From Wuthering Heights to Bridgerton, here's how TV and film are shaping 2026’s biggest trends across fashion to hosting and beyond

TV and film have always been influential in the worlds of fashion, hosting, interior design, travel and beyond. Remember when Rachel's choppy and layered bob in Friends became responsible for influencing the haircuts of a generation? Or when the debut of The White Lotus' first season led to a surge of tourists visiting the real-life hotel? Or when Mad Men brought classic mid-century furniture pieces back into the home and office?

2026 will be no different. With the help of expert Sydney Stanback, Global Head of Trends and Insights at Pinterest, we bring you a glimpse of the future: the trends which will shape how you dress, decorate, host and socialise this year, from what you buy to the vibes you aspire to – all influenced by TV and movies.

When it comes to fashion, it won't be a screen-inspired haircut having a moment this year, Stanback predicts – it'll be dressing like a poet.

Fasten your cape

That’s right. The likes of Paul Mescal, wearing a worn leather jerkin in Hamnet, and Carrie Coon, donning a cape in The Gilded Age, will become our style icons this year.

Viewers will be inspired by their elegant, literary aesthetics, Stanback says, further growing the "Poetcore" trend identified in Pinterest’s annual trends forecast, which found that searches for 'the poet aesthetic' rose by 175% and 'cape outfit' by 65% between September 2024 and August 2025.

The likes of Paul Mescal, wearing a worn leather jerkin in Hamnet, and Carrie Coon, donning a cape in The Gilded Age, will become our style icons this year

"Poetcore" is a softer version of the already established and equally bookish dark academia aesthetic and is "meant to romanticise the poet aesthetic", Stanback explains. "So, think lace collars and cuffs and bordered blouses, vintage-inspired broaches, layered textures, high neck blouses.

"The Gilded Age, Seven Dials, Hamnet, all these kind of shows and movies that we’re seeing, they really hit on styles that people are really engaging with on Pinterest, and that we're forecasting will take off in the upcoming year."

HBO period drama The Gilded Age is expected to return with a fourth season in late 2026, while Chloé Zhao's Hamnet, which imagines the home life of William and Agnes Shakespeare and the loss of their child, and Netflix’s Agatha Christie murder mystery adaptation Seven Dials, were released in January.

Lace it up

And there'll be other unlikely style icons this year, with the (modernised) Regency-era outfits of Bridgerton also set to inspire our wardrobes.

Think Benedict (Luke Thompson), donning a frilly black shirt and ruched leather waistcoat, or the Lady in Silver (Yerin Ha), sporting a lace and crystal-adorned gown, at the masquerade ball in season 4, the first half of which has been released on Netflix.

The thing about 'laced up' that stands out to me as it pertains to TV and film in 2026 is it's very romantic

Their looks will encourage people to add embellishments and details to outfits and create a softer, more romantic look, Stanback says, which will further boost the "Laced Up" trend that Pinterest has predicted will boom this year. The platform's annual trends forecast found that searches for "lace doily" rose by 105%, while queries for "lace bandana" rose by 150% and "lace make-up" by 120%.

"The thing about "laced up" that stands out to me as it pertains to TV and film in 2026 is it's very romantic, and an easy way to turn an outfit into something a little bit more romantic, and a bit boho," Stanback explains.

Speaking about why "Laced Up" is going to take off this year, Stanback says: "We're living in an increasingly complex world, we're facing overstimulation and content overload, that really continues to build and in 2026 people are really shifting focus from trying to keep up with everything to protecting their energy, and to really protecting their energy on their own terms."

And one of the ways we'll see this play out, she says, is people "opting to curate and not copy trends. So rather than just blindly following a trend, consumers will follow trends that align with who they are or who they aspire to be". And "Laced Up", with its versatile rather than prescriptive nature, is one such trend.

Cue theatrics

The theatrical masquerade ball in Bridgerton won't just shape what we wear, but also how we style our homes in 2026.

Viewers will be inspired to host masquerade-style parties of their own, or to fill their homes with decor that mirrors the show's theatrical aesthetic, Stanback predicts. Think luxurious fabrics, dramatic drapery and theatrical lighting.

Viewers will be inspired to host masquerade-style parties of their own

This will further boost the "Opera Aesthetic" trend which Pinterest has reported will boom in 2026. "It's a celebration trend but it's also an interiors trend," Stanback explains. "It's really making its mark on searches for 'opera theatre' and 'midnight masquerade'. I like to think of this trend really engaging with that old school theatre aesthetic.

"The whole premise of Bridgerton season 4 is that it kicks off with a masquerade ball, so I think that kind of setting will result in people revisiting their home interiors."

Our homes will also be shaped by Emerald Fennell's Wuthering Heights in 2026, with viewers taking inspiration from the film's moody, provocative and modern setting.

The movie, which lands in cinemas on 13th February, has been billed as a "sexual" and "primal" retelling of Catherine Earnshaw (Margot Robbie) and orphan Heathcliff's (Jacob Elordi) relationship, set on the sweeping, operatic moors of 18th century Yorkshire.

And viewers will translate these "moody romantic visuals into long drapery, textures, layers and dark reds, and golds for any furniture and really theatrical lighting", Stanback says, again further driving the "Opera Aesthetic" trend.

Rewind playtime

On-screen worlds won't just influence adult wardrobes this year, they'll also shape how parents dress their children.

The likes of Toy Story 5, which is coming to cinemas in June, and the revival of Malcolm in the Middle, which is set to launch the original cast back on our screens in April, will "remind millennials or people who are parents now of their childhood and of analogue times", Stanback explains, and "encourage people to revisit the past".

These titles will inspire viewers who are parents to dress their kids in vintage clothes, Stanback predicts, as well as to bring back vintage toys, which will further grow the "Throwback Kid" trend identified in Pinterest's report. The platform found that queries for "nostalgia toys" soared by 225%, while searches for "1970s childhood toys" and "vintage kids fashion" rose by 125% and 35%, respectively.

Toy Story 5 in particular looks set to spark nostalgia among parents and fuel demand for classic or retro toys given its focus on the conflict between toys and tech.

These titles will inspire viewers who are parents to dress their kids in vintage clothes, as well as to bring back vintage toys

The first trailer recently gave us a first look at this clash, showing a now eight-year-old Bonnie unboxing a new frog-shaped smart tablet known as Lilypad, while the legacy toys watch on in sheer terror. "Is the age of toys over?" the tagline asks.

Like "Laced Up", "Throwback Kid" will emerge this year as people attempt to avoid overstimulation in an increasingly hectic world, Stanback says.

Aesthetics such as "nostalgia toys" and "vintage kids fashion", because of their fusion of the past with the present, enable people to "connect with moments that felt a lot simpler and more comfortable".

Write it out

While TV and film's influence is often strongest in the fashion sphere, Stanback says, it also has the power to shape people's everyday lives.

We'll see this play out this year through the likes of Lady Eileen Bundle (Mia McKenna-Bruce) in Seven Dials, who finds an elegantly hand-written letter mentioning "seven dials" that sets up the central conspiracy, and Shakespeare (Mescal) in Hamnet, who is seen attempting to write with a quill pen, ink and handmade paper while struggling with a creative block.

These characters' habits will inspire a renaissance of "analogue habits like letter writing, journaling and quiet rituals at home", further driving Pinterest's "Pen Pals" trend. The platform's report found that the search term “handwritten letters” rose by 45% and “penpal letters” by 35%.

Cross into the mystic

On-screen realms will also spill into real-world travel plans this year.

Forget adverts or celebrity endorsements. In 2026, stunning and fantastical landscapes in upcoming fantasy series will serve as our getaway inspiration.

Think the striking valleys, beaches and castles in House of the Dragon, which wrapped filming on season 3 in North Wales last year, or the dramatic mountains and eerie forests of Rings of Power, which also shot scenes for its third season in various Welsh locations in 2025.

In 2026, stunning and fantastical landscapes in upcoming fantasy series will serve as our getaway inspiration

House of the Dragon's new season is coming in summer 2026, while the next instalment of Rings of Power is expected at the end of the year or in early 2027.

And their releases will drive the “Mystic Outlands” trend identified in Pinterest’s trends forecast for 2026, which reported that searches for “ethereal places” rose by 45%, while searches for “Faroe Island aesthetic” almost doubled.

"Both of those shows give 'Mystic Outlands'; they're otherworldly, fantastical. They're a great way to escape into another realm."

As with "Laced Up" and "Throwback Kid", Stanback says that "Mystic Outlands" will emerge this year as people try to avoid overstimulation and burnout, and "really ground themselves in optimism by engaging with trends that offer imaginative escapes".

88% accuracy rate

Of course, we'll have to wait and see which of these trends really stick around, but Pinterest claims its annual report has an 88% accuracy rate. This is because the platform makes its predictions not just from "the searches and saves" of its 600 million monthly active users "who come to our platform to plan discover and shop" but also by analysing how interests and engagements evolve over time to forecast what will become popular, Stanback says.

"Castlecore", for example, a fashion and design aesthetic that takes its cues from ancient castles and Gothic architecture that Pinterest identified in its 2025 report, "has evolved to 'Poetcore' in 2026", which is "softer more romantic, and of course more wearable".

"And so with our data we can really follow these movements as they grow, and track how they take over across fashion, beauty, lifestyle and beyond, and really see how people are translating them into every life."

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