12 Fashion Trends From the 2000s That Snuck Onto NYFW Runways
I don’t mean to burst your nostalgia bubble, but the 2000s were a tragic time for fashion.
Sure, it was the era that made bandana tube tops and slutty lace-up clothing a thing, but it was also a decade that worshiped denim ball gowns, stretch glitter jeans and embarrassing brands you used to love like Abercrombie & Fitch, American Eagle, Hollister and Aeropostale.
And yet, fashion keeps inching its way to a full on 2000s revival because let’s be real, the whole 90s thing was cute, but there’s only so long we can keep pretending to be excited by slip dresses and Dr. Martens.
Luckily, it’s not all bad news.
The 2000s may have been a tasteless decade, but designers have learned a thing or two in the past 10 years and for the most part, they’ve figured out a way to turn trash into treasure.
Here are 12 2000s trends that for better or for worse managed to sneak their way onto the NYFW runway this year.
1. Denim everything
We all remember when Britney and Justin arrived at the VMAs in matching denim and how everybody immediately knew it was a mistake?
Apparently, we’ve forgotten again although TBH that Caroline Herrera ball gown is super cute, although I bet it looks like shit if you forget to iron it.
2. Do rags
The 2000s were a little lax about cultural appropriation.
J Lo used the n-word in a song, Britney Spears called herself a slave, and literally everybody wore cornrows.
We’ve all gotten a little more woke in the past 10 years, but that’s probably not going to stop white girls from wearing do rags now that Kylie Jenner and Rihanna are making them cool again.
3. One-shoulder everything
This is a trend I distinctly remember not understanding back in the 2000s, but currently find thrilling.
4. String tops
I actually have no idea why it’s taken this long for string tops to come back.
Maybe we’re not just about to see a 2000s revival but the return of the deeply missed going out top.
5. Matrix coats and dusters
The Matrix came out in 1999 and ushered in an era of sleek-looking (faux) leather that dominated 2000s fashion for the first couple of years.
We were also obsessed with dusters and long jackets in general, which was probably because everybody spent that decade wearing our pants so low that WHENEVER we crouched down our butt cracks were just out and long jackets were a great way of pretending like that wasn’t happening.
6. Snakeskin
I owned a faux snakeskin headscarf from Claire’s and it was a mistake.
Then again, that’s probably my fault for buying literally anything from Claire’s because these Altazurra ensembles are hella cute.
7. Haphazardly stitched together patterns
The 2000s worshipped sports, or at least you’d think they did from all the sports jerseys pop stars and rappers wore.
Granted this Monse dress looks more like it came from two opposing baseball teams, but still, I know where this rabbitthole leads.
8. Pleather
We already talked about leather, faux or otherwise, coats, but we also need to talk about pleather, specifically the red kind that Britney Spears made famous in her video for “Oops… I Did It Again.”
I am not upset about this at all.
Long live all fabrics that are shinier than my face when I forget to wash it for a day.
9. Lace camis
If you were a teenager in the 2000s, you had at least three lace camis that you thought were super cute and wore whenever you wanted to flirt with boys.
10. Boob slings
Idk if this is the official name for this kind of top, but that’s what this fashion trend loved by Xtina and girl groups alike looks to me.
11. Halter tops
Halter tops have been back for a while and I’m not upset about it.
They were super cute in the 2000s and they still are.
12. Thin scarves
For some reason, in the 2000s we all thought it was cute to wear teeny tiny scarves as fashion accessories. They weren’t particularly cute and they sure as hell weren’t warm, but they were around all the cool girls’ necks. Just ask Marissa Cooper.
Falling for the exquisite feminine silhouettes by #JonathanSimkhai. The #SS17 looks: https://t.co/eMWHBR7hQN #NYFW pic.twitter.com/Ha7jXrYZNm
— NOWFASHION (@NOWFASHION) September 10, 2016
