‘The aughts’ ought to see how fashion trends are looking now
Everything that’s old is new again. While ’90s fashion continues to influence today’s style, a set of trends from another decade is taking root: the early 2000s. Yes, the era that brought us ’N Sync, Hey Ya! and the Holy Trinity of Paris Hilton, Britney Spears and Lindsay Lohan is back.
The first half of the aughts was defined by loud colors, low waistlines, clashing prints and major experimentation in the clothing and accessories departments.
But just as styles from past decades have popped up (think overalls, Calvin Klein undies and cargo pants), fashions from the ’00s are having their own resurgence. From tracksuits to spaghetti straps, these trends show that another era we thought would never return is slowly making a sartorial comeback.
Tube tops
While midriff-baring tops have never truly gone out of style, this small band of fabric is back to claim its rightful place as the crop-top leader in closets across America. Destiny’s Child brought them to the Grammys in 2000, and in 2018, Kendall Jenner brought fresh crops to Coachella.
Spaghetti straps
Those teeny tiny straps that seem to defy gravity in holding up a top? They’re back, too. Kate Hudson often rocked spaghetti straps in the aughts, but the strappy baton is being handed off to a younger generation. Model Sofia Richie, probably taking after older sister Nicole, who sported a few in the early ’00s, was the walking definition of 2000s fashion at a pop-up event in Miami in December.
Colorful lenses
We’ve been through a variety of sunglasses trends in the last decade (hello huge Olsen twins sunglasses and tiny Rihanna sunnies), but the tide has turned back to Technicolor. Gigi Hadid paid tribute to Lil’ Kim’s red lenses from the 2002 Grammys with a pair of her own at Vogue Eyewear’s #ShowYourParty event in June, and more colors from blue to green have popped up in recent months.
Tracksuits
Imagine everyone doing every activity, from grocery shopping to walking the red carpet, in a tracksuit.
That was the early 2000s, with Juicy Couture reigning supreme in the velour tracksuit food chain. Hilton was the queen of Juicy separates before they went out of style.
Of course, Hilton is at the forefront of the resurgence of the brand and the style, with offerings from Adidas and Michael Kors showing up in a variety of fabrics and colorways.
Denim skirts
Spears was one of the many celebs who added denim skirts to their wardrobes. The hemlines have lowered from the tiny distressed, light-wash denim minis of the early ’00s, as Rowan Blanchard showed in a deep blue denim pencil skirt at the Teen Vogue Summit in December.