Three streetwear tells I've been spotting in photos: the team jersey swap, trail-runner creep, and baggy denim's new proportions.

Mesh jerseys are back, but they're not being worn like throwbacks

I keep seeing mesh jerseys in fit pics, but not in the obvious way. It's less "I thrifted a vintage team top" and more "I needed a breathable layer with shape." The tell is what they get paired with. Instead of skinny jeans and a flat-brim cap (RIP), it's a boxy jersey over a long-sleeve thermal, then wide jeans that puddle a little, and a shoe that's more tech than basketball. When I try this, I size for shoulder width first, not the number on the tag. You want the sleeve to land in that slightly dropped spot, but not so far that the jersey caves in at the neck and looks like a gym pinnie.

The detail I'm watching is the hem behavior. A lot of older mesh jerseys have a stiff band that wants to sit at the hip. People are getting around that by letting a tee hang 1 to 2 inches longer underneath so the outfit still reads intentional when the jersey rides up. If your jersey is the shiny polyester kind, it photographs loud under flash and can start to look costume-y fast. The softer, more open-hole mesh reads quieter, especially in black, cream, or a washed team color.

One more nerdy thing that matters: numbers and sponsor patches. Big graphics are still around, but the fits that look current treat the back as optional. I find myself reaching for the plainer ones because I can throw a light jacket over it and not feel like I'm wearing a billboard. That's the shift. Jerseys are getting used as a warm-weather knit substitute, not as memorabilia.

Trail runners in the city: the Salomon effect is spreading past Salomon

For a while it was easy to point at one pair and call it a moment: Salomon XT-6s, with the quicklace and that slightly aggressive midsole. But what I'm watching now is the second wave, where the vibe stays and the logo changes. You see the same trail-runner shape in ASICS, HOKA, Merrell, and even Nike ACG models, and the outfits are built to make that shoe look normal, not ironic.

When I wear mine in the city, the thing that makes it click isn't adding more outdoorsy gear, it's cleaning up the rest of the fit. If everything else is also technical (shell jacket, cargo pants, utility bag), you can tip into full gorpcore cosplay. The combinations that look current to me are a little mismatched on purpose: trail runners with a clean, heavier sweatshirt, or a crisp overshirt that looks like it could be from Uniqlo, then denim that's relaxed but not sloppy. A good practical tell is sock choice. The tiny no-show sock makes the shoe look like a dad sneaker. A crew sock with some structure makes it feel deliberate, especially if the sock color picks up one accent from the shoe.

Also, pay attention to toe volume. Trail runners have that bulbier, protected front. If your pants are too narrow at the ankle, they'll snag and bunch right on top of the shoe, and it looks like your hem got caught on a door latch. I hem or cuff so there's a little air, or I go with a wider leg that just skims the laces. Not puddling like 2000s denim, just enough to keep the shoe from looking like it came from a different outfit.

The microtrend inside this is laces. Quicklace systems and toggle pulls are showing up as a visible detail people want, not something they hide. Once that becomes a styling feature instead of a convenience, it usually means the category is moving from niche to default.

The new baggy jean proportion is higher in the rise and wider at the knee (not just bigger)

I don't think the "baggy jeans" wave is the interesting part anymore. The interesting part is how picky people are getting about the shape. You can buy any wide jean, sure, but the fits that look like they belong in 2026 tend to have a higher rise and a more intentional knee, almost like the leg was drafted to bow out and then fall straight. When I grab an old pair that's simply two sizes too big, it balloons in the seat and then collapses in a way that reads messy. The newer proportion keeps the top block cleaner so you can tuck a tee, or half-tuck a rugby, and it doesn't look like you're hiding.

Here's the on-body check I do in a dressing room: I pinch the fabric at the knee while standing. If there's no structure there and it all slides to the back of the calf, the jean is just wide, not shaped. The pairs that are everywhere in streetwear right now hold a little volume at the knee so the silhouette stays consistent when you walk. You notice it most in side photos, which is probably why it spread so fast.

Footwear is driving this, too. A chunkier skate shoe or a trail runner needs room. A slimmer shoe makes the same jean look like you're wearing a tent. I keep seeing people solve that with one of two moves: either a heavier shoe (New Balance 990s, Vans Knu Skool, Salomon-style trail runners), or a hem that hits higher so the shoe is clearly part of the outfit. If the hem is too long and the fabric stacks like an accordion, it starts reading like you bought the wrong inseam instead of a deliberate puddle.

Wash matters more than it did a year ago. Clean, dark indigo feels a bit "back to basics" now, while the more current stuff is light wash, stone wash, or that slightly dirty mid-blue that looks like it lived on a skateboard. Not distressed to death. Just worn enough that a big silhouette doesn't look stiff.