The 2025 Gen Z Best-Dressed List: See The Stars Defining a New Era of Style

Gen Z Says is a bimonthly column chronicling the latest trends in the fashion-and-beauty space through the lens of Who What Wear's own Gen Z editors. Expect a download on the upcoming class of tastemakers, emerging designers, and shopping and style choices straight from the generation setting the trends.

There are years in fashion when the landscape doesn’t just evolve— it tilts. 2025 has been one of them. In an era defined by creative-director musical chairs, an overabundance of fast fashion, and micro-aesthetics that morph faster than we can track, the industry has felt both restless and on the verge of something new. Which is why, when it came time to assemble The 2025 Gen Z Best-Dressed List, I turned to the people who understand this shifting terrain most intuitively: Who What Wear’s Gen Z editors. After all, who better to decode the year’s most era-defining looks than the cohort that can spot an archival John Galliano slip on a TikTok thumbnail at 0.2 seconds?

What emerged from our Slack messages and email threads was a portrait of a new generation of style stars rewriting the red carpet in real time. These are the actors, pop girls, and fashion darlings fearlessly mixing vintage with rising designers, or stepping into the ateliers of Chanel, Miu Miu, and other legacy maisons. They’re working with young, razor-sharp stylists who treat every appearance like a conversation— sometimes a love letter, sometimes a rebellion, but always as a means to make a statement and get attention.

There’s an electricity to Hollywood right now, a feeling that the fashion story is shifting scene by scene, outfit by outfit. It’s fresh, it’s unpredictable, and, frankly, it’s the most fun I’ve had covering red-carpet style in years. If 2025 was the year Gen Z took over, 2026 is shaping up to be the year they set the entire rulebook on fire—beautifully, unapologetically, and in extremely good shoes.

Bella Hadid

Bella Hadid shopping in New York City, January 2025.

"Bella Hadid is Gen Z's fashion muse, in part thanks to her casual, low-key fits that the model has gone mega viral for over the last few years. While Hadid was largely absent for most of 2025 to focus on her health, the moments the star did pop-up were well worth it—namely, this early 2025 appearance in SoHo in an all-black look complete with Saint Laurent sunglasses and a leather funnel-neck jacket. I personally like Hadid's style when it's a bit more casual since it feels more authentic to her, so this look ranks among my top 5 in the year." — Ana Escalante, associate features editor

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Kylie Jenner

Kylie Jenner at the NBA Eastern Conference Finals, May 2025

"I love Kylie and Timothée together, sue me! Since they don't often make public appearances together, I'm always locked into their style when they do—namely, during the later half of the year when the couple was spotted at several New York Knicks games after the team made it to the NBA semi-finals. I'm zoning in on Kylie's outfit here, though— the youngest member of the Kardashian-Jenner empire typically goes all out with her outfits, so to see her lean into a simple sporty windbreaker, wide-leg jeans, and a square watch for this specific look felt incredibly off-brand in the best way. I love how casual her style has become over the last year now that she's been brought out of her shell a bit more by Timothée. Perhaps we'll get a full-on King Kylie-era style moment in 2026?" — Ana Escalante, associate features editor

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Addison Rae

Addison Rae at the MTV Video Music Awards, August 2024

"Ok, ok, I know this look dropped in late 2024 technically but it's legacy carried well into 2025 and I am still thinking about it on a weekly basis. Addison Rae brought drama back to the VMA red carpet that has become overrun by "quiet luxury" black evening gowns by wearing this tutu and bra combination that absolutely stole the show. If you're going to rebrand from a TikTok dancer to the Britney Spears of our generation, this is how you do it right. Inspired by Madonna and instantly bookmarked by half of Gen Z, this look genuinely shifted the lingerie mood. After years of cozy/cute basics dominating the market, we’re finally seeing the return of full-on fantasy. Between the VS Fashion Show comeback and moments like this, lingerie is officially (and delightfully) back." — Sierra Mayhew, fashion editor

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Yara Shahidi

Yara Shahidi at Loewe Spring Summer 2026 runway show, October 2025

"When it comes to Gen Z style icons, Yara Shahidi's name is always going to make the cut. Her styling is always playful, eclectic, and colorful. Her look at Loewe's spring/summer 2026 show last month still lives in my head rent-free. I don't know how, but it taps into so many 2025 trends without feeling overdone or too trendy. From the mesh flats, to the bowling bag to the anorak, it seamlessly merges all of these style personas while still feeling authentic to her typical style. It's the perfect mix of sporty and elegant, which Yara does so well. If you see me recreating this entire outfit soon, please know that Yara Shahidi was the ultimate inspiration." — Aniyah Morinia, branded content editor

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Adéla

Adéla at Acne Studios Spring Summer 2026 Runway Show, October 2025

"Adéla knows she’s a pop star princess in the works. Her punk but feminine vibe itches a part of my brain that is a Jenny Humphrey apologist Sorry. Something we both have in common is that we love the no-pants trend and that is why this Acne Studio look lives in my head, rent-free. She’s just too cool for the world." — Daniela Guevara, assistant social media editor

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Doechii

Doechii at Paris Fashion Week in March 2025.

"Half of the allure of this Doechii moment comes from the look itself, no doubt. Dripping in gold from her earlobes to her fingertips, hair coiffed to the gods, and a dress so perfectly square between romantic Greco-Roman draping and modern denim corsetry, the rapper was the image of a Schiaparelli statue. But the real reason this outfit is burned into my memory is because of the meaning of this moment.

Doechii closed out her first PFW with this look after an onslaught of fashion hits that garnered the attention of every news outlet and fan with Internet access—causing the need to be carried by bodyguards through the Parisian streets to move through the sea of fans. She stood at the top of the Centre Pompidou in this show-stopping number with so many camera flashes on her that you’d think she was Beyoncé, and I realized what a turning point this was in her life, career, and the world of fashion itself. Suddenly, we had a new, unabashedly cool, and authentic It girl!" — Alyssa Brascia, associate beauty editor

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Jenna Ortega

Jenna Ortega on the 2025 Emmy Awards red carpet, September 2025

"I love this Givenchy look that Jenna Ortega wore to the Emmys. The draping of the large jewels paired with the low waisted skirt felt like such a fresh take on red carpet dressing." — Natalie Thurman senior podcast producer and editor

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Olivia Dean

Olivia Dean performing at The Today Show, October 2025

"My daily affirmation? Singing the entirety of Olivia Dean’s The Art of Loving on my way to work. Nominated for the 2026 Grammy Award for Best New Artist, the British singer-songwriter has not only topped charts but also inspired many, myself included, to update their Pinterests and mood boards. Dean’s stylist, Simone Beyene, is responsible for the vintage-inspired silhouettes and chiffon and satin drapings that mimic Dean's verses of self-love, set against a pastel color palette of pale pinks, butter yellows, and baby blues.

October 2025—Dean performed on the Today show in a blushing Chanel tweed set. Hands down, my favorite Olivia Dean look. Something Beyene does exceptionally well is how identifiable yet singular Olivia Dean's look is. Like her music, Olivia’s genre-bending style is youthful yet classic. Polished, yet playful. And the Chanel set is a perfect example of this effect. Dean elegantly wears the retro, boxy silhouette, lined with aqua-colored beading, old-Hollywood glam, and gold bangles." — Josephine Hadjiloucas, assistant shopping editor

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