts on belts on belts on belts on belts on belts
Speaking of Courrèges and their bermudas, you may have also spied this number.
Now, I’m not a big accessorizer by any stretch. I rotate between a few different pairs of earrings and that’s about it. I actually don’t own a belt, but it appears I am an outlier as everyone else seems to have one in just about every style - skinny, wide, scarf belts, charm belts, belt bags. And they’re all being layered on top of each other as we seek personal style codes beyond trinkets, allowing the belt to surpass 2024’s bag charms as the year’s hottest accessory.
Method dressing lived on
You know me, I’d love to see Hollywood put an end to remakes, live-action films, musicals, and sequels (out, always, though Practical Magic could be made into a Marvel-esque franchise and I would eat it up every time). This has not been the case as the year has given us series 2 of Wednesday, Wicked: For Good, Freakier Friday and Frankenstein. With that comes the opportunity for cast members to say “hi, I understand references” or “I have endless access to designer archives.” It doesn’t seem to be over anytime soon. We’ve got The Devil Wears Prada 2 to look forward to and have already had a taste of the spectacle it will bring with the onslaught of leaked (real and fake) press pics and Meryl and Stanley dressing up as their characters to sit FROW at the recent Dolce & Gabbana. It’s a gimmick and it’s tired, but as long as it generates hype, who cares what some unemployed but hot Melbourne Substacker thinks.
Fashion was still in bed with Disney and it MUST be stopped
You know my thoughts on this. Please, no more Disney collabs. This year, we had Harry Lambert for Zara x Disney, Ganni x Disney, Re/Done x Disney, Bobby Hundreds x Disney x Formula 1, Supreme x Number (n)ine x Disney, thisisneverthat x Disney, Columbia x Disney…will it ever end? My guess is no, especially with Disney releasing The Devil Wears Prada 2 in 2026. Plus, the corporation will be going all in on America for the US’s 250th anniversary, so you just know brands are gonna follow suit. There will be no escaping.
We’re still team sicky green
Sure, for Spring 2026, some designers delivered on my dark green prediction. You’ve got your workwear at Miu Miu and that big, beautiful, flouncy velvet skirt at Alaïa. Though only Dilara and Saint Laurent delivered the hue I’ve been dreaming of - a green so poisonous and inky it’s almost black. In terms of green, fashion is still hung up on chartreuse, which I’m not mad at. It’s been fun watching it play out in unexpected color combinations (in), paired with cartoonish purple at Prada and raspberry at Erdem. Joel even bought me a kind of washed-out pistachio muppet textured (in) coat to celebrate quitting my job. We’re all still doing Brat, but the sicky to inky green pipeline is happening, mark my words.
My sister used to do social work with new immigrants and refugees, and would give them insights to local culture. I found it hilarious when she told me they didn't get brunch. They told her, "why would I stand in line for an hour for eggs I could easily make at home?" So anyway, team dinner.
Fuck brunch!