Dear reader, allow me to take you back to your teenage wardrobe for a moment (are you cringing yet?). Depending on your age, your experience of adolescent fashion will look slightly different, but there are a few things we will have all had in common. Firstly, experimenting. Teens have no reservations when it comes to self-expression, particularly through their wardrobes. Secondly, rebellion. From micro mini skirts to the angsty “emo” phase, nothing really sticks it to your parents like wearing the polar opposite of “appropriate”. And lastly, resourcefulness, as our pocket money budget often limited our sartorial choices, there’s nothing savvier than an inspired teenager armed with a safety pin and a pair of scissors. And although Gen-Z are currently embracing a Y2K revival that none of us saw coming, for those of us who did it the first time around, it has been an amusing trip back in time.
If your teenage years included taking pictures on digital cameras, making the move from bootcut jeans to skinnies, owning more belts than one person can possibly wear, and frantically googling pictures of Alexa Chung’s wardrobe, I have good news. Not only do we still look to Alexa for inspiration, but there are a good few pieces from your Noughties wardrobe that are coming back into fashion in a very big way (think less Britney and Justin, and more Kate Moss). Having spent my time scrolling back through the archives, I’m happy to report that I’ve found some of the biggest Noughties pieces to be relevant again in 2023, so fasten yourselves in for a bumpy ride down memory lane.
Dust off your platforms, reach for your Lancôme Juicy tube and set your iPod to shuffle. Here are the six Y2K fashion trends that you’re going to be wearing again this year without even realising it.
There was a time in the Noughties that the tank top formed the foundation of just about every outfit in our wardrobes. Most likely paired with a cropped, bolero cardigan or a denim jacket, it reached peak 2000s styling when paired with a seriously statement belt a la J.Lo. Thankfully, the tank top never ages, and it looks just as good then as it does now, albeit with some more polished, minimalist accessorising. And if you’re looking for ways to wear one with jeans, we’ve found five great options.
There was something about the Noughties penchant for Victorian inspired tailoring that made all attempts to look suited and booted feel off-kilter. All of a sudden flat caps, braces and waistcoats appeared on on celebrities everywhere, and quite frankly, none of it made sense until Kate Moss repurposed the vest for Glastonbury 2005. 18 years later, and we’ve finally figured out how to make the three-piece suit look chic, and the easiest way to wear the look this summer is to leave the jacket at home and wear the waistcoat and matching trousers with a chunky sandal.
For most of us hearing the phrase “Y2K fashion” conjures up only one image in our minds–and it’s that double denim moment. But as we’ve started to warm to the Canadian tuxedo again, one way to make it feel grown up is embellishments. And just before you reach for excessive amounts of diamanté, the approach here is “less is more”, so look for wearable denim with statement pops of sparkle and shine that feel rock and roll when paired with leather and black.
If there was one person to thank for defining a whole era of 2000s fashion, it would have to be Rachel Zoe. The stylist behind some of Nicole Ritchie, Lindsay Lohan, and Misha Barton’s most infamous looks set the tone for LA-cool and took her influence across the pond in the form of oversized sunnies, boho scarves, supersized It bags and teeny tiny leggings, and although we aren’t wearing them with tunic tops, leggings are still a firm fixture in our weekend attire. Dress them up with a tailored jacket and luxe accessories for a 5 minute outfit that looks like you took your time getting ready.
If you frequent the high-street, you’ll no doubt have already heard the news that cargo pants are back and rustling their way to prominence. In all fairness, it has been a long time coming. We’ve been looking for an everyday trouser comfier than jeans for quite some time, and the cargo is just in time for a summer heatwave (fingers crossed). Thanks to icons like All Saints, the temptation would be to wear them chunky boots and puffer coats but it’s far too warm for that. Instead try a strappy heel and some sleeveless tailoring to take the casual trouser into “dressed up” territory.
Last summer’s micro mini skirt wasn’t for everyone, and this years denim maxi skirt is definitive proof of just how polarising hemlines can be. Those of us who dragged around the soaking wet trains as teenagers may still have nightmares about how badly denim takes to rain, but thankfully it does lend itself well to sunnier spring climes, and especially when worn with a heel. Add a bomber (the current It-girls jacket of choice), and a mule for a grown up take on XXL denim.
