Dress (even more) like Johnny Knoxville. The Jackass patriarch has subsisted on a steady diet of trashed Levi’s trucker jackets, fitted plaid flannels, vintage ringer tees, beat-to-shit Dickies work pants, and cooked Chuck Taylors for going on 30 years now. Whenever I do the same, I feel great. Expect much more of that from me (hopefully with far fewer nut shots) in 2026. —Yang-Yi Goh, senior style editor
Buy triumphantly. In 2025 I treated shopping as a form of personal bribery. Every time I had to catch a plane after a too-short stay at home, I would buy myself something new to throw in my suitcase. It turns out that another cozy vintage hoodie or a fresh pair of loafers makes it a little easier to get back in that cab to JFK. I don’t think there’s anything wrong with this and to be honest I will definitely continue doing it in 2026, but I also want to start shopping triumphantly, treating myself when I have something to celebrate. Isn’t a reward more effective than a bribe? —Samuel Hine, global fashion correspondent
Say the nice things out loud. There’s an old tailoring adage that goes “compliment the clothes, not the man,” and it captures what I wanna do more of in 2026. A nice word goes a long way, and gassing someone up with a quick “nice pants” or “love that sweater” just feels right right now. It costs nothing, makes someone’s day 7% better, and is a reminder that simply seeing someone is its own kind of kindness. —Michael Nolledo, commerce director
