The Cool Drop: What's In and What's Out for 2026
A values-first reset for how we live, consume, and pay attention.
I hear people speak negatively about New Year’s resolutions, and while I understand the sentiment, there are few things I love more than a fresh start paired with fresh intentions.
The air going into 2026 feels better. It feels lighter. I sense that 2025 was filled with collective struggle, loss, and closed doors. A year for planting seeds rather than foraging. And that is okay.
As we move into this next chapter, there is a quiet buzz of energy. We are beginning to see our efforts come into fruition. We are becoming more ourselves. We are diving deeper into the interests that genuinely move us.
Attention is the new luxury. How we spend it will define 2026.
In that same spirit, it felt only right to take on the classic In and Out list as we head into the new year. This one was fun.
OUT
Sitting On Our Hands
It took me almost nine months to launch C’est Cool because I wanted to be ready. Four months in, I have evolved in ways that would not have been possible without actually doing. The learning is in the living. No one is watching as closely as you think, and no one is harder on you than you are on yourself. Whatever dream you are postponing, stop waiting. That energy is not permitted in 2026. You are capable and your perspective matters.
The Aesthetic
“Clean Girl.” “Cottagecore.” “Minimalist.” No more placing people into simplistic social media boxes. We are done reducing ourselves and others in 2025. TikTok, do better.
Impressing Others
Impress yourself instead.
Zara
Zara, as a stand-in for fast fashion as a whole. Spending hard-earned money on items that will not last more than six months is no longer aspirational.
Polyester
Quality fabrics only in 2026. If you can afford better, invest better.
Amazon
From both an environmental perspective and a small-business-supporting one, the Amazon takeover is getting uncomfortable. Have I ordered five books in the last week that will take me six months to finish? Yes. Will I try to do better next year? Also yes.
Gatekeeping
Never liked her.
Books on Display
Ordering books we never read because our nervous systems are too overwhelmed to actually sit with them at the end of the day. I am looking directly at myself here.
Plastic Toothbrushes
Partly due to growing microplastic paranoia, but mostly because elegance belongs in our daily rituals. In 2026, we are only putting quality things in our mouths.
The Sound Of Your Own Voice
Aristotle said, “The more you know, the more you know you don’t know.” Particularly in the workplace, I notice how often people speak to prove knowledge. While this can sometimes be effective, the ultimate sign of intelligence is curiosity. Asking the right questions builds better relationships, better outcomes, and deeper understanding.
IN
Participation, Not Spectatorship
If you admire someone’s work, tell them. If we are going to be on social media, let it be a place of encouragement. Support the emerging designer. Share the artist. Let someone else’s work inspire your own. Culture is built through participation.
Knowing Who You’re Supporting
Understanding where your money, attention, and amplification go. Asking who built it, who benefits, and whose voice is being elevated. Knowing the story behind what you buy and the people behind what you share.
Intuition Over Influence
I am what one might call a marketer’s dream. It comes with the territory. But this year, especially in how I dress and decide, I am choosing instinct over imitation. It is easy to follow what everyone else is doing. It is meaningful to listen inward. In 2026, we are trusting our gut and letting others’ choices remain their own.
Elegance
As someone who once dressed for the male gaze, I am excited to step into a year that values quality, research, silhouette, and structure. Dressing is an art form. There is no shame in wanting to appear attractive, but it will never outshine the power of feeling attractive.
Education
Was education ever out? No. But going deep goes deeper. If something lights you up, follow it fully. Buy the book. Watch the documentary. Learn enough to speak with confidence. There is nothing more attractive than understanding something because you took the time to know it. Also, let’s spend more time in libraries and museums.
Vintage
Hand in hand with education, understanding the history of art and design fosters a deeper appreciation for vintage and antique pieces. Objects that have survived generations do so for a reason. As the opposite of fast fashion, these pieces preserve value through craftsmanship and meaning.
Investment Pieces and Investment Experiences
The item that brings joy every time you see it, touch it, or wear it. The trip, class, or move that shifts how you see the world. Money as energy is in. Spending with alignment. Investing without urgency. Earning without self-erasure.
The Buffet of Life
Sampling widely. Following curiosity. Letting enthusiasm guide what comes next.
Childlike Joy
It’s been said that true happiness is returning to the things that once lit you up as a child. More dancing in kitchens. Walking barefoot. Playing games. Drawing. Living for the joy of it, without needing a reason.
DND
My phone already lives in focus mode, but it goes further than that. Turning phones off. Taking a day each month offline. Creating space for calm, creativity, pen to paper, eyes on art.
Bubble Baths
A simple necessity.
Brooches
On T-shirts. On lapels. New. Vintage. Everywhere. A reminder that personal style lives in the details. The collection continues.
As the year comes to a close, I want to say how deeply I value your time and attention. Your presence has helped turn C’est Cool from an idea into something living and breathing. It has brought friendships, love, and inspiration that did not exist before. All because attention was given, not passively consumed.
While it did not make the official list, the Attention Economy deserves to be named. Attention is the new luxury. In 2026, we are reclaiming where we place ours. This is why books go unread, why fast fashion thrives, why influence overrides intuition, and why we speak to be heard instead of listening.
That is all to say, I value your attention deeply, and I promise to make C’est Cool worthy of it.
Of all the things I get to bring into 2026, the coolest by far is all of you. I began this project with fear and hesitation, wondering if anyone would care about what I care about. You answered that question.
Until next year,
Kelly