Fashion Styles : 50 Types – Which one are you today?

Everyone has a fashion style that is their personal favoruite. And then some more. This post lists the most prominent styles in fashion today. Let me tell you, it is quite difficult to choose just one from these. 

You feel confident, powerful, capable and above all happy when you wear your favourite clothes. Fashion makes you feel empowered. When you wear what makes you happy, there is a theory that dopamine is released in your brain and gives you the same rush that a drug might give you.

Which is the fashion style that makes you this happy that your therapist is out of job? How would you describe your clothing style?

Let us check out the different styles before you can pin point the one you like the most.

Names of Fashion Styles

Streetwear Style

This is an all-encompassing style, that evolved from the streets. It originated from the Californian surf and skate culture.

Today major designers, brands and influencers all have embraced streetwear style and it is not confined to the streets anymore. It is the epitome of modern urban fashion. And my favourite.

What would you wear if you like streetwear fashion?

• Three forth shorts or trackpants, or comfortable jeans
• Puffer jackets or denim jackets sports jerseys or logo/graphic print tshirts.
• Oversized hoodies
• Sneakers

Learn more about this style & the 7 staples you need to follow this style – “What is streetwear fashion?”

Ethnic style 

This refers to clothing adopted completely or partially from traditional costumes of different nations.

You maybe accused of cultural appropriation if you misuse the ethnic costumes /traditional clothing of other countries or races but adapting and wearing clothing styles of other places is a mark of respect for that culture, in my humble opinion. What do you say?

What would you wear if you like ethnic fashion?

This style includes but is not limited to the Mexican peasant blouses, Afghan coats, Japanese Kimonos, Tunics and Kaftans from the east, colorful bandanas from the gypsies that people all over the world have adopted as their own. True global fashion!

Related posts: Clothing names of India; Names of traditional japanese clothes ; Names of Arabian clothes for women

Formal Office Wear

Even for the casual dresser, who hardly thinks about clothes, “What to wear to the office, especially meetings and functions?” is a major dilemma. Formal office wear is the style that addresses this segment.

Formal wear includes a tuxedo or formal dark suit and matching tie for men and appropriate dresses, skirts, shirts, trousers for women. You may not be able to escape these kinds of outfits if you want to shine in your office.

What would you wear if you like formal outfits always?

Formal clothing most necessarily means wearing starched shirts and dress pants; and nice tailored skirts for women. You can also dress up in full dress suits with waistcoats and cuff links. 

Learn the terms used to describe the different Dress codes in formal dressing here.

Business Casual

This is just short of being saddled with the stiff upper lip the formal wear has but still good enough for meetings and office functions.

This style is mostly associated with tech workers and maynot be practical for many office-goers who have a more strict dress code other than on friday’s. If this is you, you can adapt these outfits for all other daily activities/outings.

What would you like to wear if you are a smart casual dresser?

A blazer and a matching pant or khakis with a formal collared shirt and optional tie are the most commonly seen business casual for men.

Sports jackets are also used in a more casual setting. For women, slacks or skirts with proper blouses/tunics with a suitable jacket constitute business casual.

Related post : What is Business Casual Dress code for women : 7 must have components.

Glamorous Evening – Black Tie

This article calls it ‘the’ formal dress code. It is the formal attire for men with strict specifications – like  Tailcoats, tuxedos. Girls get to wear glamorous evening gowns and cocktail dresses.

Sports Wear

Sportswear is nowadays used as a synonym for casual wear. Earlier, only sportsmen used to be seen in the sports clothes but nowadays, with celebrities taking up the trend, everyone is being seen out in their best workout clothes, even without doing a 5-minute workout that day.

Activewear is an alternative name for sportswear. Athleisure is the term coined to use for trendy sportswear. Most of the sportswear is made in a fabric that is comfortable enough to be worn anywhere and stretchy enough to be form-fitting and attractive, without losing its shape

What would you wear if you like sportswear outfits?

Leggings, tank tops, sports bras, outerwear, polo shirts, yoga pants are all the staples if you want to follow this trend. The major sports brands to buy include Adidas, Puma, Altura, Fila, DKNY, yoga pants from Lululemon and Sweaty Betty.

Check out this post for interesting photos of how this style emerged in America, the way most styles do, through celebrities.

Girly Style 

This is the ultimate feminine style – if you like this aesthetic you will be wearing mostly pink clothes and accessories and will use a lot of make-up. 

What would you wear if you like girly styles in clothing?

You will be dressing in skirts, dresses, and blouses with cute details like bows or ruffles, flounces and lace. You may also have a predominantly pink wardrobe or atleast most of your clothes will be in the pastel spectrum. 

Learn more about a girly clothing styles for women here.

Androgynous style

This is a gender neutral style in which you dress in clothes of either gender (male and female) combining them in your own unique style. Also called as Unisex clothing. Other terms associated with style are Gender fluid, genderless and pansexual.

In women’s clothing this term is associated with adopting men’s clothing completely and a no-make up look.

What would you wear if you like androgynous wear?

If you are a woman you will adopt an all male wardrobe including pants, shirts/t-shirts and eschew anything with feminine elements. For men, it is mostly wearing what they want. 

Learn more about Androgynous style here.

E girl

Most 13-14 year old girls go through a phase when anything pink and girly becomes anathema to them. When newly initiated teens rebel against their previous girly clothes, barbie looks and go for a slightly rebellious clothing styles they are called e-girls.

It is a very new generation aesthetic. This goth inspired fashion is a viral trend among girls who are almost always on the Instagram. The Scene style can be said to be a predecessor to this style.

What would you wear if you are an E-girl?

Graphic tees, loose layered clothing, black painted nails, tennis skirts in dark colors, combat boots, crop tops and mom jeans combined with startlingly vivid dyed hair, thick lined eyes.

Scene fashion

This is a teenage trend that encompasses a lifestyle. It is followed by people who like a certain kind of music. Colored hair (think pink and blue) Tattoos, face piercings combined with clothes similar to the rocker chic but slightly different – that is ‘scene’.

What would you wear if you are into Scene style of dressing?

The  followers of this style wear tight t-shirts with cartoon imagery or some other such graphics, booty shorts leggings or tight pants with skirts like a tutu over it.

This style in clothes and accessories are not as popular today as it was in the mid 2000s but you will find some who are still fascinated by it – I have found followers of scene fashion in social media platforms like tiktok videos.

Read more about scene fashion here.

Rocker Chic Style

A devil-may-care attitude is the most important thing in this fashion other than some very edgy elements.

What would you wear if you love the Rocker-chic way of dressing?

You will definitely like skinny leather pants/jeans, black boots or spiky heels, vintage t-shirts with patches (lots and lots of them) bomber/motorcycle jackets and dark colors, both in garments, accessories and make up.

The followers of this style always wear form-fitting clothes. Other distinguishing style statements are black nail polish, studs in all their clothing, lots of jewelry including chunky bracelets and spikey necklaces.

Learn a little more in detail about Rocker chic style here.

Skateboarders

You may never have held a skateboard in your hands let alone touched it with your legs, but you can still be a skateboarder. It is mostly an attitude and a way of life.

What would be your choice of clothes if you are a Skateboarder?

Skater chic, as it is also called, includes oversized graphic t-shirts with an open over shirt, sneakers, skater shoes, skater pants or shorts and hoodies. Skateboarders mostly wear loose comfortable and functional clothes and follow brands like Supreme, Thrasher and Palace.

Goth Fashion

Gothic fashion refers to a dark mysterious style of fashion which verges on the edge of morbidness; you may have heard of it as dressing like the vampires.

This style is associated with teenagers and rock musicians who dress exclusively in black but it is a lot more than that. It encompasses a wholly distinct Gothic culture and includes movies, fiction, and very passionate followers.

What would be in your wardrobe if you are a Goth?

You would have no other color in your wardrobe other than Black. You may like clothes from the victorian age – gowns, lace gloves – but they will always be in black. 

Learn more details about this style and its variations – Gothic fashion & clothing

Maternity Style

The fashion when you are pregnant (and immediately after delivery), so that you still feel attractive and at the same time accommodate the growing/grown belly.

What would you wear if you were in the maternity way?

Being able to feel attractive even when the body is changing in a very different way is very important for a lot of girls. It is their right. A happy mother is a necessity for the well being of the kid. There are many brands catering to this niche. 

Lolita Fashion

This refers to big girls dressing like a little girl in the victorian era. This is a style of fashion that is very popular in Japan and US. Lolita is a fashion genre that has caught the imagination of a lot of women who like to escape into a different world through this fashion.

It has many offshoots and takes inspiration from other fashion subcultures as well. 

What would you wear if you were a Lolitha?

The wardrobe in this fashion would include frilly petticoats, dresses with puffy sleeves, cute headwear, printed socks, light jackets, cute collars, cuffs and gloves.

You can learn a lot more about the Lolita Fashion here.

Gothic lolita style

This style, a combination of gothic and lolitha aesthetics is in contrast to the original Lolita style clothing; It is predominantly black, but similar to the Lolita style in terms of the type of clothes.

What would you wear if you like the gothic-lolitha genre?

The clothes will be very feminine and cute and follow the credentials of lolitha subculture but the soft colors of the genre will be absent – everything will be in black.

Hip Hop Style

Hip hop is the most popular music genre in the US and the style of the rappers is copied by the fans in hoards.

What would be your outfits of choice if you like hip-hop culture?

You will be wearing a lot of baseball jerseys, bomber jackets, and low slung jeans in this style.

You can read more about the hip hop style here.

Chave culture Style

This is a type of style that originated among the British working class.

What would you wear if you like Chave?

Football t-shirts, anoraks, loafers – the casual dressing styles of middle-class boys and girls.

Kawaii fashion

Kawaii is a very popular Japanese street fashion that has been accepted all over the world by teenagers. The term which means ‘cute’ is translated to this style in the form of very feminine clothes 

What would be in your wardrobe to be called  Kawaii?

Cute outfits in light pastel colors. This includes short skirts and t-shirts with cute cartoon characters emblazoned on them.

Read more about Kawaii dressing style here.

Preppy style

This is a style associated with prep school students in North-eastern America. Nowadays this style has been adopted by others outside these campuses as well.

What would you have as clothes to be called Preppy?

Straight leg chinos or khakis, polo shirts, button-down oxfords, Henley shirts paired with sports jackets, crew neck sweaters, plaid short skirts are hallmarks of a preppy look.

Checkout this post on Preppy style to learn more.

Cowgirl style

This the style that proclaims that you are a cowgirl at heart like the ones you see in the 19th-century Wild West.

What outfit choices can make you a Cowgirl?

The style includes button-down shirt, cowboy boots and a wide brimmed hat, leather fringe details. Denim Skirt was one staple of cowgirl style, which is not so favorite today.

Lagenlook style

In this style of clothing, many layers of unconventionally shaped clothing are worn one on top of the other. There is a certain individuality in the look. This style originated in Europe, to be specific in Germany. The layers give a casual vibe and also provide warmth.

What do you need to have for the Lagenlook?

Lots of quirky clothing that can be worn in layers. Long loose unconventionally cut tops, loose pants, scarves, long open waterfall jackets. The clothes should be aesthetically pleasing and cohesive when worn as layers.

Girl next door style

A girl next door is a sweet caring simple girl and this unassuming style will belong to her. This is a sweet and simple laid back style with the most comfortable clothes including slip dresses.

How can you dress as a girl-nextdoor?

You can wear simple and comfortable graphic tees, casual sundresses – anything that are comfortable are all part of this style.

Casual Chic Style 

This is an elegant style with clothes chosen mostly in black, white, and neutral colors. The whole look is very classy . In this style, one thing you would miss is too much color – you could say, absolutely no garish colors but only elegance.

How do you dress to look chic? 

Skirts and tops or pants and soft blouses, dresses in a sleek silhouette which look elegant and understated but still fashionable. Clothing will be paired with modern accessories and jewelry.

Nerdy fashion

A nerd is an intellectual person extremely passionate about his or her hobby/job, that he doesnot care for the outside society. 

Nerdy fashion is the style of the person who doesnot care much about how they look. A nerd is only interested in his or her passion – fashion is of a lower level of interest.

How do you dress to look Nerdy? 

If you are nerdy, you may care less what you wear but if you do, and still what to be called one, you can wear the same color t-shirt every day, much the same way Mark Zuckerberg does, loose jeans, and complement this with thick rimmed glasses and sneakers.  

Geeky chic Style

A nerd is a geek but a geek is not always a nerd.  A geeky chic is hardcore geek but also interested in fashion enough to dress neatly but not too much that they will conform to the latest trends. 

What is in the wardrobe of a geeky chic? 

Loose fitting almost slouchy pants, spectacles, especially ones with oversized frames, loafers, hair slides keeping stray hair in check are some of the components of this style. Comfort is key here. If you like to be more chic you can wear plaid skirts and graphic tees.

Military style

This is a style of clothing in which everything has a khaki and sand palette. You dress like you are on a safari or like you are in the military. All the clothes have a comfortable relaxed fit.

How to dress in the Military style? 

Cargo pants, Khakhis, with lots of pockets, camouflage printed tops and t-shirts, boots and wide belts.

Retro Fashion

This is a vintage-inspired style ie, a style that reminds you of the fashion of a previous era. Fashion already borrows a lot from past styles, but this clothing is more vintage-insprred than others.

How to dress in Vintage fashion? 

Vintage-inspired dresses, skirts, tops, and pants are mostly used for costume parties but there are people who like to dress solely in cute dresses from the past.

You can learn about the difference between Vintage clothing and Vintage inspired fashion here.

Related posts : Clothing styles in Ancient Egypt; Clothing styles in Ancient Greece; Renaissance clothing styles; Fashion in the 17th century; 1920’s fashion highlights; 1930s -clothing ; 1950s fashion highlights; Fashion in the 1960s; History of fashion in the 1970s; 1980s fashion highlights; 1990s fashion highlights ; Fashion in the 2000s

Flapper fashion (20’s look)

This a style of the 1920’s when women discarded the restrictive corsets and ridiculous petticoats of bygone years in favour of a looser silhouette.

What clothes are in the flapper style? 

You can copy the dresses of the 1920’s. The style involved loose dropped waistline calf length dresses with plunging necklines and a flat chest which suited the sentimentality of the times; It had a boxy silhouette and was iconic in that it heralded a new fashion era for the western women.

Read more about 1920s fashion and the flapper look here 

Tomboy

When you want to look like a boy and eschew all feminine aspects from your dressing style you are a tomboy. 

How to dress like a Tomboy? 

If you want to look like a tomboy, you can go around in comfortable shorts, loose t-shirts and sneakers. 

Garconne look

This is a casual androgynous style in which rugged menswear is combined with feminine elements.

What are the outfits of a Garconne look? 

Loose-fit blouse and jeans, leather or tailored jacket, and shiny loafers/pumps, pinafores over loose tops.

Vacation (Resort) style

Also called summer wear or cruise wear, because this is what you will wear on your luxury vacation. This style is all about travel and relaxation

What to wear to suit a Resort look? 

You can wear shorts, casual but stylish tops, caftans, swimsuit cover-ups, jogger pants, wide brimmed summer hats and strappy sandals. It also includes full-length evening gowns (think maxi dresses).

Camp Style

This is an exaggerated way of dressing in styles some people would consider strange or over the top. It is a style with many in-your-face elements that would not be seen in every day dressing. For eg. the way celebrities dress to special themes in the Met Gala event.

How to get the Campy look right? 

Wear extremely outlandish clothes that express your individuality, and you will get it just right.

Artsy Fashion

This is an unconventional style with bright and bold colors and exaggerated prints. The clothes and accessories will have unusual silhouettes in strange shapes.

What to wear to look Artsy? 

Wear bright and colorful clothes with a quirky style, made of mostly hand made fabrics and pair them with handcrafted accessories.  

Grunge style

This is a style that originated in the 80s (as part of the grunge music) with a heavy emphasis on layering and oversized silhouettes with a casual nonchalant attitude.

How to dress in the Grunge style? 

The staples of this style include leather jackets,  flannel shirts,  metallic jackets, ripped denim, crop tops, cool slogan t-shirts, combat boots, fishnet stockings, beanies, mom jeans, and slouchy sweaters. Baggy, torn and messy clothes are constants in this working-class clothing habits.

Punk

“I was just using fashion as a way to express my resistance and to be rebellious. It was my ambition to understand the world I live in.” This quote from Vivienne Westwood, the flag bearer of this trend encapsulates the whole theory of punk style.

What clothes make the punk style unique? 

Clothes in this category include T-shirts with defiant and provocative wordings, fishnet stockings, leather jackets, studded black boots, tight black pants, skater skirt, startling colorful short spiky hair (Mohawk), black colored clothing. Combine this with Dark eyelined eyes, lots of body piercings and tattoos and you have punk.

Mid 1980 was the peak time of this fashion. Neofascist punk, straight edge punk, cyberpunk, emo punk are other variations of this style.

Learn more details about Punk fashion here.

Boho/Bohemian chic

Hippie style of the 70s consisted of long hair, brightly colored clothing made in free and flowy fabrics with exotic bold prints and patterns and, bell bottom pants. Boho chic is the modern-day variation of the hippie style.

Adapted to the modern sentiments this style uses clothes made of natural materials or things which are handcrafted. The colorful nature of this style and the free-spirited way can be seen in the relaxed fit of all the clothing belonging to this type.

How to look Bohemian? 

Casual clothes in earthy colors and natural materials. A flowing or billowy maxi dress, tiered skirts, lots of beaded bracelets, flip flops, and jute bags are all part of bohemian wear. A boho-chic wears all these elements with more panache and designer jeans.

Learn about the 15 elements that are essential in a boho bohemian framework here.

Biker fashion

This is the fashion that emulates what Bikers would wear.

What does a Biker chic wear? 

Leather jackets, motorcycle vests, skin tight pants or leather pants, exposed zippers as embellishments, boots and the symbol of the skull in accessories.

You can read about the 5 must have elements of biker chic fashion here.

Psychedelic style

This is a colorful trend which is a combination of many styles – clothes are mostly in colorful printed fabrics. Intense and bold colors were mostly used like purple and orange. Ethnic prints like paisley prints are also used in clothes.

Cosplay Fashion

Cosplay is big. If you are not the type, you wouldn’t know, but if you are, you would know how big. This refers to dressing up to look like their favorite characters or in period costumes. It is not an everyday fashion, but still a preferred way of dressing of many.

Anime characters and Furries are a craze for some people. Furries refer to dressing like a furry animal.

Read this article to know how popular this way of dressing is. Read more about what is cosplay and what is a cosplayer here.

Haute Couture

This refers to exclusive custom-fitted exquisite clothing made by high end designers. Celebrities regularly use haute couture designer gowns and ensembles for their functions/celebrations.

If you like this manner of dressing you will have to shell out a lot of money for each of the creations. But then, to look like a million bucks you have to spend.

Read more on Haute couture here.

Modest fashion

This refers to a style of clothing that is loose fitting, comfortable and modest with very less skin revealing. It is usually associated with religious beliefs or a liking for androgynous clothing.

What clothes can be classified as Modest wear? 

Long length tunics are typical of this style. Long loose pants and loose full sleeved tops. Scarves covering the head. Burkini is a modestwear version of the bikini. 

Prairie chic style

This refers to a romantic and feminine style similar to the dressing of the pioneer women.

What would you wear if you like prairie chic style? 

The long dresses in this style will sport high necklines and ruffled trims and puffy sleeves will usually be made of subtly floral light weight fabric in earth in light soft and earthy shades. Lace up boots will usually be used with these feminine dresses.

Rave fashion

This is closely related to punk fashion and hip hop culture. It went against the societal norms in the 1990s with midriff revealing colorful and cropped baby doll shirts and visors.

How to dress in Rave style? 

You should have crop tops, booty shorts, baggy pants, jumpsuits, and other clothing in bold colors, fishnet stockings, colorful leg warmers and platform shoes. A visor on the head would finish the look.

Pin up Girl

This is a sassy retro-dressing style of the early 1940s. It is an attractive way of dressing in pretty dresses a la Marilyn Monroe.

How to dress as a pin up girl? 

You need to have a vintage Swing Dress, or a shapely hostess gown or a wiggle dress or skirt ; capri pants paired with a croped top or tied-front top. Top it all with dark sunglasses.

Flamboyant style

This is a style characterized by startling colors and exaggerated styling, meant for attracting attention.

Hippie style

If you like the carefree life, and like to wear loose casual but colorful clothes and go barefoot or wear flipflops and carry a guitar around, maybe you are already a hippie. It was very popular in the 1960s but the vibe can still work. 

You can read more about hippie clothing here.

Ankara style

Ankara refers to wearing clothes made of the vibrant and colorful patterned African wax print fabric.

Arthoe Fashion

This trend has its origin in the Tumblr and is inspired by a love for arts, color and flowers. It was popular during the 1900s and 2010s.

What outfits are there in the Arthoe style? 

The typical garments in this style are Overalls or mom jeans, graphic tees usually in mustard yellow which may be plain or striped, art socks and sneakers or Mary janes.

Anti-fashion style

The dictionary says that anti fashion goes against the fashion styles of the period. If you love individuality and perfers to dress according to personal taste and not follow any of the trends that are in vogue, you are already following this style. 

Have you found your fashion style?

In fashion, there is constant shifting in clothing styles – in industry trends as well as individual preferences. A person may be as fickle as wanting to dress like a professional diva one day and in a pin-up style the next. Another may decide on a particular style and stick to it for life – ask a hard-core goth girl to wear pink and you will know!

Whatever you want to be, there is a style and a name for it. If you still haven’t found your style among this lot, there are many other clothing aesthetic styles, don’t worry. You are not excluded.

You can find more details about these dressing styles in the post on Fashion subcultures

Check this article for the dopamine reference.

Related posts: 

• Fashion industry vocabulary
• 45 of the best fashion designers of the world
• 15 Color combinations for clothes
• Color names in fashion- a reference guide
• 8 types of fashion wear
• Evolution of Fashion – a short history.