When it comes to pumpkin spice, hot apple cider, crunchy leaves, and sweet-scented candles, some fall-time classics will never change. However, like any other year, autumn 2024 brings new trends in fashion, foods, festivities, and more. From leopard print to Pumpkin Cream Chai Lattes and Sabrina Carpenter, this upcoming season has a lot to offer. High school students are one of the most susceptible groups of people to have knowledge of and execute current trends. Whether it be clothes, drinks, water bottles, accessories, or music, teenage students across the country are on top of what is popular.
According to leading fashion magazines, social media, and student input, the leading fall 2024 fashion trends are varying. It is predicted that the “downtown girl style” will make a resurgence this year. Also known as the “Bella Swan” or “Elaina Gilbert” aesthetic, The Teen Magazine identifies the downtown girl style as an aesthetic that revolves around the romanticization of living in the downtown area of a city, specifically in New York. Teen Magazine identifies key fashion features of the style to be oversized clothing, low rise jeans, sweaters, mini skirts, graphic/band tees, tights, and leather jackets. “I feel like I can definitely see animal prints becoming more of a thing. I’ve also been seeing a lot of focus on bags and purses,” junior Lexie Terell mentioned about her predictions for fall 2024 trends. For men, jorts, baggy jeans, sweatshirts, and sneakers are in-style once again. “It’s probably going to be a lot of hoodies again… and a lot of crewnecks,” junior Tyler Grant observed when asked about his trend predictions for this fall. Grant also voiced that cargo pants are becoming increasingly popular for men this season. Shoe trends for this autumn, as seen on social media and in the student population, are Adidas Sambas, Converse, and Uggs. As for accessories, mixing gold and silver jewelry, dark red nails, and bows have been trending.
When it comes to specific prints, patterns, and colors, Vogue Magazine notes in a recent article that leopard print (commonly called cheetah print) is coming back in style. Originally popularized in the 1920’s, leopard print has made multiple comebacks almost every decade since. In the 1970’s, major rock artists were seen wearing the print as a sign of femininity and sexuality. In the 90’s, The Spice Girls and model Kate Moss wore the print, popularizing it for the general public. Now, leopard print is making its way through the 2020’s, and many people can be seen participating in this trend. “I noticed that the cheetah print is getting to be really big… I would say it’s pretty new, I haven’t seen that before,” Terell commented on the uprising pattern. Vogue Magazine also predicts that colors such as burgundy and dark brown will once again come into style, as seen in years of the past.
This fall, there is once again a drink of the season. It is no shock that with Starbucks’ release of their fall menu, coffee and tea drinkers everywhere have been sent into a frenzy as the fall/holiday season is the popular coffee shop’s busiest time of the year. This year there is a collective agreement as to what the favorite drink of the season is, and it is not the eternally beloved Pumpkin Spice Latte. Starbucks’ Pumpkin Cream Chai Latte has taken the internet by storm, sending the world of social media and teens everywhere into a fit of chai crazies. Starbucks describes the drink as “a rich and creamy Iced Chai–our blend of black tea infused with cinnamon, other warming spices and milk, topped with a sweet pumpkin cream cold foam.” When asked what she does to get into the spirit of fall, Terell declared,”Pumpkin Chai Lattes!” Whether or not the spiced drink is worth the attention it is receiving is still up for debate, but there is no denying that the popularity of the drink has surpassed any other on Starbucks’ fall menu.
Trending music artists and songs go in and out of popularity at an intensely fast rate. While it is difficult to say what will be popular during the remainder of this season, one artist has stayed constant on the Billboard Hot 100 charts for the past few months. Sabrina Carpenter’s new album “Short n Sweet” has taken the industry by storm, gaining quick popularity. Her songs “Espresso,” “Please Please Please,” and “Taste” are in the Billboard Hot 100’s Top 5 songs right now. Besides Carpenter’s success, artists Noah Kahan, Chapell Roan, Zach Bryan, Kendrick Lamar, and Billie Eilish are all expected to be some of the most popular artists of the season. When asked what music she has been listening to this season, Terell said, “Definitely a lot of fall-related, kind of smooth jazz… Norah Jones. But also there are some days where it’s more Alice in Chains and Audioslave type of stuff – so it’s definitely all over.” When asked the same question, Grant vocalized that his favorite genre of music is Shoegaze. While 2024 seemingly does not have a clear genre or artist that is gaining popularity through the early stages of this season, it is predicted that with the release of new albums, great success and popularity will come for artists, both new and old.
