Brooklynites Are Some of the Coolest People I Know—Here's What They're Wearing

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(Image credit: @champagnemani)

When it comes to style, geographical regions matter. Parisians know how to keep it classic and chic, the Scandi crowd is fearless when it comes to color, and L.A. girls are the leaders of laid-back style. But regarding New Yorkers, it's a little bit more complicated. So many style tribes exist within the tiny strips of land nestled where the Atlantic Ocean meets the Hudson River, so it's sometimes easier to think of each according to boroughs. And maybe it's because I lived there for so long, but I tend to think of Brooklynites as the masters of cool.

Not afraid to experiment with a multitude of colors, trends, and subcultures, the Brooklyn set as a whole tends to embrace the more relaxed and less serious side of fashion. For that reason, they're usually the first to adopt the more eccentric and whimsical trends floating around. To gauge what's worth wearing this spring, I looked to some of the most stylish Brooklynites I know to see what's popping for the season. Below are the six worthwhile pieces to wear if you want to look like the coolest person around. 

Baggy Trousers

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(Image credit: @telshaanderson)

Another year, another glorious season of baggy trousers. Brooklynites love an exaggerated silhouette, hence the continuous love for anything wide leg and loose in the hips. Style them with a fitted top or anything cropped.

Shop baggy trousers:

Tennis Skirts

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(Image credit: @devinemarieblacksher)

Here's where we get into the experimental side of things. Tennis skirts are definitely a rising trend few people would dare to take on in real life, but leave it to the fashion set of Bushwick and Bed-Stuy to throw it on in a way that makes sense.

Shop tennis skirts:

Sporty Sunglasses

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(Image credit: @mariaalia)

Nineties oval glasses are on pause as we wear sleek, sporty versions this season. A statement accessory like this really pops with a slicked-back ponytail and glossy lips.

Shop sporty sunglasses:

Leather Biker Jackets

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(Image credit: @champagnemani)

How do you manage to dress for the indecisive spring season in New York? You turn to a bomb piece of light outerwear. A leather jacket is practically an East Coast essential, but as a twist for 2022, Brooklynites seem to gravitate toward a high-collared biker silhouette instead of a traditional moto version.

Shop biker jackets:

Vibrant Statement Pieces

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(Image credit: @reignofdynasty)

I know there's the perception that New Yorkers love the color black like they love an unlimited MetroCard (and it's somewhat true), but a splash of color is still necessary. I find that the Brooklyn set prefers to showcase color in unusual ways, like a fuzzy sweater, a colorful feather detail, or a vibrant statement top.

Shop colorful statement pieces:

Chunky Jewelry

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(Image credit: @tarigonzalez)

To tie everything together, lean on big, chunky jewelry. It'll make everyone on the subway take notice.

Shop chunky jewelry:

Up next: It Doesn't Take Much to Look Chic—Just Start With These 7 Simple Items

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Fashion Market Editor

Indya Brown is a fashion editor, stylist, and writer living in Los Angeles. While going to school at Columbia University in New York City, she got her feet wet in the fashion industry interning at Elle magazine, Harper's Bazaar, and New York magazine's The Cut. After graduating in 2016, she joined The Cut as a fashion assistant, eventually working her way up to fashion editor. There, she worked on a multitude of projects, including styling inbook feature stories for New York magazine's print issue, writing and pitching market stories for The Cut, and serving as fashion lead for The Cut's branded content. While New York has been her home for over 10 years, she moved to Los Angeles in the midst of the pandemic in 2020 for a new chapter. Now she is a fashion market editor for Who What Wear, focusing on emerging designers, rising trends on and off the internet, interior design, and BIPOC creatives and brands. Aside from her duties as a fashion market editor, Brown is also a freelance stylist and writer, working on national print and video commercial campaigns for Sephora, The Independent, and Cadillac. Her bylines also include Harper's Bazaar, Vox, and The New York Times. But once the computer goes down and the emails turn off, she's likely eating her way through Koreatown, hunting down vintage furniture, scoping out new outrageous nail designs to try, or taking a hot cycling class.