Supersized Shorts, Slip Dresses and Tropical Barbie Energy—7 Gen Z Pop Stars Setting the Trends in 2026

Whilst it's true I usually dedicate this weekly column to the microtrends making waves in fashion (aquamarine blue, Pucci prints and bedazzled thongs to name a few), this week, I’ve decided to switch things up a bit. As a fashion editor, I’m just as interested in where a trend begins as I am in its longevity, and this summer, the answer (for the most part) has led back to the same sources. Week after week, so many of the season’s biggest style moments can be traced back to one group: Gen Z's favourite pop stars.

With the cultural landscape shifting from quiet-luxury obsessed to something far bolder and braver, there is a handful of formidable frontwomen who are serving looks both on and off the stage, treating every appearance like their own personal runway. Famed for their signature style in an era of personality-based maximalism, their commitment to building their own unique aesthetic is exactly what's called for in 2026. And Gen Z? Well, they're eating it up.

Whether it's Renee Rapp single-handedly reviving the Napoleon jacket and '60s-inspired specs in a way that Fight for This Love-era Cheryl Cole would approve of, or Zara Larsson thrusting glitter heels, sequinned T-shirts and diamanté jeans back into the limelight (all of which are trending according to the LYST Index), it's impossible not to give credit where credit is due.

This list could go on for days; I mean, right now the pop girls are certainly having a moment. Combing through their personable yet slightly chaotic social media feeds pinpoints the exact impact musical artists are having on wider fashion trends, but the masses most adore seven in particular. Think Addison Rae and her commitment to lingerie, or Billie Eilish's decidedly "anti-fashion" approach; each of these women deserves an award for their service to fashion in 2026.

The 7 Biggest Female Gen Z Pop Stars of 2026:

1. Zara Larsson

Style Notes: Millennials and Gen Z alike know that this is in fact the second Zara Larsson summer we’ve been treated to. And, as shopping editor Florrie Alexander so eloquently puts it, "she just keeps getting better and better”. When Lush Life dropped in 2015, I was a mere teenager, obsessed with the glossy electropop that broke up my endless rotation of One Direction and Justin Bieber. And honestly, I almost forgot about the Swedish popstar until the now-iconic dolphin meme, set to Symphony, took over TikTok in 2024.

Rebranding her aesthetic to match the music (her words, not mine), her fifth album Midnight Sun feels like exactly what Gen Z has been waiting for. Think bejewelled denim capris and airbrushed baby tees, low-rise jeans and her signature tropical island Barbie glam. Her look has an inherent Y2K eclecticism to it without feeling overly costume-y or forced—and honestly I'm completely on board.

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2. Addison Rae

Style Notes: If you told 2020 me that Addison Rae would make the list of the best Gen Z pop stars, I simply wouldn’t have believed you. But, now that she's long left her Hype House days behind and teamed up with Swedish producer Elvira Anderfjärd to bless us with Addison, she is officially cemented as a bona fide pop star. After earning her a Best New Artist nomination at the 2026 Grammy Awards, the record blends the bubblegum brilliance of Britney Spears' ..Baby One More Time era with the dreamy melancholy of Lana Del Rey's Born to Die., and her fashion evolution has mirrored that musical transformation.

Channelling what she's described as "messy pop star energy", Addison has traded her quintessential "Valley Girl" aesthetic for something far more fashion-forward. On stage, she's embraced matching Versace sets fresh from Dario Vitale's spring/summer 2026 runway. Whilst off duty she (like Zara) has become the poster girl for Gen Z's take on Y2K dressing: micro-miniskirts, graphic baby tees, sheer slip dresses that resemble vintage nightgowns, and deliberately hodgepodge Pilates ensembles. It's playful, nostalgic and just chaotic enough to feel completely authentic.

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3. Renee Rapp

Style Notes: For the girls, gays and the theys', Renee Rapp’s unapologetically tongue-in-cheek approach to life has become just as defining as her powerhouse vocals. And her style? Well, before becoming one of Gen Z's most compelling pop stars, Renee was best known as an actress, earning cult status in The Sex Lives of College Girls before reprising Regina George in Mean Girls: The Musical and the 2024 film adaptation.

Her wardrobe follows the same disruptive rulebook—or lack of one. One day it's military jackets and vintage sportswear, the next it's a lace slip dress paired with chunky boots. Equal parts rockstar, theatre kid and off-duty It-girl. But what I love most about Renee's style is that its proof that the coolest people are the ones who never look like they're trying too hard.

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4. Olivia Dean

Style Notes: If you're a Brit, you'll understand exactly why the nation's heart throb and Who What Wear UK cover star Olivia Dean had to make this list. From beating Addison Rae to the Best New Artist title at the 2026 Grammy Awards to being named one of the faces of Burberry, her stand against the hyper-sexualised pop aesthetic has made her a generational favourite.

Drawing inspiration from the golden age of Hollywood, her signature waves, vintage-inspired silhouettes and soulful stage presence have become as recognisable as her music. And her style? Well that has a soft romance to it. One which feels timeless and has an unmistakably magnetic essence.

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5. Olivia Rodrigo

Style Notes: When she's not sending the internet into a frenzy for her love of babydoll dresses, or making a surprise appearance at Coachella alongside Addison Rae, what Disney-star-turned-pop-sensation Olivia Rodrigo will wear next is the question on every Gen Zer’s lips.

Departing from the purple haze of SOUR and GUTS, her third studio album “You Seem Pretty Sad For a Girl So In Love” has seemingly brought a new side to Olivia. Whilst it maintains her sweet-but-defiant aesthetic, her personal brand of edgy “femininity” feels less Y2K and more '90s grunge. From the dresses to the corsets, and of course, plaid skirts, this the most raw and real Olivia has ever looked.

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6. Gracie Abrams

Style Notes: When she's not posting loved-up snaps with real-life-boyfriend-turned-internet-heartthrob Paul Mescal or fronting campaigns as the face of Chanel, Gracie Abrams has quietly become Gen Z's blueprint for seasonless style. Much like her indie folk-pop sound, her wardrobe has an understated, almost cinematic quality to it. Soft and deeply romantic, it mirrors the vulnerability that runs through her lyrics without feeling overly styled or try hard.

With a heavy dose of '90s minimalism in her looks, Gracie has long perfected the art of off-duty dressing. Think vintage separates, relaxed tailoring and intentionally slouchy silhouettes. Its classic dressing at its best.

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7. Billie Eilish

Style Notes: I can't help it, I’ll be a Billie Eilish stan until the day I die. At 24 years old, not only has she amassed nine Grammys, two Oscars (for Best Original Songs "No Time to Die" and "What Was I Made For?"), two Golden Globes, three BRITs, nine AMA’s an deight MTV Video Music Awards (making her one of the most decorated female musicians in history), but her personal style is every bit as influential as her music.

With layered tees , Bermuda shorts and anything oversized, Billie's brand signature is her anti-fashion approach to style, and her comfort-over-everything energy is adored by her nonconformist fans (oh, and me).

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