It’s really beautiful to see so many early 00s fashion trends coming back, but I think it’s about time we all start being honest with ourselves.
Y2K wasn’t all about low-rider flares, with cute platforms, halterneck crop tops and tiny handbags. We’ve absolutely refined and cherry-picked our more chic early 00s trends and have just run with them, but let’s take a moment to truly remember what was cool back in 2003.
Y2K was all about doing things for no reason. We wore belts for pretty much every reason except to keep our pants up, we wore as many accessories as humanly possible at all times, we layered the sh*t out of things that weren’t meant to be layered and we opted for the ‘more is more’ attitude.
RIP to fashion trends that made us feel cool in primary school. We’ll miss you, but I can say I’m very glad they’re in the past.
Just because we (hopefully) will never wear a skinny scarf again, doesn’t mean we can’t appreciate some of the early 00s fashion trends that brought us to where we are today.
Here are 10 Y2K trends that didn’t make a comeback, but we’ll always have a soft spot for.
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Jeans under dresses
This was it. Jeans that were slightly too long for you, worn underneath a dress or a long top was eveeeerything. A very classic going out with friends look.
An honourable mention to the blinged-up beanie too.
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Big belts... with everything
Chunky belts, for no reason, over the top of everything. We wore them over shirts, over dresses, on pants that didn’t have belt loops… if you didn’t have a belt on, you weren’t living in Y2K.
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This hairstyle
In 2003, you couldn’t tell me that this wasn’t the most gorgeous hairstyle. She’s effortless beauty. The whispy flyaways are integral to this look, referred to as the front poof. It was bobby pin heaven.
P.S. Did anyone know that Hilary Duff went out with Joel Madden (as seen in this pic)? Gosh, she loves her punk musicians.
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The "ripped" look
I don’t even know what to call this. It’s very “I almost got eaten by a shark”, very Pirates of the Caribbean vibes. JLo obviously looks stunning, and tbh, I’d probably wear this look today. But do I get it? No.
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Layering
The layering. You just had to be there.
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This belt
Hayden Panettiere’s belt in this photo was the absolute HEIGHT of fashion. I don’t know what else to say, it defines 2005.
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Corset over the shirt
Here’s Lindsay Lohan, rocking a corset over a shirt. Very hot girl Y2K vibes, very riskay. Also commonly worn with a mini vest, but the corset with suspenders takes the cake.
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Pointy stilettos
Long live Hilary Duff, but these block colour point stilettos with jeans are not it. It’s hard to believe that this was the exact outfit I wore to my primary school graduation.
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This hat
This hat, I’m not even sure what it’s called? I had one in every colour. Best worn with jeans and a T-shirt, with bits of hair hanging of a side ponytail.
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The Skinny Scarf
The scarf that has no purpose… it doesn’t keep you warm and it does not look chic. Oh, but we really thought it did. Especially if it had a bit of a shimmer going on.
Honourable mention: these culotte pants, usually with buttons on the sides and paired with heeled boots. A classic.
