Fashion Girls Are Swapping Their Basic White Button-Downs for Flannel Shirts

Historically, flannel shirts are for woodsy lumberjacks and grunge heads whose style is stuck in the 1990s. Outdoorsmen will recommend shopping the thermal button-down at labels like Carhartt and L.L. Bean, while grungers are wearing the same shirts from when they saw Nirvana back in ‘93.

But if you ask the fashion set, they’ll paint a different picture. They'll tell you flannel shirt outfits are a regular sight in downtown Manhattan and at fashion week, worn by a lady running weekend errands while embodying quiet luxury and by models on Chanel runways (slash subway platforms). They’ll point out celebrity It girls like Jennifer Lawrence and Katie Holmes have co-opted the humble plaid shirt—only theirs typically have not-so-humble price tags.

Those same fashion know-it-alls will likely leave you with this tip: Now's the time to buy a flannel shirt. The style is trending this winter—up 13 percent from last year, according to Style Analytics—and on track to stay the course, with brands like Celine, Tod's, and Victoria Beckham all showing fashion flannels in their Spring 2026 collections.

What's behind the great flannel shirt rebrand of 2025? As many recent fashion trends do, this one traces back to The Row: Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen opened their brand's Spring 2025 collection with a red and blue tartan shirt paired with smart front-pleated trousers and open-toed flat sandals. They flipped the script on flannels, presenting them as a simple, laidback staple that exudes the level of luxury The Row is known for. (The brand’s coveted cotton Nesson shirt retailed for $1,290, and is now sold out across retailers.)

Cut to now, and the fashion-ification of flannel shirts has hit the mainstream. Retailers like Cos, Doên, and Aritzia, and cult-favorite labels like Kallmeyer, TWP, and Tibi, sell their own riffs on flannel shirts in Winter 2026's top color trends, each making for a smart swap for your old button-down shirt.

Shopping-wise, you're all set with the hard-working shirt trend. But what about styling the flannel once it's in your possession? What do you pair with the outdoorsy staple to exude 'cool girl bopping around town' and not 'woodsman chopping down timber'?

Below is a round-up of 10 luxe-leaning flannel outfits for you to recreate this season and keep in your rotation for spring, too. Sourced from Fashion Month street style, the celebrity fashion circuit, and our favorite recent runway looks, not a single look below falls into lumberjack territory.

As a Graphic Layer

Michael Rider's Celine Spring 2026 debut had fashion folks buzzing. There were shirt sandwiches in complementary colors, silk scarves draped over shoulders in a French-girl fashion, and flannel shirts strategically layered as blink-and-you'll-miss-it graphic elements. The latter styling tip is what we're here to discuss today: You can achieve the playful pop of print with any flannel shirt you desire, as long as you pull its cuffs and collar out and over your top layer.

A Casual-Chic Combo

Behold, your new outfit idea for bleary Saturday mornings when you have a day of to-dos ahead of you. This Paris Fashion Week show-goer used a chocolate brown flannel shirt as the foundation of a nonchalant, predominantly neutral look. Cargo pants and a gray crewneck fashion sweatshirt (yes, that's a trend, too) round out the rest of the relaxed outfit.

A Tonal Palette

Pick a slightly out-of-the-box fashion trend, and there's Jennifer Lawrence, wearing it around New York City's Tribeca and making it look aspirational, interesting, and easy to recreate. Last February, the actress gave fashion's flannel shirt rebrand an early co-sign, styling a robin's egg blue top with coordinating navy separates. Take a cue from Lawrence and commit to a tonal color palette when styling the plaid shirt.

A Color-Pop Flannel Shirt

A pinkish-red and white flannel, peering out from under a leather jacket and paired with split trousers, was a standout look on Coperni's Spring 2026 runway. It was a simple but effective lesson on an outfit color pop: All you need is a neutral base (a black cami and coordinating trousers, for instance) and one bright element, like a fun flannel, to add contrast.

A Plaid Shacket

Reliably cozy and dual-purpose—flannel shackets, like Paloma Elsesser's ketchup-and-mustard-colored overshirt, are smart additions to your closet when an all-brown suede jacket feels a bit boring. When the weather allows, wear it open with a white tank and a simple, sleek pair of tailored trousers. Or, on winter days when you need a more substantial outer layer, as a graphic touch peering out from underneath (refer back to the first Celine outfit as an example).

Flannel on Flannel

This look from Tod's Spring 2026 show is a solid reference for those who dare flannel-on-flannel. A rule of thumb when piling on multiple prints is to pay close attention to the colors, making sure they coordinate, complement, and don't overwhelm the eye. As evidenced here, black, off-white, and camel, which are similar yet different minimal neutrals, work well.

A Dark and Subdued Flannel

Another unexpected choice that's more intriguing than a standard flannel shirt outfit is a dark-toned print. Not only will it stand out in a sea of fire-engine-red flannels, but it also achieves that effortless chicness of an all-black look that New Yorkers swear by. Try a cropped jacket in black and gray plaid with pants made of thick tweed or wool and a small-but-mighty kitten heel.

Smells Like Teen Spirit

Kick it back to Kurt Cobain with an homage to the '90s fashion era with a flannel shirt that features a crafty DIY touch—like this ombre option, embellished with silver studs and distressed studs. Leather trousers up the grunge ante.

A Ladylike Spin

Alternatively, you can lean into more feminine stylings—exhibit A: a teal flannel with a structural A-line midi skirt and cap-toe booties, subverting the shirt's "rugged and ready to work"connotations.

A Flannel Lady Jacket

Consider a cropped lady jacket in plaid if you want the graphic intrigue of a tartan top but crave a more feminine feel. Steal this London Fashion Week guest's style by pairing yours with high-rise blue jeans.