What Amsterdammers are wearing this spring

A field study on current trends, outfits, and pieces from around the city.

Hi there 👋 and welcome to a Style Analytics’ in-the-field fashion reporting from my home and favorite city: Amsterdam.

This piece was thoughtfully contributed by my close friend and forever partner in thrifting: Jasmine.

Jasmine is a vintage curator and writer, who writes about fashion, thrifting, and internet culture on her Substack Strawberry & Vanilla.

I hope you enjoy the piece as much as I did 🔮

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For the sake of the craft, I hopped on my bicycle to go to the fashion hotspots of town. These are mostly coffee spots with minimal or edgy interiors and artisan coffee. I walked in and the first thing I noticed was how most people seem to be nonchalant in their choice of fit. It’s like they rolled out of bed, grabbed the first thing on the pile and made it look effortlessly good. Which is, in my personal opinion, the definition of cool. But I am not so sure that is the case, I feel like more thought went into choosing that silver pinky ring, or matching the type of bag with the style of the day.

First and foremost, a noticeable trend in Amsterdam is to thrift your outfits. Either through the ‘‘classic’’ vintage shops loaded with baseball jersey’s and varsity jackets, or through more curated shops containing items that would be considered quiet luxury. Besides turning to the shops, Amsterdammers love to buy second hand on Vinted, which is a (mostly) European focused online marketplace for buying or selling secondhand items, mainly clothing and accessories.

Besides going to the cool cafes, I went to IJhallen as well. It is the biggest flea market in Europe happening monthly in Amsterdam and the prevailing selling category is clothing. I initially went there to find the items I’ve had on my shopping list for spring/summer, but it turned out I arrived in Amsterdam street style heaven.

Now, let’s dive into what I observed to be the biggest trends in Amsterdam.

#1 Adidas samba sneakers

It is impossible to look into a direction and not see Adidas sneakers, they-are-everywhere. It is mostly the samba sneaker that is still a very dominant sneaker on the feet of the Dutch. Last year I noticed a rise of popularity in Solomon sneakers, but this year it’s all about the Samba. Chunky sneakers are dead, indoor soccer sneakers are very much alive.

#2 Wide leg low rise jeans

Trend #2 is the wide-leg-low-rise jeans (or any pants for that matter). It is starting to feel like an article about Bella Hadid’s wardrobe with the sambas and the low rise, but it is definitely a massive trend here. The baggier the better. It seems to me that the most stylish people wear very loose oversized clothing.

#3 Flowy midi and maxi skirts

A personal favorite of mine. I am seeing more skirts, particularly midi and maxi skirts that are made of lightweight fabrics. Think sheer skirts, floral prints, and hippie vibes. Stating the obvious, but with the weather getting better a lot more people are wearing skirts. What might be fun to know is that skirts do seem to be predominant over shorts, especially for women. I haven’t seen many women wear shorts at all this year. Mind you, it could be too early to tell since summer hasn’t even started yet.

#4 Pinstripe (dress) pants

People have been wearing dress pants in a more casual way for a while now, it’s the elevated sweatpants, it’s the star of the office siren aesthetic. A couple of years ago the trend of an oversized suit was very present. I still see this look from time to time but it has definitely shifted to a less ‘put together’ aesthetic. I observe the slight change of them being more low rise and combined with a crop top or simple t-shirt. Besides the classic all black dress pants, they are now more prevalent with a pinstripe.

#5 Leather jackets

As you may have noticed in most of the photos, people are wearing leather jackets. I have seen; biker, racer, bomber and western jackets. They are worn oversized and they go with any outfit. No need to over explain this ongoing trend, a leather jacket is always a staple and I think everyone should own one.

#6 Layering

I questioned if I should add this to the trend list, since I’ve only mentioned certain items instead of styles. However, I do think this is an important staple of Amsterdam fashion. Layering is probably still the ultimate way of styling here. If you combine a skirt over a baggy pants, wear an oversized t-shirt over that, top it off with some heavy (square toed) boots, et voilà, you are now part of the cool crew.

#7 Hobo bags - big(ger) bags - crossbody bags

Moving on to the accessories, it is hard to pick one specific bag that is really taking over. Even though some trend articles are contradicting, what I notice is that the baguette is slowly disappearing and making way for the bigger more practical bags. Think bags with extra pockets, zippers, straps, and key chains.

#8 Y2k chrome sunglasses

I rarely see cat-eye or wayfarer sunglasses anymore. The more common sunnies are now the wrap-around y2k ones, specifically with a chrome frame. Among the many iconic fashion pieces that defined the y2k era, silver y2k sunglasses stand out as a symbol of edgy style and avant-garde fashion.

To recap it all, the influence of the 90’s and y2k fashion are still very present in Amsterdam. Perhaps there is a certain nostalgia to it for some, or the fact that we were in lockdown spending our days in our pyjama’s being bored, resurrected the maximalism of the 2000’s. As most of you know, fashion is cyclical and I wonder if in 2030 Amsterdam will be all over the 2010 aesthetics.

So far I haven’t seen anyone really slay the skinny jeans yet, much to my relieve.

Love,

Jasmine

P.S. Ending with some fundamental truths here. I do not in any way consider myself a fashion expert or trend analyst. However, I do think I am somewhat aware of my surroundings and I can spot some commonalities in what people are wearing on the streets of Amsterdam. These trends I observe are, most likely, not exclusively tied to this city but I will try to paint a picture (and add actual photos) of what I think the ‘Dutchies’ consider fashion.