Trashcore is Hollywood's newest favorite trend

If you look closely at the latest paparazzi shots around Hollywood, it almost feels like being catapulted back to the mid-2000s, when celebrities, in their downtime, seemed to have zero contact with stylists outside of work obligations. A chaotic style, arguably the evil twin of Y2K, full of glitz and glamour, has returned as a favorite among major names in the American entertainment industry — which, to be fair, isn’t exactly thriving at the moment. But unlike twenty years ago, today’s aesthetic revival isn’t born from neglect or spontaneity. It’s no longer the natural messiness that once reflected celebrities’ desire to separate private life from their careers. On the contrary, every detail is meticulously curated. The Wall Street Journal has named this new trend “trashcore”, while Dazed offered a sharper interpretation, calling it “quirked-up white boy.” Though there isn’t a definitive name yet, the concept is clear: dressing like the quirky guy in early 2000s rom-coms, but a little more fashion-forward.

This style comeback arrives as a response to years of quiet luxury and a fashion landscape saturated with beige, minimalism, and neutrals, pushing back against one of the creative industry's biggest current challenges: growing aesthetic conservatism. Key figures of trashcore include Timothée Chalamet and Addison Rae. During the press tour of A Complete Unknown, Chalamet showcased a style radically different from his past, both on red carpets and in paparazzi shots. If during his Dune and Wonka period he leaned into elegance and experimental tailoring—especially as Paul Atreides—over the past year, through a sort of “Bob Dylan-fication”, he’s embraced a far more eclectic style direction. A shift made possible thanks to his collaboration with stylist Taylor McNeill, responsible for this year’s viral looks: from the Telfar-Chanel-Arcteryx hybrid on SNL, to the Chanel combo with Bibi Star’s pink skinny scarf at the biopic’s Paris premiere.

As for Addison Rae, the fashion system’s new darling, her case is even more layered. For red carpets and music video shoots, she officially collaborates with Dara Allen—model, stylist, and fashion editor at Interview Magazine. But her true trashcore side emerges in her street style, where every outing recalls the most iconic era of Britney Spears, between her albums In the Zone and Blackout. One of the most viral looks was worn at the release party of her second single, Aquamarine: a shell bra, light blue fishnet tights, faux fur shawl, and oversized white sunglasses by Jacques Marie Mage. A look so deliberately surreal that her friend and fellow popstar Troye Sivan dressed as her for Halloween. But Addison Rae’s style journey doesn’t stop at 2000s nostalgia. The result is an aesthetic that constantly shifts between pop and performance, between studied kitsch and high-concept fashion.

And if we’re talking trashcore, we have to mention Justin Bieber, who over the past few years has made this chaotic aesthetic his signature (to the point of sparking speculation online about possible substance issues). What many saw as the end of Bieber may actually be a new beginning: after several paparazzi shots of his looks, he used that exposure to preview his new brand SKYLRK, built entirely around the idea of “controlled chaos”, blended with streetwear influences—oversized tracksuits, chunky sunglasses, and neon beanies that have caused a spike in searches on Depop and Grailed, as reported by Highsnobiety. The brand, developed alongside his current stylist Jenna Tyson, pushes his trashcore look to the limit: floor-grazing cargo pants, jerseys inspired by early 2000s basketball kits, and flat-soled sneakers with skater energy. As Bieber confirmed on Instagram, he has officially stepped away from his original brand, Drew House, to move beyond a now-mainstream aesthetic and return to the rawness of his early oversized fits—tapping into a Gen Z hungry for disordered authenticity (as we already saw last year with the rise of chaotic customization). It seems like trashcore mania is just getting started.