Winter fashion prioritizes practicality as well as remaining comfortable and confident during the colder months. Transitioning from the trends these past few months has brought us here at Ida B. Wells, where we can switch to sweat sets, puffer jackets and scarves rather than red and brown palettes, cheetah print accessories and Carhartt. The biggest shoe trends were Adidas Sambas, Ugg boots and slippers, as seen in the article “Fall Fashion” by Witnee Fagan with The Headlight.
Timeless winter fashion pieces such as trench coats, leather, or fur coats aren’t the norm for ordinary school days; however, in their place, we can see the rise of “The North Face” puffer jackets. The coat can be seen all around IBW and Portland this winter, the most common color being black.
Comfortability is a must. During the holiday season, students love to get cozy and wear pajama pants. IBW promotes pajamas by having a school spirit week theme being pajama day. Spirit week typically happens before a big school dance/event, and around winter break. The recurring pajama day theme shows the love for comfy clothes.
In recent years being comfy in school is more about the vibe rather than standing out. Sweat sets are becoming popular as we progress through the winter months. They are comfortable, fashionable and cute. When Aritzia, arguably the trendiest brand of 2024, started gaining traction with the youth earlier this year, the “Sweat Fleece” pants and hoodies gained popularity with the recent trend of sweat sets. A poll sent out to the IBW community revealed that students prefer sweat sets over the controversial Canadian Tuxedo (a full denim outfit), beating its competitor with a 68 percent majority of votes.
This fall and winter, we can see the timeless pieces of fall accessories like hats and scarves on the rise — though student polls indicate that hats are preferred, winning 60 percent of the votes. This is understandable given the cold and dry conditions December brought to Portland.
On the topic of hats, one specific trend on the rise at IBW is the Arc’teryx “Bird Head Toque.” It is a comfortable and technical, wool beanie designed for warmth and comfort, as well as providing a trendy aspect to practical accessories.
Similar to this, we can see the rise of over-ear headphones, even though 60 percent of students voted for Airpods over headphones. Though headphones caused a debate regarding their adherence to the IBW tech policy, we can argue that they are strictly an accessory rather than a device.
When we dissect fashion, we must look head to toe. Seen in our recent This or That poll, 56 percent of participants prefer gold jewelry;20 percent wear silver and 24 percent wear both. We’ve also seen that the trend of UGGS still remains at our school, with students preferring them over Birkenstocks with 68 percent voting for the former over the latter. Sambas also took home 76 percent of the student votes against other Nike shoes.
School fashion trends in 2024 are a mix of modern looks, comfy laidback styles and outfits that match your individuality. Here at IBW, we have adopted trends of our own.
This year, a popular clothing print is cheetah and camo. As you might see walking around the school, students are covered in camo-printed sweatshirts and pants. Camo is a versatile wardrobe staple; it gives an outfit flare while also being comfortable. Layered looks combine different pieces to create trendy outfits, like long-sleeve shirts under short-sleeved tees and puffer vests with sweatshirts. The cheetah print has found its way into many feminine shirts, sweaters and tank tops. Cheetah print is also stylish and eye-catching and ensures an outfit will make you stand out.
Winter fashion is great for accessorizing. As it gets colder, beanies and scarves make their way into IBW. At our local Washington Square Mall, you can find a variety being sold. Additionally, scarves, specifically thicker ones, have become more popular because of a certain trend found on TikTok, where people turn thick scarves into a hood, keeping their ears warm just like a beanie would.
As for shoes, you will commonly see Uggs, Birkenstocks, Adidas Sambas and Converse. Uggs come as comfy slippers and are great for a cold day at school. On the other hand, Birkenstocks’ flexible material is helpful when it comes to foot or leg pain. This makes it a popular choice between the shoes that are trending right now. Both Sambas and Converse are very popular with baggy clothing.
On-trend this year jeans are more relaxed than ever. The baggy wide-leg fit has replaced ripped jeans. Following the comfy trend at our school, baggy jeans are a great contribution to your daily wardrobe.
The temperature in the hallways isn’t always ideal for fashion. But bring out the layers and accessories this winter season to stay warm and look good.
