Welcome to Off The Cuff by American Eagle

Guest edited by Casey Lewis of After School!

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May 07, 2025

Welcome to the inaugural issue of Off The Cuff by American Eagle. As a longtime AE fan — one of my few regrets in life is not holding onto my khaki cargo mini skirt from high school — I’m honored to be guest editing these first few issues.

If we haven’t met yet: I’m

Casey Lewis

, the writer behind After School, a youth culture newsletter I’ve been running for the past four years. But I’ve been tracking trends for much longer, and one thing’s become abundantly clear: everything old really is new again. Today’s teens are wearing the same exact pieces I lived in during the 2000s.

And while plenty of retailers have faded into obscurity, American Eagle has done something rare: stayed relevant. They’re the #1 jeans brand for Gen Z (a fact that’s obvious if you spend five minutes on TikTok). That kind of staying power is rare, and it’s what makes AE such a fascinating lens for looking at how fashion, nostalgia, and youth culture keep evolving.

So in this first Off The Cuff, we’re digging into what’s trending now and what’s next. I hope you enjoy!

CASEY’S ROTATION

Everything I’m sharing in the groupchat this week:

I don’t know about you, but I’m ready to have a “dilly-dally spring.” After last year’s exhilaratingly chaotic brat summer, a more leisurely pace sounds suited to the season ahead. The trend, first sparked by creator @sweirdest’s viral video, encourages more lo-fi thrills like thrifting, park strolls, and aimless wandering. Last weekend, I slid on my Birkenstocks (the taupe suede has been my preference this season, a purchase I was admittedly influenced to buy by TikTok), and sauntered from Dumbo to Greenpoint all in the name of dilly-dallying. A delight!
Have you heard that flip flops are the shoe of the summer? So claims at least one influential “it” girl and the vast majority of my FYP. While luxury versions abound — the Wall Street Journal reports that thousand-dollar designer pairs are selling out fast — my favorite thing about this trend, if you can call it that, is how accessible it is. The flip-flop revival channels peak ’90s Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy minimalism: simple black thongs, slouchy trousers, and just enough polish to suggest SATC casual chic, not dorm shower lazy girl, to paraphrase one TikToker.
Coachella may be behind us, but music festival season is just getting started. Searches for “upcoming music festivals” have doubled quarter-over-quarter, according to Google Trends, while interest in “concert camping” is up +47% month-over-month. EDM festivals, in particular, are gaining traction, with searches up +51% MoM, and major events like Lollapalooza (+448% QoQ) and Governors Ball (+240% QoQ) seeing massive spikes in attention. As far as festival fashion goes, jorts have emerged as the uniform du jour. More on that below.
Role Model has turned his tour into the hottest ticket in town (and looks like AE was ahead of the curve on this one). His nightly “Sally” moment — where a random fan is invited onstage to dance during “Sally, When the Wine Runs Out” — has become one of Gen Z’s favorite viral concert rituals. Celebs like Renée Rapp and Jake Shane have joined in, resale prices have spiked from $37 to over $300, and teens are choreographing full routines on TikTok in hopes of being picked.
Would you match your eyeshadow to your jeans? Blue makeup is poised to be the next big beauty obsession, according to Glamour, with brands like Charlotte Tilbury and Dior launching new products in shades of indigo. And then, of course, there’s Glossier’s pool-hued eye tint and Nyx’s blueberry glitter liquid shadow, both of which have had viral moments. Fueling the trend is TikTok’s “blue eyeshadow theory,” which claims that a blue lid guarantees a good night. Fans swear it attracts compliments and even shifts your aura. (Similarly aura-shifting: AE’s baggy wide leg jean.)
While some early risers are (very publicly) chasing 4 a.m. productivity with ice baths and banana peels, Gen Z is opting for something slower: bed rotting. According to a recent survey, they’re spending nearly 21 full days a year lounging under the covers, not out of laziness, but as a curated act of rest. On TikTok, the trend has evolved from burnout flop to mini luxury ritual, complete with matching pajamas, crystal snack bowls, and moody lighting. Think of it as a revolt against hustle culture.

JORTS BY THE NUMBERS

As the weather trends upward, so does interest in jorts. Google searches for “jorts” spike reliably each spring, with a major surge in 2024 — peaking at 368,000 searches in July, a 123% year-over-year increase.

That momentum hasn’t let up: searches rose another 22% from March 2024 to March 2025, with Q1 interest matching that same growth rate.

Meanwhile, AE.com searches containing “jort” jumped +361% year-to-date, making it the fastest-growing denim short term on the site, and WWD recently dubbed bermudas and boots “the new Gen Z uniform,” confirming what the data already shows: Jorts aren’t just having a moment — they’re the moment.

WE ASKED, YOU ANSWERED

"What kind of jean shorts are you most excited to wear right now?"

I was curious to know what jorts are top of mind right now, so the team at American Eagle let me poll their Instagram community to hear their extremely specific and extremely opinionated answers. (My personal favorite: “For me, they need to be a 6 to 7 inch inseam. I hate if they are too short, and I can always cut them if they are too long.” I like the precision!)

Nearly 40% said baggy, 25% said micro, while the rest prefer theirs somewhere in the middle. This season, you can’t go wrong.

TRENDING ON TIKTOK

I keep spotting AE’s Lace Button-Up Vest during my daily scroll, and every single time I pause, convinced it’s vintage, only to check the comments and confirm that it’s from American Eagle. It nails the throwback look with its delicate lace fabric, while the boxy fit gives it that effortless, worn-in charm.

Thank you so much for reading, and until next time, wear the flip-flops, match your eyeshadow to your jeans, and embrace the dilly-dally spring.

See you soon!