FORGET THE FLANNEL

This is what grunge looks like in 2026

Grunge is back. Before you reach for the checked shirt, this time around things look a little different.

The Fall 2026 collections have been borrowing from the ’90s again, but not in the literal way we’ve become used to. Less Kurt Cobain uniform, more Kate Moss leaving a party at 2am. Slip dresses under leather jackets, sheer tops with worn denim, oversized knits slipping off one shoulder. Clothes that look better when they’re not trying too hard.

Vogue recently called it “The New Grunge”: a softer, sexier interpretation of the style that defined the early ’90s. And perhaps the best thing about its return is that most of what you need already exists.

GRUNGE, WITHOUT THE COSTUME

The original grunge look was never really supposed to become a look in the first place. In early-’90s Seattle, the clothes associated with bands like Nirvana and Pearl Jam were largely practical: secondhand jeans, old cardigans, battered boots and whatever could be found cheaply in thrift stores. Then fashion got involved.

Suddenly the undone look appeared on runways and in editorials. Marc Jacobs famously sent his grunge collection for Perry Ellis down the runway in 1992. Kate Moss made tiny dresses and messy hair look impossibly cool. Courtney Love turned the delicate slip dress into something entirely different by wearing it with smudged make-up, ripped tights and heavy shoes. The contrast was what made it interesting. Pretty with rough. Feminine with oversized. Silk against old leather. More than thirty years later, that tension feels good again.

THE 2026 VERSION IS A LITTLE MORE GROWN-UP

This isn't about recreating an outfit from 1993. The new version of grunge is cleaner and more considered, even when it looks thrown together. A sheer top with a beautifully cut pair of jeans. A slip dress disappearing underneath an oversized knit. A heavy leather jacket over something almost transparent. The clothes don't have to match perfectly. In fact, it's probably better when they don't.

After years of carefully curated capsule wardrobes, polished basics and quiet luxury, a little imperfection feels surprisingly fresh.

START WITH THE JEANS

If there is one piece that makes this easy, it's denim. Forget pristine jeans for a moment. Grunge looks better with denim that has already been somewhere. Vintage Levi's work particularly well because the wear is real: softened cotton, faded knees, old indigo and creases created by someone actually living in them rather than a factory trying to reproduce the effect. Go loose and oversized, or wear a classic straight leg with something unexpectedly delicate on top.A sheer black top and old Levi's need very little else.

ADD OLD LEATHER

Then there is the leather jacket. Not the perfect one. The good one has a little wear around the cuffs, leather that's softened with age and perhaps a few marks that you wouldn't necessarily want to polish away. Throw one over a slip dress and the dress immediately loses its sweetness. Wear it with denim and boots and you have something that could have been worn thirty years ago or yesterday. That's usually a good sign.

THE SLIP DRESS IS BACK WHERE IT BELONGS

There are few pieces more closely connected to ’90s dressing than the slip dress. Part nightdress, part evening dress, it works precisely because it looks slightly underdressed. For autumn, don't put it away. Layer it. Wear a fine knit underneath, an oversized cardigan over it or add a leather jacket and boots. A sheer layer underneath can make a delicate dress feel completely different. And don't worry too much about whether everything is from the same decade. A ’90s slip dress with an ’80s leather jacket and a pair of contemporary boots is far more interesting than recreating an archival look exactly.

SHOW A LITTLE

Sheer clothing is another part of the new grunge equation. Not necessarily head-to-toe transparency. A sheer long-sleeved top under a dress. Lace underneath an oversized knit. A transparent blouse with denim. Something delicate peeking out from underneath something heavy. Again, it's the contrast that matters.

BORROW SOMEONE'S SWEATER

Preferably one that looks a little too big. Oversized knits bring the nonchalance that keeps the whole thing from becoming too styled. Wear one over a slip dress, with loose Levi's or half tucked into denim. The nicest ones aren't necessarily perfect either. Slightly fuzzy wool, a stretched shape, a chunky men's knit or a cardigan that falls off the shoulder can be exactly what an outfit needs.

AND THEN, THE BOOTS

This is where you can make everything else feel less precious. Heavy black boots with a delicate dress. Worn leather boots under loose denim. An old pair that has already lost its shine. They ground all the silk, sheer fabrics and oversized proportions and stop the outfit from becoming too romantic.

DON'T TRY TOO HARD

That's probably the only real rule. The best grunge looks have always felt as though the person wearing them didn't spend an hour deciding what went together. So mix decades, textures. Wear the beautiful dress with the battered jacket. Put the sheer top with the old jeans. Buy the knit one size too big. And if something looks slightly better after it's been worn a hundred times, even better.

At Rumors, we're already surrounded by the ingredients: vintage Levi's, worn-in leather jackets, slip dresses, sheer tops, oversized knits and boots. For this mood, the flannel can stay at home.