The Who What Wear Podcast: Fashion Analyst Mandy Lee, aka @oldloserinbrooklyn, Talks Met Gala Predictions, 2026 Trend Forecasts, and AI in the Fashion Industry

0:10Welcome to the Who What Wear podcast. I'm Who What Wear senior fashion and social editor Tara Gonzalez, stepping in for Hillary this week. Today I'm speaking to Mandy Lee, aka Old Loser in Brooklyn. Mandy's a fashion and trend analyst with hundreds of thousands of followers across her social media profiles. Today we're talking about her 2026 trend predictions, the impact of the trend of the world. of AI on the fashion industry and her Met Gala fashion forecasts. It's all coming up on Who What Wear.

0:41Mandy, welcome back to the pod. Hi, Tara. So happy you're here. The last time you were here was two years ago in 2024. I think you talked to our editor-in-chief, Kat Collings, about your career. For anybody listening who hasn't heard about that, I would love to kind of, if you could just give a little bit of a glimpse into how you started your career as an analyst. And then now you are one of the internet's favorite fashion commentators. I've been a fangirl for a real long time. Yeah. And thank you guys so much for having me back. It's good to be back with WWW triple W. Yes, exactly. Just, I guess as like a quick, quick and dirty recap, I started my career working in planning and forecasting at a sort of like a tech company in Boston and eventually moved into beauty.

1:31I did the planning and forecasting for in-house hair company here in Brooklyn, actually. Name redacted. I got laid off during the pandemic and it ended up being kind of like the best thing that happened to me because that very day I downloaded TikTok. Oh my gosh, I know, tell us all this time. And then, you know, one thing led to another. I essentially just wasn't seeing the content that I wanted to see and talk about. And to be honest, I really missed analyzing trends. Like I really, really loved that about my corporate job. So it felt like I was losing my identity when I got laid off. I hate to say it too, because now I feel so much more detached from my career as a freelancer.

2:13But I did just like hold so much stock in my job and my career. It was part of my identity. So I really miss doing it. And to be honest, like short form runway review, fashion analysis, trend forecasting, that did not exist when I started in like early 2021, I want to say. So timing was everything for me. I've been able to ride the wave all the way to now. I've been freelance for four years, which is I'm something so, so proud of. I'm now signed with IMG as they're currently they're only the fashion commentator. Okay. I am fucking G. Yeah. So amazing. Congrats. Yes. That was a huge step that I took this year.

2:56It's been really, really crazy. I feel like just this last, I would say six months, our brand's really, really starting to lean in and work with commentators. And it's a little bit different than working with like a traditional influencer. Although I think I dabble in that space as well, or I can. I really kind of like started my career discussing trend cycles, how trends evolve, and of course predicting trends. That's kind of my bread and butter and sort of what I'm known for on the internet, I would say. When you started doing those videos, it was like other people weren't kind of doing that.

3:29And I think other people also just weren't thinking about fashion in that way as something that doesn't just have to be something like consumed in terms of like pretty outfits, like people posting on Instagram, really pretty outfits. And I feel like that was kind of the fashion content outside of traditional media that people were consuming and then with the advent of like tick tock and short form content i feel like then people were like oh we could talk and think about fashion in such a smart and interesting way and i feel like you really led the charge and i think now as you were kind of pointing out a lot of brands are leaning more into that i just feel like we're starting to see a lot of people being like wait i want to actually know about the trends and what that means and what that says about the culture and it's just like so exciting and really cool to see.

4:10Yeah. I mean, I remember when I was first starting out and thinking about going off on my own, I was like, I literally have no one to look up to and to see if this trajectory is actually going to happen except for, shout out, Hot La Mode, my friend Luke. Oh, yes. Luke was doing that on YouTube for like, I mean, I think he's been doing it for like 10 years now. And he was probably the only other person that I knew at the time. Like I just had like a delusional hope that me hating working nine to five and then doing content at the end of the day would pay off. Here's a story I don't think I've ever told.

4:47The way that I quit my last job, I was a senior manager at another big beauty e-com company. It was not an in-house company. It was like a big, you guys probably shop there for all your skincare. But I owned the entire hair care category and I had a small team and I took PTO to do my very first fashion week. Oh my god. PTO that I had allotted I was allowed to use it but everyone had already known at that point it got like it got like outed that I did TikTok on the side and it was really weird because it was in like late 2021 like it was still like kind of embarrassing. I was not embarrassed to do it but but it was embarrassing.

5:31I know what you mean when you're like posting videos and then you're like, and it also felt like not everybody was on there. So you were kind of doing something and you're like, oh, there's a chance like people I know won't see this. And then now it's like, yes, everyone's just seeing it. Low key, a little embarrassing to go to work and then like go home and have this like double life essentially. And my director did not like that. Oh, did not like that. And they like, she asked me to do this meeting when I got back from my PTO and like basically wanted to put me on a pip. And I sat through the whole meeting, let her talk for like 20 minutes about like how I'm not like devoted to my job and this and that.

6:12And I was like, I'm not signing this pip. I'm putting my two weeks in. Yeah. Peace. But yeah, that's the story of how I actually went freelance. I was sort of like pushed into doing it because I'm like, I'm not getting put on a pip because I took PTO. Like, no. Yeah, exactly. You're like, I went to Fashion Week. I was fabulous. And they're just going to have to deal with it. Hardly making any money at the time, too. Like I had a little bit of savings and I was like just completely delusional. I was like, hopefully this works out. Yeah. And it did. So it did. Yes, it did. Things have really, really changed, especially I would say in the last two years.

6:42Like it is a completely different world now. And then obviously you were kind of talking about how your bread and butter is trend forecasting, as we all know and love. And obviously where kind of just fashion month just recently ended. I feel like now like the dust has kind of settled from that. And I would just love to hear a little bit of your takeaways from the last season in terms of if you were like, what are some things that like really stayed with you that kind of got you really excited from last fashion month or what's kind of like on your radar that you're still thinking about? For me, the overall theme of fall winter 26 was movement with fabrics, with silhouettes.

7:20I mean, I think, you know, the whole quiet luxury thing is I always hated it. You, I know, were never a fan of it either. I feel like it was sort of the first instinct into recession core, but that doesn't work just because you make basic clothes does not mean they're going to sell. Unfortunately, I think Sabato's Gucci was a good example of that. Like just because you're making more simple clothes does not give people an incentive just to buy them. So I think movement and texture were the huge takeaways for fall 26. And just kind of leaning more into what makes a brand stand out and really honing on different house codes and what makes a brand actually special, not just making the same white t-shirt with the logo on it.

8:06That's not going to fly. So I think a lot of brands right now are kind of struggling, like, how do we mix like commercial success with standing out and having a point of view, which I think can actually apply to a lot of things right now. In my business, having a point of view is literally everything. It's what keeps the lights on, essentially. And I think that's happening with everything in fashion at the moment. And then I think another like really fun trend that I noticed is this influence with weather. Brands have sort of given up, I think, on sustainability and sustainability efforts are always going to be worth something.

8:45But I think a lot of brands are like, we need money now. Like, how can we get money now? So I think I've noticed a lot of abandoning eco-friendly actions and materials and just efforts in general. And I think, unfortunately, what brands are going to start doing and what we've seen during fall, winter 26 especially, is more like how do you survive the next coming years and what that will build into. So like looking 10 years into the future. And I think what that looks like is very weather specific fabrics, outerwear, like I predicted rain clothing, outerwear. And I mean, that was like in almost every big collection.

9:33Tom Ford is obviously the biggest, I would say, example because they literally had like clear, like a section of clear clothing, clear skirts, clear raincoats, the little granny rain bonnets, which are so chic. So cute. I love those. Very, very that. And of course, Prada for men's had the like half little rain capelet that transitioned over to women's. This is going to be a trend, guys, that just continues and continues and continues and will just, I think, be the standard going forward. Because like think about the last couple of years, there's been a lot of conversations about how quality has fallen, especially at the luxury level, because that is happening.

10:10Corners are being cut, fabric swaps are happening, and even like components like zippers, buttons are getting cheapened. So brands really have to think about what makes our clothing worth it, what makes an$18 ,000 vest worth buying. There has to be some kind of value for the consumer in order for that person to pull the trigger and buy it. We've also been in the process of losing the mid-tier consumer as well. You're either like super rich and you can afford a$12 ,000 Tom Ford raincoat without thinking twice. Or, you know, you're saving up to buy something from like Aritzia. And the discrepancy I feel like is so depressing, A, but also more real than ever.

11:00And so I think with these luxury brands, they're really, really going to have to tap into value. That was a big, big takeaway for me this season is like value and also like this expedition into exploring how we are going to survive the changing climate. I was going to say the plastic. I really loved, obviously, your 2026 trend predictions video. And I was actually going to specifically bring up the raincoats. So you kind of like beat me to the punch there because I do feel like even if what you're saying, you're kind of like it's a little bleak, but the raincoats are really cute. so texture is something that I feel like I definitely noticed a lot more too like obviously like the plastic in itself is also like a texture and I feel like maybe kind of going into like people in general too or like wanting to feel something just in this in the world that we're living in I feel like that kind of like desire for connection and just like everything and then I feel like the way that it kind of like manifests in clothing is everyone's like fuzzy shoes like plastic coats like it's just kind of everywhere and I just feel like it's that type of thing where it's like people are like searching for connection.

12:05And so if they can like wear something that like feels like so tangible and real and like something, I feel like that like elicits emotion. And that's something that people seem to want more of. A hundred percent. And if we look at the brands who I would say are winning across the board, Matu Blasey for Chanel, Jonathan Anderson for Dior, Willy Chavaria, like all these people. My pants are Willy. Hell yeah. I mean, we love Willy here. But all these brands do something that is above and beyond just being a creative director, they are world building every single day, whether it's intentional or not.

12:37I kind of feel like it has to be something brands start leaning into. And also all these creative directors that I just mentioned are more than that. They're more than designers, they're stars. And that's something I think has not always been the case. I think you can say that about like John Galeano. He was always a star and like his own person beyond just being like a creative director at Dior at Margiela or whatever. Like he was his own like figurehead. But I think that's also a trend that I'm seeing at the top level is these creative directors are having to be their own sort of like person and almost like an influencer in a way where it's like they are creating influence as themselves, not just as a creative director.

13:24And like the ability to world build is actually helping people make purchases. Like everyone ran to the Chanel stores to get anything just because like you want to be part of this. You want to be part of the zeitgeist. You want to be part of like this like amazing moment that's happening in fashion. And I think that's really, really something to keep an eye out for. And I think a lot of brands are going to like start either manufacturing these moments of emotion or, you know, letting them happen naturally with, you know, giving people on their team, models, influencers, creators, whatever, more freedom.

14:02Yeah, absolutely. And I know that obviously you mentioned the recent like frenzy over the Chanel moment of it all. And I know that you got the pony, you have the pony hair flats, right? I did. If you could kind of talk a little bit more about like what made you like so connected to that Chanel collection and feeling like you really wanted them and yeah, how you're liking them. I'll be honest, like I wanted something from that collection because I wanted something from Matt's first collection because it's fashion history. Like that was my first reason. Yeah, the flats are cute, but like more than that, I wanted to own something that was part of fashion history.

14:32Like I will be the first to admit that. We all have reasons for why we like pull the trigger on something, especially like more of an expensive purchase. And that was my reason. I hit up my sales associate at Bergdorf's because I don't have a Chanel sales associate. I'm not a customer. I'm sorry, I'm not a VIC. But she was able to reserve them for me. And yeah, that's how I ended up getting them. So guys, go to your local Bergdorf's in New York. They're amazing, amazing, like customer service top tier. But that's how I ended up actually getting them. I was also considering the black croc flats because those were really, really chic.

15:08And I liked the shape and I knew those would get more wear. But I thought the pony hair ones really did like mark a period in time more like and I'm okay with that you know what I mean like are they going to be in style forever no and that's okay and then it's like what you were saying too it's like where people especially now like really want to be part of something and I feel like want to be part of the world that someone's building so it's like by buying that you were saying it's like now you're kind of like have this moment of fashion history and then whenever you see the shoes you're not just going to think like oh those are really cute and I bought them at the time because of animal print or texture whatever you're going to be like I bought it because I wanted to be part of something amazing that was happening.

15:43And I think that that is so much of what people want right now. So kind of like really exemplifies that makes so much sense. Right, exactly. And that's kind of what's interesting, I think, about fashion in 2026 is there's so much accessibility. There's been so much democratization happening in fashion that there almost seems to be like, oh, shit, we went too far. But I think once fashion kind of like once the industry sort of opened the door, they can't shut it. So it's sort of this like double edged sword where there's like so much access and knowledge and inclusivity almost, whether that was intentional or not, that you can't pull the curtain back.

16:20Like people have all this information now. And I think like a brand, like for example, The Row, they don't even let phones in. They'll always have their audience, but I don't think that they'll necessarily like be on a growth trajectory unless they you know release another hot bag or something but this more like if you know you know sort of like brand like very phoebe filo very the row that's kind of over and it's more like people want to feel like a connection to a brand because it makes them feel like part of it and it's just like parasocial thing and there's i say that with love like i'm parasocial about jonathan anderson like in my mind we're best friends you know what i mean like that makes you want to actually go out and buy something so it is like what you're saying that emotional connection is very very important especially at the luxury level and i think too it's like obviously this was another thing from your trend predictions that i really loved and it kind of taps into exactly what we're saying where you're like brands are really pulling back the curtain like with margela showing the kind of like behind the scenes process and with like mark jacobs i was obsessed too when he like listed all of his references yes i also love to he's like i'm referencing myself like you should go off King, come on.

17:33Like, of course he did. But I think that that is just really like emblematic of like right now, I think also with things getting more expensive and people can't afford all of these things, it's like everyone's like, okay, if I'm going to like get behind a brand, if I'm going to get behind an item, I want to know like why, like I want to know what went into it and maybe what was on the mood board. And I want to feel that kind of connection. And I feel like it's really cool to see brands tapping into that. And I feel like to your point, those are the brands that are kind of like getting ahead and that we're seeing people get really excited about on social media.

18:01Yeah, agreed. Also, like, you know, like him or not, Demna knows how to do his job. Was I a fan of that Gucci show? Absolutely not. It was a little embarrassing, I thought. But he did something very smart, which was the see now, buy now. And from what I heard, they sold like upwards of$7 million in the first couple of weeks. So, you know, mission accomplished there. We'll see. I can't wait to see the like the earnings after his first show. But I'm very, very curious to see if he's able to turn the ship around. And Demna is a whole other story about the way that he approaches his job as not just a creative director, but as a star.

18:40And, you know, like him or not, he changed the industry forever and ever. Yeah. And, you know, the see now, buy now, which was when, you know, after the runway, you were actually able to buy many, many of the pieces that were shown. And I think that kind of speaks to our lack of attention span. For sure. But then on the flip side, you have Matthew's collection where people did wait the, what, six months, five months to go and buy. And there was no shortage of excitement for that. So, you know, I think two approaches, two similar outcomes because I think they both sold very well. So I think we'll see closer to the end of the year when the earnings get released.

19:21Can't wait to nerd out about that. I know. I love numbers. I feel like.

19:54to say out loud, but also kind of iconic? Because next month, we're officially going back to the world of Runway Magazine. Premiering on May 1st, The Devil Wears Proditude drops us right back into the glossy, cutthroat, impossibly chic world of fashion with Miranda Priestly at the helm. The Dream Team is back for the reunion of the century. Meryl Streep, Anne Hathaway, Emily Blund, and Stanley Tucci are all reprising their roles from the original film and making me as nostalgic as ever. This time around, instead of the bright-eyed, bushy-tailed Andy Sachs being in the hot seat, Miranda's in the spotlight.

20:27After a long career at Runway, Miranda's facing a major scandal, like a career-defining, magazine-threatening type of scandal that promises drama at every turn. In a twist that feels so full circle, Andy comes back as an award-winning journalist to rehab Miranda's image and help save the magazine, and maybe even Miranda herself. The Devil Wears Prada 2 is promising to give us everything we love about the first film, but even better. The stakes are higher, the one-liner is better, and of course, the fashion is promising to be even chiquer. I think I can speak for all of my fellow fashion girls when I say the thing that makes the Devil Wears Prada franchise so special is the vibes it brought, getting lost in the mystical, magical world of fashion where everything seems all so important all the time.

21:12When I was a little girl growing up, no joke, I had the montage of Andy's wardrobe changes after getting Nigel's health practically glued to my subconscious. The story is aspirational, but also deeply relatable, especially for anyone figuring out their career, their style identity, or just how to survive a truly terrifying boss. Honestly, that's why the sequel feels so exciting. It's not just about the nostalgia. Although, yes, I will be absolutely seated for every callback and every gird your loins moment, but it's also about seeing these characters we grew up with in a whole new era. A new fashion landscape, new pressures, new power dynamics, but that same unmistakable runway energy.

21:53Whether you're watching The Devil Wears Prada 2 for the fashion, the drama, the comedy, or all of the above, this really is the reunion we've been waiting for. Don't miss The Devil Wears Prada 2. Only in theaters May 1st. Get your tickets now. I'm lucky enough to know you personally, but for everyone that's kind of like seeing your short-form content, And obviously like so much research and thought goes into like all of these videos and all of these, you know, predictions and everything that you're putting out there. And I would love if you could kind of if you could peel back the curtain a little bit on your own process.

22:23How do you know when some things like you're like, oh, this feels to me like this is something that's happening, that's important, or like this feels like a trend that's like about to be everywhere? I mean, you got to pay for my methodology now. But to be honest, a lot of it comes with experience. I did not always have this like knack for it. But I've been doing this going on 11 years. This was my 10th anniversary of working in this business. And I didn't always work in fashion, which I think was actually extremely beneficial because I learned the methodology and the technique. I used to work in e-com, then I worked in beverage, and then I worked in beauty, and then I worked in fashion.

23:05So I experienced this kind of methodology in different industries. and I was able to like hone and tweak it from job to job to job when I worked in corporate. A lot of it is like data mining, kind of making like future predictions based on numbers and data. And that can be from like different platforms like WGSN, a spate. But it can also be you need to have a human touch, a human element. And I think like something that's really scary that I see is a lot of reports and trend reports that companies are releasing publicly. I can tell right off the bat that they're AI generated because they're not future looking.

23:48They are aggregating current available data that is not filtered through a human. So therefore it feels very late. It doesn't feel like a prediction. It feels like a report of what's like currently happening. And these brands love to call it a prediction or a forecast. And it's like, that's not what it is. I do like that they are making that information more accessible. I think it's cool. But like, call it what it is. It's not a future outlook. And I think something that I'm able to do that a computer could never do is be able to add the cultural context. So like right now, we're at war with Iran.

24:32Our president is insane and the U.S. is like falling into like a fascist doom hellscape. That actually matters in terms of fashion. I know that like fashion seems arbitrary in comparison because it is like, let's be real. But these things that happen in our world on a larger scale and even on like a more micro scale, like in New York City, for example, or like in Boston or in San Francisco, like what's happening locally, domestically, internationally. it impacts fashion so almost immediately too. Like the whole like raincoat weather protection thing, that is a result of our world changing. Do you understand like, like, it's not just like, oh, we like raincoats now.

25:18Like, no, like that there is a reason why it's happening. And until AI is able to like filter that through their system, they're never going to be as good as me or as good as a human with experience. I want to say before we even go further, I do not use AI for my trend predictions, to write anything, reviews. And if I see any of that, I actually block people because of that because it's like, I don't want to see this. I'm not an anti-AI person. I personally don't use it. I've actually never used ChatGBT before. That's why we're friends. Exactly. But you can't avoid it. You Google something and it gives you the AI summary.

25:58And to be honest, that's quite helpful, actually, I will say. But like when it comes to my work and my creativity, I would not have success if I relied on AI to do it. Machines can, you know, take all the information that they want, but they're never going to be able to like analyze like the things that are happening in our world with the kind of emotion and like understanding that we are, that someone like you is like able to kind of like tie, you know, into that. And to even go off of that, too, like I feel like something this is like really fitting, but I did kind of want to talk a little bit about how you had called out aprons as well as like kind of like an upcoming trend, which we've seen a ton of on the red carpets and on the runways with like Miu Miu.

26:37And it's like a really cute look. But then I know that it's like obviously there is that kind of chatter about like, OK, is this like leaning into conservatism in the rise of like trad wives? or is this like something that's like kind of subversive, which I know is like how like Miss Prada, like in her show notes, she was kind of talking about how it was like an ode to the working woman and this idea that like being a working woman and like, you know, having to wear an apron is like not like something like shameful or like, you know, you should be able to like wear that and like feel beautiful, you know?