10 Fashion Trends From The 00s That Remain ‘Totally Fetch’

Rhinestones? Butterflies? Baby pink? We’re talking about the 00s, of course. Whether it was Paris in a velour tracksuit, Britney in a bucket hat or Reese Witherspoon in a pair of rose-hued trappy sandals, this was a decade of iconic fashion moments. Get to grips with the naughty noughties these fierce fashion trends.

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What Was The Fashion In The 00s?

Bringing together a mish-mash of sub-cultures, 00s fashion was defined by a mix of urban glamour, grunge and the occasional trashiness (yes, we remember the tiny thongs). While the ladies dipped their French-tipped toes into low-waisted bottoms, crop tops and belly chains, the guys tended to stick to polo shirts, cargos and oversized fits. One thing’s for sure though, none of it was forgettable.

00s Fashion Trends We Still Love Today

1. Velour Tracksuits

If there’s one trend that dominated them all in the 00s, it had to be the velour tracksuit. This trashy-chic staple was popularised by brands like Juicy Couture, as well as famous faces like Paris Hilton, Kim Kardashian and Britney Spears. A symbol of luxury and leisure, the velour tracksuit came in a rainbow of colour and was usually ‘blinged up’ with rhinestones.

2. Bucket Hats

The crowning glory of the Y2K era? Bucket hats. This unisex accessory was seen everywhere, from highstreets to red carpets, finding a home in hip-hop and urban culture scenes. Alongside Raven (pictured above), notable celebrities who donned a bucket or two include Jay Z, Britney Spears, Brad Pitt and Nas.

3. Baby Tees

We’re no stranger to a cropped tee nowadays, but in the 00s they had a chokehold on trendsetters. And what did they pair them with? Low-rise jeans, of course. Baby tees were something of a fashion disruptor when they first hit the scene, as they departed from the oversized fit of the 80s and early 90s. We still have one question though: were they really that cropped, or did our low-waist jeans just make them look ‘baby’?

4. Cargo Pants

Following the rolling trend of low-slung jeans and baggy trousers were cargo pants. These utilitarian trousers were usually decked out in multiple pockets and rugged stitching, and were worn by both men and women throughout the noughties. You’d catch the gal wearing their cargos with baby tees, corsets and tank tops (as demonstrated by Girls Aloud, above).

5. Strappy Sandals

When it comes to shoes of the noughties, nothing hit quite like a good strappy sandal (bonus points if they had hearts, butterflies and diamantes scattered all over them). This footwear phenomenon came in loads of styles – heels, flats, wedges – but the crucial identifying factor was that they had some kind of ‘strap factor’, with fun, intertwining straps decorating the foot.

6. Butterfly Clips

Whether you were a minimalist or a full-blown butterflyer, most 00s girlies had a stash of butterfly clips squirreled away in their room. This hair accessory was undeniably cute and girly, and definitely softened some of the messier updo’s of the decade.

7. Baguette Bags

Name a phrase more iconic than ‘It’s not just a bag, it’s a baguette!’ – we dare you. This cute little bag wasn’t just a cameo on Sex and the City, it was a whole movement. The baguette was first released by Fendi in 1997 and quickly became a decade-defining icon in the noughties, worn by the likes of Paris Hilton, Jennifer Aniston and Sarah Jessica Parker (0f course).

8. Pleated Skirts

As you can tell by this Mean Girls screengrab, pleated skirts were indeed fetch during the 00s. They were worn in a wide range of colours and patterns – from check and denim to baby doll pink – and usually paired up with baby tees and cardigans (and the occasionally pair of jeans, for layering purposes).

9. Belly Chains

As was to be expected, low waistbands freed up a lot of space around the ol’ midriff – and what better way to fill it than with jewellery? If it wasn’t a bellybutton piercing, the next best thing was a belly chain. Wrapping around the waist and hanging down over the hips, the noughties belly chain was typically paired with low-rise trousers and a crop top (or any other outfit that revealed a large expanse of skin).

10. Whale Tails

As the saying goes, business in the front, party in the back – which is exactly the case for the whale tail, otherwise known as the visible thong. The name comes from the Y-shaped rear portion of the thong that peeked over low-rise waistbands, giving the impression of a whale tail splashing back into the ocean. While maybe not the sexiest name for a trend, it had plenty of sex appeal; celebrities that showed off their tails included Christina Aguilera, Mariah Carey, Victoria Beckham and Britney Spears.

Featured image: Jacob Sierra, Pexels