Best of Street Style & Streetwear Fashion

Tracking and categorizing fashion trends isn't always easy. But when you monitor key patterns that associate certain pieces to a fashion trend and assemble an outfit catering to said trend, becomes easier - in most cases. The one exceptional brand of style in the fashion industry that encompasses many while limiting what falls within its bounds is streetwear.

Vaguely put, streetwear is essentially fashion that is worn on the street and is constantly evolving. At its core, streetwear fashion focuses on casual and comfortable silhouettes with inspiration from high fashion, skate wear, athleisure wear, and techwear. Over the years with urban fashion and hip hop culture influences pushing streetwear to the front lines, its popularity continues to grow.

Top 4 Street Style Sub-Categories

While there are household brands that have established their presence in the streetwear fashion space, this brand of style is one of the few that allows for anyone to have their own form of self-expression in a variety of clothing ensembles of their choice.

@eliteselects Streetwear Fashion / Street Style is front and center of the 2024 fashion scene with cargo pants and crop tops basking in the spotlight. Here’s a quick look into one way to get into it. For a more detailed Streetwear Capsule Collection, click on the link in the bio. Products mentioned: @ZARA Cargo Pants - Khaki Zara Black Crop Top @Verdusa Amazon Verdusa Women’s Cut Out Sleeveless Round Neck Ribbed Crop Top (Amazon) #beauty #style #fashion #letsgetdressed #getreadywithme #eliteselects #streetstyle #streetwear #streetwearfashion #beautytok ♬ Trend - LoopMc & Hany Beats

High Fashion

With the rise of celebrity streetwear trends and increased accessibility to designer wear over the years, luxury fashion pieces are introduced more frequently into the streetwear scene. Luxury brands have opened doors to collaborations with streetwear brands and draw inspiration from their work to create pieces that bring in a new audience to the luxury streetwear scene. Think streetwear culture meets refined craftsmanship resulting in high fashion streetwear.

Skate Wear

The Skate community is known for self expression, living to the rhythm of one's own beat, and dressing to each individuals rights. Skate wear is inspired by designs pulled from the skate culture into the fashion world. This means graphics and logos that symbolize the movement. On top of that, there were requirements in clothing that would protect and enable the skaters to do what do in a safe manner. An example is the iconic skater hoodie made with protection and a comfortable fit - a staple in many wardrobes. Streetwear blends styles of skate wear clothing with their designs with fashionable style in mind to a wider audience outside just those in the community to obtain the look (i.e. a lightweight hoodie that doesn't give the protection factor but looks the part).

Athleisure Wear

Athleisure wear pays homage to the comfort of sport wears but taken out of the context of workout and gym-wear. It is instead paired in a chic ensemble that is perfect for a casual day of errands or simply to be lounged in. The streetwear style embraces this look for elevating casual on-the-go beat into a full blown aesthetic with yet again comfort and a loose fit at its core.

Techwear

The techwear style is known for its functionality and durability over "only fit matters" focus. With cargo pants being the easiest example to bring attention to, techwear aims to make the individual in the clothing be able to use said clothing in a multifunctional manner (ie pockets for storage and long-lasting make.) A blend of the two means high-quality, advanced materials inspired by functionality and durability meets bold graphics and/or oversized fit. The result is breathable, comfort-first, sustainability-conscious clothing that all-the-while makes a fashion forward statement.

10 Pieces To Get The Look 

While capturing the entirety of streetwear clothing with a few pieces or in the form of a capsule closet is next to impossible with its multiple sub-categories and evolving trends in streetwear, here are a few popular favorites. Think comfort and casual silhouette, and get started.

Cargo Pants

Loose fitting and highly functional, this item is an evergreen streetwear trend. Hip hop has pushed this trend over and over. Celebrities have upscaled the look bringing cargo pants into high fashion streetwear. Over the years, this staple has managed to trickle down to pretty much every closet worldwide at one point or another, and it's here to stay as a streetwear staple.

Hoodie

The comfort aesthetic of the streetwear can be traced back to the hoodie for over decades now. With a strong push from the hip hop style, hoodies have been mass marketed as a closet staple as something everyone can wear irrespective of age and gender.

T-Shirt

While most fashion trends embrace a good button shirt or neat polo, it's safe to say that there is no other style that embraces T-Shirts(oversized or otherwise) with such a strong vigor as streetwear style. With logo-boasting t-shirts and graphic prints being the prime focus, this piece of fashion is greatly adheres to streetwear brands and trends worldwide.

Demin

Since it went into style, denim never left. When it comes to creating the streetwear aesthetic, the denim jacket or jeans are a great place to start. Ripped or wide, straight or skinny, washed or not, each style of jeans can play into the streetwear look based on personal style preferences.

Puffer Jackets

Checking the box for comfort and loose fit categories, the puffer jacket is THE statement piece for a streetwear look. Simply put, this piece is warm staple for elevating the streetwear style in any look.

Bomber Jackets

A street style favorite through varying age groups and surviving many fashion trends, this introduction is for the classic bomber jacket. A piece that can be effortlessly layered, made in various statement colors to everyday neutrals, the bomber jacket shape-shifts to fit the fashion style and community. It is more ways than one "the epitome of jackets."

Crop Tops (Edgy Trend Since the 40s)

A large hit especially in summer streetwear and still in trend in 2024, an honorable mention to the streetwear aesthetic is the crop top. Coming from an edgy trend that started in 40s, the crop top has since been a strong wardrobe staple for years. It has grazed the scenes of streetwear fashion as a go-to piece to pair with many of the pieces above.

Shorts 

Clothing cuts and pieces go in and out of trend, but shorts have been here to stay for decades. At its core, the streetwear style values comfort. During the spring, summer, and fall months, this comes in the form of shorts. As a piece that can be styled into many clothing ensembles, shorts can fall into any sub-category of streetwear thereby maintaining its timeless versatility.

Sweatpants

Riding out the comfortable, loose silhouette are sweatpants. A nod to athleisure wear and heavily pushed by the celeb streetwear and hip hop fashion, jumping into a pair of sweatpants is always an option. And when styled up, they make quite the look.

Classic Sneakers (Adidas - White)

Another wardrobe essential that crosses over into the world of streetwear is the sneaker. Most commonly seen in the form of high tops and wide sneakers, it's the perfect choice of footwear to style with every streetwear look.

Conclusion - Streetwear Style From New York to Milan Fashion Week

Fashion goes one of two ways for most people. Either its trends and hot takes created by many streetwear brands and street culture are followed to a T or all rules are broken for the love of self expression and personal fashion choices. Very few styles, if any, allow for a little bit of both. Street style just so happens to be one of them.

One of the most evolving and inclusive styles to date, the streetwear style brings all the inspiration of high fashion, skate wear, athleisure, and techwear. It's a worldwide phenomenon that now can be seen with models dressed in streetwear aesthetics on runways during fashion month. From the streets of New York to Milan Fashion Week, the street fashion has been here for some time and it's here to stay.

It's a style that fit into multiple categories: casual clothing, loose clothing, modern streetwear outfit, sneaker culture. You name it. With fashion brands fully ready to stand behind and support the style to create brand recognition in this popular culture, figuring how you want to wear streetwear is easier than ever before.