This, not that: 2026 fashion

This, not that: 2026 fashion Gen Z Changed Its Mind About Crew Socks By Bella Druckman Every product is independently selected by (obsessive) editors. Things you buy through our links may earn us a commission. 2026 SAVE 13 nymag.com While Brooklyn-based writer and millennial Rebecca Firskser, 33, and her Gen-Z sibling Mads Firskser, 29, are just four years apart, Rebecca says, “we are of completely different generations.” Over the years, Mads has persuaded her to reconsider low-rise jeans, advised her on whether to roll up her T-shirt sleeves, and, during a recent laundry session, delivered some rather surprising news: Ankle socks are okay again. For anyone who followed the Great Sock Height Debate of 2024, this may come as a surprise – it certainly did for Rebecca. At the time, Gen-Zers (at least those on TikTok) alleged that they could tell how old you were depending on your sock height: Ankle socks gave away that you were a millennial, while crew socks signified you were Gen Z. The kerfuffle has since been called a “millennial Gen Z culture war” in Cosmopolitan and a “sock war” in the New York Times. (Over here at the Strategist, we offered a counterargument: Everyone should be wearing quarter-socks, which hit a couple inches above your ankle.) Two years later, though, it seems Gen Z has changed its mind. Of the 50 Gen-Zers I surveyed for this story, just eight said they still preferred crew socks to ankle socks. Sign up to Unlock This Article for Free nymag.com All Clothing – Accessories & Shoes – Socks – Best-Ever Crew Sock 3-Pack Base Cotton™ everyday crew socks, 3-pack Tna Best-Ever Crew Sock 3-Pack $25 aritzia.com All Clothing – Accessories & Shoes – Socks – Daily Ankle Sock 3-Pack Ribbed SUPIMA® cotton ankle socks, 3-pack wilfred Daily Ankle Sock 3-Pack $25 aritzia.com All Clothing – Accessories & Shoes – Socks – Best-Ever No-Show Sock 3-Pack Base Cotton™ everyday no-show socks, 3-pack Tna Best-Ever No-Show Sock 3-Pack $22 aritzia.com While Brooklyn-based writer and millennial Rebecca Firskser, 33, and her Gen-Z sibling Mads Firskser, 29, are just four years apart, Rebecca says, “we are of completely different generations.” Over the years, Mads has persuaded her to reconsider low-rise jeans, advised her on whether to roll up her T-shirt sleeves, and, during a recent laundry session, delivered some rather surprising news: Ankle socks are okay again. For anyone who followed the Great Sock Height Debate of 2024, this may come as a surprise – it certainly did for Rebecca. At the time, Gen-Zers (at least those on TikTok) alleged that they could tell how old you were depending on your sock height: Ankle socks gave away that you were a millennial, while crew socks signified you were Gen Z. The kerfuffle has since been called a “millennial Gen Z culture war” in Cosmopolitan and a “sock war” in the New York Times. (Over here at the Strategist, we offered a counterargument: Everyone should be wearing quarter-socks, which hit a couple inches above your ankle.) Two years later, though, it seems Gen Z has changed its mind. Of the 50 Gen-Zers I surveyed for this story, just eight said they still preferred crew socks to ankle socks. Sign up to Unlock This Article for Free nymag.com All Clothing – Accessories & Shoes – Socks – Best-Ever Crew Sock 3-Pack Base Cotton™ everyday crew socks, 3-pack Tna Best-Ever Crew Sock 3-Pack $25 aritzia.com All Clothing – Accessories & Shoes – Socks – Daily Ankle Sock 3-Pack Ribbed SUPIMA® cotton ankle socks, 3-pack wilfred Daily Ankle Sock 3-Pack $25 aritzia.com All Clothing – Accessories & Shoes – Socks – Best-Ever No-Show Sock 3-Pack Base Cotton™ everyday no-show socks, 3-pack Tna Best-Ever No-Show Sock 3-Pack $22 aritzia.com