The Essence for Y2K Fashion
By Andrea Esteban
Let’s face it : Old-fashioned ‘90s are back again — and yes, that involves all of those Y2K fashion trends you’ve probably hidden in the back of your wardrobe. Today, I’ll share all you need to know about Y2K fashion trends, and how Y2K fashion icons can inspire you to dress like a Gen-Z nowadays.
Here are my top tips to what is fashionable at the moment:
- Where did the Y2K fashion trend come from?
Y2K fashion boomed across the mid-late 1990s and early 2000s. It doesn’t only refer to fashion, but it also refers to the technology and computer bug that people thought would happen on New Year’s day in 2000.
Y2K culture was marked by luxurious consumerism. Gen-Z were always trying to look for the most expensive monograms and designer brands including on clothing, accessories or perfumes that reflected the idea of ‘being contemporary’. Brands like Channel, Prada, Louis Vuitton, Gucci and Dior were the most coveted.
We can’t forget that Y2K Culture was also shaped by streetwear trends including: designers’ logos, bling, D-rings, exposed zippers, belts, straps in line with the idea of the up to date technology.
- What is Y2K Fashion?
Aesthetics and trends typically worn between the late ‘90s and the year 2000. What are the first items that come to your mind when you think about those years? Of course you can’t help remembering the crop tops, the velour tracksuits, the camis, the sparkly shoes or the low-rise jeans, all in the shiny black tone and reflective metallic color palette.
Casual clothing and leisurewear were also big fashion trends of the early 2000s. Denim became a significant staple for Gen-Z, going beyond skirts to jeans, hats and jackets. If you want to design a casual Y2K style , keep in mind that the denim staple is worn with all kinds of clothes including hoodies, crop tops & off the shoulder tops, ribbed sweaters with trainers, platform sandals, sneakers or boots.
- How Can you get the Y2K Look nowadays? Get inspired!
Many of Y2K fashion inspiration can be taken from the pop culture icons of our early childhood involving celebrities, films and even video clips. Bratz Dolls, Mean Girls, Uptown Girls and Clueless are great fashion examples of inspiration for the Y2K appearance since these main characters loved over-dressing, with eye-catching colors.
One of the essential features of Y2K fashion were accessories. Think of several of the typical staples from your wardrobe. Pieces like tiny sunglasses, mini-bags, bandanas or scrunchies clips are tendences now. Also, one key feature were rhinestones which are used as decorations for accessories like chokers, belts or hats.
Finally, early ’00s makeup tendencies walked by ‘Euphoria’ smokey eyes, highlighting, colored eyeliner, glittery eyeshadow, false eyelashes, glossy lips, skinny brows and matte foundations. There’s no disagreeing that our current looks have been deeply induced by ’00s beauty icons like Tyra Banks, Paris Hilton, Laura Harrier, Britney Spears, Christina Aguilera and Halle Berry. For you to get some inspiration when doing your make-up, I have gathered together the 5 most powerful and influential makeup trends worn by celebrities of the early 2000s in events like MTV Awards, Grammys, Brit Awards or even at the Oscars.
