Opinions

5 Winter Trends Dominating Latin

Lucia Meno, Staff Writer|February 1, 2024

Madhappy hoodies and Stanley Cups are among the most popular holiday-induced trends at Latin.

Though winter vacation seems so distant after only one month of school, one part of break sticks with students: holiday gifts. From somewhat impractical pairs of shoes to hoodies so comfortable that they might make students fall asleep in class, these trends can easily be found in any Latin classroom.

Abercrombie Camouflage Sweatshirts

If you’re curious as to why students are wearing what appears to be the clothing choice of an average middle schooler, Abercrombie’s camo hoodies are to blame. Shining on students’ holiday lists for a brief period of time, these sweatshirts have almost gotten to the point of extinction due to the overall sense of disgust associated with the product.

Sophomore Sienna Meyers said, “I just think it’s really ugly. It’s either hit or miss, and it’s a big miss for me.” Despite the muted colors, the Abercrombie sweatshirts are not easy to wear with literally any other clothing item. The key to success is wearing a pair of black or grey monochrome sweatpants to bring some of the attention away from the hoodie, not doubling down on the army look by adding cargo pants to your outfit.

Sophomores Olivia Lindemann and Laila Ciaccio sport their pairs of Ultra Minis. (Lucia Meno)

Uggs

“I’m still using my Uggs from like seventh grade even though they’re not the Uggs Minis that are trending right now,” junior Isabella Carney said. “Uggs are so cute, but I don’t feel like I have to buy new ones since mine are perfectly good.”

Wearing Uggs is possibly the closest thing to bringing a pair of slippers to school, if slippers were ten times more comfortable. The detailing on the Tasman slippers and the Ultra Minis’ fun platform component only add to the popularity and aesthetic appeal of the footwear brand. When you’re unsure of how to style your new pair of Uggs, simply grab a pair of leggings and a cozy sweater to complete the perfect wintry look.

But suede shoes are certainly not the most practical option in the slushy streets of Chicago. As adorable as Uggs are, no one should have to be so cautious about wearing winter shoes … in snow. There’s just nothing quite like the fear of walking out of school at the end of the day and, staring down at your pair of Tasmans in disbelief, realizing that it started drizzling.

White Fox and Madhappy Hoodies

“Big, monochromatic sweatshirts, especially in oatmeal or cream colors, are coming back,” Upper School math teacher Zach McArthur said. “People are really enjoying comfortable, oversized sweatshirt kind of vibes.”

Both brands stand out for a similar reason: the little details on these hoodies mean that students can elevate a simple outfit by throwing on their sweatshirts five minutes before school. The bubble letters on the back of White Fox’s Comfort Club or Offstage hoodies, and the stitching on the Madhappy Classic Fleece Hoodie set these items apart from a classic sweatshirt. Plus, the trendiness of the brands is a great excuse for students to withstand the freezing temperatures in Latin classrooms.

Bows

Those who grew out of their ballet phase may recognize a familiar motif appearing in the school’s halls. “I love bows. I think it’s the cutest, prettiest little trend, especially bow nails,” Sienna said.

With the rise of the “coquette” aesthetic, highlighting everything dainty and chic, students are finding new ways to incorporate ribbons into their outfits. Isabella said, “You can really just pair them with anything, so you don’t necessarily have to worry about going out and buying a specific bow in order to participate in the trend.” Bows are ideal to add a touch of elegance to any outfit, but students must be careful to pair them with the right clothes—a pair of sweatpants just doesn’t go with that hair ribbon, no matter how much you may want to believe it does. For a more subtle way to incorporate bows into your attire, try these French tip ribbon nails.

Sophomore Roxie Lara sips out of her Stanley. (Lucia Meno)

Stanley Cups

Stanley Cups: the arm workout of a lifetime built into a water bottle the size of a small garbage can. Sienna said, “Stanley did a really good job with their advertising because they had a lot of seasonal products, like collabs with Starbucks and Target,” she said. “People went really crazy over them.”

Nothing makes students want to drink water more than the fact that they could spill in an instant. “Hydration is important—I love that trend!” Mr. McArthur said. In a 1v1 between Stanleys and Uggs, Stanleys would easily win the battle. The color palette of these bottles is always cute– featuring options such as iris, rose quartz, and eucalyptus– but the fact that they’re made with lead? Not so cute.

Yet seeing the popularity of all five products after the holidays should serve as a reminder for community members to be conscientious about what they’re purchasing. Isabella said, “In a year or two, all of these are going to be out of style. They’re going to be popping up in thrift stores everywhere the same way every single microtrend does.”

Thanks to social media and its attention span, microtrends, or fads that last for a brief period of time, have become all too familiar. However, there are some benefits to being able to take part in what’s trending. Mr. McArthur said, “Feeling like a community is huge for mental health, and sometimes that can be when you share things with other members of the community; one of these things is certainly physical objects.”

Isabella said, “I think you can participate in trends without participating in overconsumption.” While not many students could truly claim to participate in surplus buying, by continuously being consumers of hot and trendy items, they encourage other members of the Latin community to buy products that will most likely go out of style within a few months.

“In hairstyles, the slick-back has been having a moment recently. That’s a trend that’s really easy to participate in,” Isabella added.

So as long as students think about whether or not they’ll still love these products in a month or two, there isn’t necessarily a problem with following the current trends at Latin. And yes, you can still buy that pair of Uggs.