what's in/out for 2026

Anyone on my Close Friends IG story knows I take great pride in making an ins/outs list every year, where I chronicle what I think will be trendy/in for the following year, and what is OUT. DONE. OVER. So, I thought I’d open the list up this year to my substackians so we can get our affairs in order before time runs out.

My yearly disclaimer: just because something is out doesn’t mean I don’t like it, or I won’t do it, or you shouldn’t do it. Just because something is in doesn’t mean I fully endorse it, or plan to buy it, or love it. Embrace being out, reject being in, do whatever tf you want, I don’t care! This is a birds-eye view at where the trends are going.

Okay, accepted? It’s all in jest — but my opinion is usually right ;). Here we go!!!!!

• experimenting with layered scents & perfumes

• romance and staring deeply into people’s eyes

• Broadway shows

• colorful tights

• YouTube

• the Gap and Old Navy

• taking your time at dinner and sitting in a roomy corner booth

• being knowledgable about wine

• but also, getting a magnum bottle of wine and dancing around with it overhead

  • bagatelle is back, haven’t you heard????

• everyone being in Taipei

• staying out late

• whimsical forest fairy vibes, animal and earthy prints

• large-format centerpieces, silver champagne buckets, maximalist decoration

• big, feathery, Farrah Fawcett hair

• passed appetizers

• hyperlocal politics and being involved in your neighborhood associations

• disliking things

• analog nostalgia — playing cards, stationary & writing notes, homemade fudge, roasting a chicken

• magazines getting creative with their social media content & influencer partnerships, building out story worlds, and bringing the viewer into the joke (InStyle does this perfectly)

• close up magicians

• clarified rum punch

• figuring out how to live with AI and make it work for us, bcs its not going anywhere

• Botox (but leaving your smile lines)

• having a hobby / special interest

• netflix reality shows like love is blind, selling sunset, etc.

• talking about running a marathon

• influencer clothing brands

• trying too hard to make your wedding “different” — it won’t be that different, and that’s okay!!!!!

• protein obsession

• shadow box matchbook displays

• bringing your dog everywhere (like the grocery store)

• CBS

• everyone being in Japan

• Taylor Swift and Sabrina Carpenter

• getting restaurant or travel recommendations only from TikTok

• veneers

• doing things for the bit

• caring about how old you are

• slick back buns

• day drinking

• $18 mocktails (just get a diet coke)

• influencers interviewing people on red carpets

• chase sapphire lounge

• people who aren’t on ozempic talking about ozempic

• cafés by fashion houses

• “a day in my life” videos that are out of touch and are basically just about going to an expensive workout class and changing into four different outfits

This year was one of the fastest of my life — I felt I was sprinting uphill for 12 months in my real-life job, and any personal time was zapped away in an instant, flooded by a mish-mosh of weddings/engagements/birthdays/always something happening!!!!! I created this substack as a form of (torturous) self care, “fun work,” you could say. I write this newsletter for you, my dear readers/friends, because I want everyone to eat & drink better, more intentionally, and to know the places and chefs and bartenders that I love. But this newsletter is also a place for me to practice the meditation of writing, to force myself to sit quietly and organize my thoughts — even if those thoughts are just about restaurants. So I appreciate the space I’ve carved out for myself in these last few months, and all of you who open this page and scroll through every once and a while.

In the greater trend & news landscape of 2025 — we saw brand collaborations reach an all time high, substack & individual journalists dominate media versus specific platforms or newspapers, and the rising dichotomy of people leaning on chat GPT & AI but also craving real human experiences and unique personal touches. We saw press junkets for movies and television turn to theatrics & stunts, and interviews on tiktok holding weight and impact. We then saw horrors in the news, both far away and in our own backyards, brutal wars and killings and mass deportations and the destruction of people and cultures. We saw social media lean tight & conservative, with the rise of trad wives, country-core, anti-"woke” rhetoric, and a subset of men feeling abandoned by the very gender roles they’re trying to uphold. We saw our community here in New York respond to the world by voting for a fresh start, for change and hope.

For next year I hope we see more individuality, less tiktok trends // more niche eBay purchases and less nuuly // more researched writing and less long-winded personal narratives // more honesty even if its hard, and less therapy speak.

That’s all from me — happy new year and thanks for sticking around.

xxxx, Aley