The carefree, sun-soaked style of 2014 is making a stylish resurgence after taking over Instagram feeds and music festivals a decade ago. Once defined by mirror selfies, the rise of the app Musical.ly, and 2017 beloved Starbucks unicorn Frappuccino, this aesthetic is being rediscovered by a generation that LOVES a good throwback.
One of the popular returns is the unmistakable swim brand TRIANGL bikini, remembered for its bright colors and simple yet recognizable structural design. Now, it’s being styled with ripped, studded denim shorts, a look that captures that early 2010s mix of edgy and beachy. What made 2014 style so fun was it didn’t pick a certain aesthetic — soft and bold together blended into one. You could throw on a pair of lace jean shorts, a dark choker and pair something flowy with something studded, and somehow it just worked. It’s the kind of style that wasn’tsupposed to match. It was a mix of sweet, rebellious and carefree.
Certain accessories are also reclaiming their moment. Chokers and flower crowns that are everywhere during the Coachella season are re-entering everyday outfits. Fringe, too, is being spotted on tops, bags and boots, adding movement and texture and bringing back that boho influence.
Many of these accessories are a throwback of their own. Fringe pays homage to the ’70s bohemian festival wear, chokers call back to the ‘90s grunge club culture and the bright colors and geometric swimwear comes from the early 2000s beach trends. Trends are constantly being recycled, and this is just one example of layering past trends with more recent ones to invent whole new looks.
As fashion comes and goes, it isn’t about reinvention or refinements, but revival. People love the nostalgia of when fashion was more freeing, and they could mix, match and go wild without a second thought. These individual pieces or the style is never truly gone; they’re just waiting for the right time to be rediscovered.
Taken from the Summer 2026 print issue of Inside Fullerton. Read it here.
