IS YOUR WARDROBE ‘CRINGE’? HERE’S HOW TO NAVIGATE IT LIKE A GROWN-UP
While it’s common to feel some antipathy towards the generation that came before, none has provoked quite as much ire from Generation Z as millennials.
From their #avotoast to their messy buns to their overuse of the laughter emoji, they can’t seem to do anything right.
Nor can they seem to wear anything right – a crime apparently so heinous that the internet (or at least the portion of it born between 1997 and 2012) is up in arms.
On TikTok, video after video is devoted to the topic of “cringe”: what sparks it, who wears it and how to avoid it to live a stylish, blameless life. Offending items include (but are not limited to) stud earrings, turquoise nails, high-rise jeans, headbands, fitted jackets, nude lips (somebody had better tell Claudia Winkleman), hoicked-up ankle socks (but also trainer socks) and business-casual attire worn in non-business environments.
Understandably, millennials aren’t fazed.
“Caring what a random 25-year-old thinks of your outfit is the real cringe,” said one Instagram user. “Sorry, not taking fashion advice from a generation that wears pyjama pants and Crocs in public,” said another.
Gen Z is a group who grew up knowing their every look would be documented and preserved for all eternity on social media, so it stands to reason that their “cringe-ometer” is calibrated far more sensitively than those who grew up developing their camera rolls in Boots.Though they can be judgey, they can also be right when they say some things need updating. The older you get, the more likely you are to become stuck in a style rut.
Below, some of Gen X’s most egregious style crimes in the eyes of Gen Z – and whether we really need to fix them.
Wearing everything a size too small
After hovering for decades at a size 8, I now oscillate between a 10 and a 12. So when I buy things, I buy them either in a 10 or a 12. Simples, right? Apparently not.
If there’s one thing that baffles Gen Z about its parents, it’s that we buy clothing in our own size. We buy jeans to fit our waist, T-shirts that sit neatly over the bustline, and coats whose shoulder seams end where our shoulders do. What fools we are! Don’t we know that everything should be XXL? If your jacket doesn’t channel Milli Vanilli, you’re not wearing it right.
Verdict: Sizing up is no bad thing – the fitted look can be ageing – but aim for one size up, not five.
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Florals
“Whimsical” isn’t really in Gen Z’s vocabulary, which means they tend to avoid florals like the plague. They prefer stripes, though plain, self-coloured pieces are favoured most of all – presumably because there’s too much potential for judgment in wearing prints. A sad state of affairs.
Verdict: Floral motifs do drift in and out of fashion, and a ditzy print feels particularly dated this season. Opt for bolder iterations if you want to update your look – but don’t abandon florals altogether if they make you happy.
Side partings
For reasons unknown, Gen Z has a pathological aversion to anything that isn’t utterly symmetrical. Nature may not be symmetrical, but that doesn’t stop them spending hours in front of the mirror making sure their brows are. If their parting isn’t precisely in the middle of their head, it has to be redone. And redone. And redone. Which is why their parents’ side parting – or even a slightly off-centre one – causes such consternation. It’s not that it’s ageing; it’s just plain wrong.
Verdict: Part your hair however you like.
Skinny jeans
Some say skinny jeans are back. Others say they never went away. Gen Z say they remind them of Gru from Despicable Me. “Oh hi, Gru,” they’ll say, if you ever have the temerity to wear a pair. Harsh, yes – although in my case, also kind of true.
Verdict: Straight-leg jeans are this season’s slimline alternative. Look for a pair that fit neatly around the waist and hips, but aren’t so tight they cling to the thighs and calves.
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Dog-walking coats
This might be specific to my own daughters, but they can’t abide my dog-walking coats – or the fact that I refer to them as “dog-walking coats”. Then again, Gen Z neither likes nor wears any sort of coat at all: it’s jackets all the way, even in the depths of winter.
Verdict: While I’ll stop short of declaring that jackets are the new coats, I’ve definitely been influenced into thinking they look more modern – particularly bomber styles.
Ankle boots
I don’t blame Gen Z for disliking ankle boots – I haven’t worn a pair for yonks. They remind me of parents’ evenings and standing in the playground with 53 other women wearing black ankle boots, either because they’ve come straight from work or pulled them on hastily in a bid to look smarter for the teacher.
Verdict: Knee boots are undeniably cooler this season, but if you’re wedded to your ankle boots, wear them with a longer jean length that almost skims the floor – disguising the boot while subtly lengthening the leg.
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Mid-calf tea dresses with puffy sleeves
Gen Z lives in jeans and T-shirts, jeans and vest tops, or jeans and camis. While they might concede to a dress on special occasions, the idea of wearing one that isn’t short and skin-tight is utterly alien. They’re never going to love your tea dresses – or the fact that you wear them with Vejas and a denim jacket that’s far too small.
Verdict: While it might not be ageing, they’re right that this style of dress is passé. It’s all about skirts and sweaters this autumn.
Barrel-leg trousers
For Gen X, they’re a Zara, Uniqlo or M&S-endorsed saviour that looks far more modern than bootcuts or flares. “Ugly,” according to Gen Z, who can’t abide them.
Verdict: Ignore the haters – Gen Z will come round to these in the end.
Rose gold jewellery
If you’re a parent, it probably feels like yesterday that their Christmas list featured a rose gold phone case, necklace and bracelet – or that their 13th birthday was marked by giant rose gold balloons. Now, they wouldn’t be seen dead in it: rose gold is the ultimate cringe.
Verdict: If you like it, wear it – though perhaps not to excess. Gold will always be the more classic choice, so avoid making an expensive jewellery purchase in rose gold, as it’s bound to date.
Beachy waves
It’s true – Gen X women are obsessed with these, or some variant whereby their hair falls in chunky, loose waves, achieved with Sam McKnight’s Texture Mist and a pair of barrel tongs. Gen Z prefers poker-straight hair, fried at 240 degrees, arguing that it’s “neater” and “cleaner”.
Verdict: You may still revere the models’ hair from the Helmut Lang shows circa 2001, but you also know that dead-straight hair feels more severe – and less flattering – now that you’re 51. Stick with the waves, but keep them loose and natural – and definitely not symmetrical.
2025-11-10T17:51:08Z