Preppy Fashion's Fall 2025 Revival Is Much More Laid-Back

Though back-to-school season is a distant memory for most adults, it doesn’t mean that many don’t have that nostalgic yearning to sit under a tree on a college campus in a chunky-knit sweater and read Marcel Proust. But even if you aren’t currently matriculating, it doesn’t mean you can’t let your inner prepster out, especially considering the academia look is in full force for fall.

In addition to designers embracing the trend wholeheartedly — J.Crew inundated just about everyone with its rollneck sweater ad campaign this season — a new Luca Guadagnino film called After the Hunt is adding fuel to the trend. The drama is already getting some Oscar buzz for its incredible cast, especially from commanding leading lady Julia Roberts. Costume designer Giulia Piersanti (who also happens to be Céline’s head of knitwear) takes preppy dressing to a new level in the film that is already influencing fall and winter style.

Of course, academia-inspired fashion has always had its place in pop culture in different iterations (Gossip Girl turned it into an art form), but this film’s particular combination of an Ivy League setting with the hovering tension of cancel culture gives preppy dressing not only a chic aesthetic, but a pivotal role in the language of power dynamics.

Fresh Prep

According to Opumo Magazine, the traditional preppy look was established on Ivy League campuses in the 1940s and 1950s but has seen many iterations over the years. Currently, the aesthetic is being driven by fresh momentum from Gen Z’s fascination with quiet luxury. However, its legacy owes much to iconic figures including Princess Diana, Carolyn Bessette Kennedy, and Brooke Shields.

These days, buttoned-up layers, loafers, tartan skirts with high socks, rugby shirts, and boat shoes are hitting hard across all generations. Celebrities are also fully embracing the modern prep trend, with everyone from Katie Holmes (a loafer queen) and Reese Witherspoon to Lola Tung and Hailey Bieber jumping on board.

Lilly Sisto, a New York-based content creator who has collaborated with brands including Hart, Dillard’s, and most recently Roller Rabbit, loves to weave in luxury brands with her preppy East Coast aesthetic. For fall, she’s leaning into essentials like loafers, oxfords, tweed separates, corduroy, velvet, and classic stripes. “They add texture and dimension while keeping everything timeless,” Sisto tells TZR of her wardrobe faves. To her, preppy style feels a bit more relaxed and lived-in than past versions. “It’s less about being perfectly put together and more about having fun with it,” she says. “I’ve always described my style as tomboy chic, that balance of masculine and feminine energy.”

How does this more laid-back approach play out in an outfit, you ask? “I love an oversized, borrowed-from-your-boyfriend button-down with vintage denim, or a pleated skirt with worn-in loafers,” explains Sisto. “It’s polished but still playful, nostalgic but never too perfect.”

The Julia Effect

But back to Julia Roberts. Considering the actor herself has championed prep-adjacent looks throughout the years and in present day, it wasn’t too jarring to see that signature style reflected in her After the Hunt character Alma Imhoff. But while Roberts typically prefers a more buttoned-up, formalized version of the look, her on-screen aesthetic is much more casual. The only time she is truly dressed up in the film is early on when she’s seen in a flawless white Toteme oversized suit. Other than that, she looks effortlessly comfortable in roomy blazers, wide-leg white denim, unimposing loafers, and of course, the ultimate preppy token, the oversized L.L. Bean boat tote. “I stuck to classic archetype pieces I see today on modern women in the streets,” Piersanti tells TZR. “With a hint of timeless nostalgia. Classics that never go in or out of style. I like when costumes make the film a little suspended in time.”

In After the Hunt, Piersanti dressed grad student Maggie Resnick (Ayo Edebiri) in a similar vein as Alma, but through a more youthful lens. While the professor’s wardrobe is comprised of more traditional labels, Maggie leans into more contemporary brands like Céline, John Smedley, Wales Bonner, and of course, Ralph Lauren. Alma opts for an oversized, structured blazer while Maggie pairs a cozy sweater vest with pleated shorts. “Almost all the main characters in the film have the same classic archetype elements, like a uniform,” explains Piersanti. “I just played with them by styling them differently to tell the taste, personality, and background of each character.”

Brands On Board

After looking at modern prep on screen, it feels natural that the IRL fashion landscape is not too far off, thanks to brands and major design houses who are leading the academia charge. Aforementioned old-school classic prep labels like Ralph Lauren and J.Crew are seeing a resurgence of their staple offerings like crisp oxfords, tailored jeans, and cable-knit sweaters.

We are also seeing less notoriously preppy brands like Miu Miu and Prada reframe the narrative with fun spins on classic school uniform-inspired looks. Take what Miu Miu has done with the boat shoe, arguably one of the most recognizable preppy clothing items of all time, which is now also synonymous with the Miu Miu girl.

Get The Look

The great thing about prep fashion is it is not hard to emulate and, unlike many other trends, it is pretty comfortable and weather-appropriate. Shop the edit ahead to build a fall academia look that would make Julia Roberts proud.