The Most Memorable Fashion Moments Of The ’00s

ALEXANDER MCQUEEN SKULL SCARVES
Alexander McQueen’s skull print scarves were the epitome of logo mania around 2002. They were lightweight and looked cool and edgy on the necks of anyone who splurged on them. From the print alone, you could tell it was a McQueen piece and a status symbol of some sort, which made the accessory even more covetable.

GETTY IMAGES
BOHO VIBES
Maybe you weren’t the name plate belt type, maybe you loved these boho-meets-western coin belts instead. You wore them low on the hips with jeans or flowy maxi skirts. This was definitely a cool look back then, since even Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen wore them in 2002.

CAPRIS
Speaking of capris, Riri (yes, this same Rihanna) also took a liking to the trend, wearing her low-rise denim bottoms in 2005 while posing backstage during a MTV Networks Tempo Channel launch event. She styled hers with strappy pumps and a sequined vest blazer—a look we probably will never see on her again.

CHUNKY NECKLACES
Did anyone else spend hours trying to untangle their long beaded necklaces? The accessory style was sold everywhere from your neighborhood store, Strawberry, to Claire’s and American Eagle. Lauren Conrad even wore hers on MTV’s TRL (#RIP) with a tank top and capris for the pinnacle outfit of 2005.

CROPPED CARDIGANS
True story of me in 2000’s trends: I had cropped cardigans in every color (to go with my camis, of course), and now I own zero. They were useful layering pieces and looked alright with any top, though in hindsight the styles weren’t all that cute. Still, Sarah Jessica Parker managed to rock it while filming Sex and the City in 2003, so this look couldn’t have been that bad. Carried Bradshaw liked it back then, therefore I liked it too.

FLASHY BELTS
From name plate necklaces (I still have mine) to flashy belts with your name or phrases, these accessories took the idea of monogramming to a whole new level. The belt designs were loud and definitely not subtle, which is why we haven’t forgotten about them even in 2019. Thank you Mariah Carey for this outfit.

VON DUTCH HATS
Whether you were a Von Dutch and/or Ed Hardy person, these brands defined the glorious aughts. You had at least a Von Dutch trucker hat, or tried to convince your mom to get you one, and wanted to own everything from its pinstriped shirts to tees. Though the hats have faded out since it peaked in 2003, Kylie Jenner was spotted in the accessory in 2016, giving hope (fear?) to some that Von Dutch might make a comeback.

GETTY IMAGES
HALTERNECK EVERYTHING
Raise your hand if you owned a halter-neck top or dress during this era. The style was seemingly everywhere and even Michelle Trachtenberg hopped on board with the design, wearing this halter-neck yellow minidress to the premiere of Eurotrip.

JUICY COUTURE TRACKSUITS
Juicy Couture, the brand made famous by celebs like Paris Hilton and Lindsay Lohan, debuted in the spring of 2001. If you owned Juicy separates, you were basically part of the in-crowd and it was a pretty fun time. Eventually, like all trendy things, people moved on from the Juicy suits look to the athelsiure you know today (hello, Bandier). However, if you’re nostalgic for Juicy, you can still shop the brand online.

LEGGINGS AS PANTS
Remember the whole “are leggings pants?” debate. Ask anyone in 2005, like Sienna Miller, and they will say yes. From It girls like her to the girls in your high school, leggings were the universal comfy, booty-hugging bottoms to wear with everything from tunics to crop tops. Leggings are still part of our everyday wardrobes, though we opt for stylish faux leather options like this now.

GETTY IMAGES
LIVESTRONG BRACELETS
One way to rep your favorite causes in 2004 was wearing a one-size-fits-all silicon bracelet from the organization. (You’ll recognize the ubiquitous yellow Livestrong ones). Both the athlete for which the bracelet was named after and its other silicon cause bracelets have fallen from popularity as time passed. It’s no longer cool to simply rep a cause just for the sake of looking fashion.

LONG TUNICS OVER JEANS
Longer than a regular top but shorter than a dress, the long tunic is a lewk everyone knows. Back then, you usually wore a tunic with leggings or jeans, in Mischa Barton’s case. She didn’t know it then, but she dressed down in the most 2000’s outfit ever at the Nickelodeon Kids’ Choice Awards.

LOW-RISE JEANS
Low-rise jeans are predicted to make a comeback in 2020 after designer Kirk Millar of Linder NYC included the style in his spring collection and Levi’s (the OG of denim brands) announced its releasing low risers in 2019. If you’re tired of high-waisted fits digging into your skin, you might just be inclined to give low-risers another chance. Though personally, I shall pass.

MICRO DENIM SKIRTS
The only thing that would make this outfit look more 2003 is if Nicole Ritchie wore UGGs with her micro denim skirt. (Notice the cami layered underneath her sweater too.) As we’ve moved away from the super short denim miniskirts (long ones are in this season), we can take comfort in the fact we avoided any underwear wardrobe malfunctions.

PASHMINAS
Everyone and their grandmothers loved a good pashmina in 2000. It was a scarf, a shawl, a blanket for your legs on the airplane. They came in all colors and were made of cashmere wool or in some cases, just plain ol’ polyester. Jennifer Lopez wore her pashmina with a matching pink dress for the Nickelodeon Kids’ Choice Awards in 2000.

POCKETLESS JEANS
Unfortunately, I was an adopter of this trend and had several pairs of pocketless jeans. Though unlike Christina Milian at the Crossroads premiere in 2002, I skipped the visibile-thong mania. Thankfully, both trends have faded out over the years and now I can happily stick my iPhone or lip balm into the back pockets of my jeans if I needed to.

TANK TOPS OVER ANOTHER SHIRT
If you owned a lace cami in 2004, you were probably layering it over a t-shirt or another shirt like Alyson Michalka’s. It was a relatively easy look, achievable with any colored camisoles (I had a rainbow of colors that I wore under my one zip up). These days, the cami style is still around, though now I opt for silk or satin pieces.

TIERED MINISKIRTS
Your school might have had a dress code, so short tiered skirts like this were a no-no, but on the weekends? All rules were out the window. The tiered miniskirt was often worn with a camisole or white tank top, which made you feel like the coolest kid on the block.

TRUE RELIGION
As The Black Eyed Peas once said, “They say they love mah ass in/Seven jeans/True Religion…” Like the Juicy tracksuit, owning a pair of True Religion jeans in the earl 2000’s were a cool-girl symbol. And you could tell when a pair was from TR. The bottoms were defined by the horseshoe stitching on the back pockets and the laughing Buddha label. Though more contemporary brands like Mother and Re/Done are emerging as competitors in the denim market, True Religion hopes to make a comeback and tapped Bella Hadid as its newest campaign face just last year.

TUBE TOPS
If you didn’t spend your time tugging up your tube top or worrying they’d slide down in 2002, what were you doing? This piece was the perfect way to flash your belly-button ring or show off your shoulders and collarbones. The style is still relevant in 2019 and you can find traces of the silhouette in pieces like this. For something similar, get this blush pink tube top.

GETTY IMAGES
UGGS
UGG boots have managed to survive the early aughts (back when they were worn with miniskirts, the horror) and look better than ever in 2019. This throwback image of Bey from 2004 defined how seasonally confusing we must have all looked with our UGG boots and skirts. Never again.

WIDE BELTS
No top or dress was complete in the early ’00s without the addition of a large wide belt. They came in shiny plastic options, woven patterns, and everything in between. The style was even good enough for the red carpet, as evidenced by Kim, who rocked hers at the Rock & Republic preview party.