Some aesthetics are created naturally on the runway. Others are created by the collective psychology known as fashion TikTok. Like the “pastel goth” aesthetic introduced by Storm Reid at Coach's Spring 2025 New York Fashion Week show yesterday.

The look Reed defined through her front row outfits mixes garden party hues like the pistachio base of her ball gown Coach skirt with tough leather and metallic hardware. She and stylist Jason Bolden paired an oversized, ribbon-covered, debutante-esque punk plaid with a leather moto jacket and coordinating bra top. Makeup artist Pauly Branch and hair stylist Jazmine Hobbidy brought the Euphoria star to the front row with a mauve-pink lip, slightly sparkly eyes, and soft cascading curls. Her outfit also left room to incorporate a Coach classic in the form of a velvet tabby bag and a single earring in the shape of the Statue of Liberty.

Reed considered her outfit another manifestation of her personal style mantra. 'Take up space and be brave.

“It's about always having fun and wearing what you want to wear.”

And if “pastel goth” never really catches on, “we will,” she laughs. It takes confidence to create a new aesthetic, but that's what Reed gives off, just as the sun shines.

“I was always taught by my mother that you wear the clothes, not the clothes wear you,” she says.

“So whether you're getting ready for class or a fashion show or going out to dinner with friends, if you go with that mindset of wearing what makes you feel good, you're going to feel good.”

While Reed is inventing a new fashion vocabulary, she is also reinventing items she knows and loves. Her Stuart Vivace-designed skirt is reminiscent of the custom, ribbon-embellished piece she wore to the 2024 Met Gala. Her appreciation for voluminous, easy-moving skirts dates back to 2018, when she wore a tiered version to the Los Angeles premiere of A Wrinkle in Time.

Reed is Coach Creative Director Stuart Vever's latest ode to downtown rebels in the form of a distressed “I Heart NY” T-shirt and sneakerheads in the tri-state area who all want to order In the form of charmed shoes, she was ready to spend an afternoon. She enjoyed the show with Laura Tan, Kathryn Newton, and Charles Melton. The ballgown skirt is not on a hanger in the dorm closet. She said of her everyday style, “I want to be cute, but I have to be comfortable because I run around campus all day.”

T-shirts and comfy pants are her everyday look: everything she wears, as she says, is to help with her mission of taking up space. It's to help me. She adds, “I'm very happy to have the autonomy to choose what I want to wear.” And maybe while she's at it, she'll pick the next aesthetic that we all start to imitate.