For Some Millennials, The Y2K Comeback Is A Second Chance At The Era’s Biggest Fashion Trends

As a kid growing up in the early 2000s, Neena Rouhani used to envy the women who could wear belly chains and scarf tops popular at the time. For the then-nine-year-old, the styles of the era seemed like the epitome of adult sophistication and confidence. That said, they were far from being playground-appropriate (or parent-approved). This is why now, at 27, she’s embracing the Y2K fashion comeback. 

“I have an income, a social life, and boobs, so it’s fun to wear all the trends I didn’t get to fully take advantage of [because of my young age at the time],” the New York-based journalist says.

Over the past year, thanks to TikTok and the industry’s knack for nostalgia, the return of Y2K fashion trends — from micro-mini skirts and low-rise waistlines to trucker hats — has puzzled some millennials who thought these trends were shelved away forever, only appearing in the occasional (cringe-inducing) viewing of high-school yearbooks. For those like Rouhani — who were too young (or deemed too young by their parents) to sport the hyper-sexualized styles of the era, like cropped baby tees that revealed too much skin and the infamous whale tails that literally exposed one’s underwear — though, the Y2K comeback presents an opportunity to finally wear the styles on their own terms. 

While Rouhani has embraced the retro trend with open arms, some styles still feel off-limits to her. For example, low-rise jeans, which she thinks “could lead to a heightened sense of body-shaming and insecurity,” or mini skirts, which she says are “just impractical.” 

She isn’t alone in feeling conflicted about certain Y2K trends — and the standards they upheld — coming back to mainstream popularity. Rewind to the early 2000s, and you’d find magazines filled with images of celebs like Paris Hilton, Mischa Barton, and Kate Moss wearing trends that predominantly served their slim, white, and airbrushed bodies. While for many Y2K trends are a reminder of a time of poor wardrobe judgment, for others they bring up memories of when they were made to feel inadequate. That’s precisely what writer Olivia Muenter, 28, experienced when she first saw Baguette-style bags and low-rise jeans trending again: “I was transported back to being 13 and super self-conscious about my body and everything I wore.” 

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Back then, Muenter loved wearing denim mini skirts and babydoll tops from Hollister, paired with calf-height UGG boots. But she always felt that low-rise skinny jeans were not in the cards for her because she wasn’t a size 2 or 4. “I didn’t feel like I was choosing not to wear low-rise jeans. Instead, it felt like there was a rule saying I couldn’t,” she wrote in a piece for Refinery29 last year. In 2022, her outlook has changed: “Unlike how I felt in the early 2000s, wearing exactly what I want is way more important to me now than looking as thin as possible.”

Looking at the current offering of Y2K-style trends and imagery, Muenter says she’s happy to see some improvements in the fashion industry’s embrace of size inclusivity. Today, many brands — including ’00s mall mainstay Abercrombie & Fitch — are catering to a wider range of sizes. “The mere fact that you can see different bodies now in commercials, ads, and on social media is a huge difference,” she says. “[There’s] still a long way to go, but it’s a start.” While Muenter still isn’t ready to reach for low-rise denim, she says that she is enjoying the comeback of other Y2K trends, like claw clips: “I don’t know why they ever went out of style — they’re so practical.” 

Nayamka Roberts-Smith is embracing Y2K trends to revisit their teenage self. Like Rouhani and Muenter, Roberts-Smith, 31, was a tween in the early 2000s, often wearing butterfly clips, airbrushed T-shirts, and low-rise jeans. She remembers owning a denim pair with a zipper so short she could barely bend over for fear of a mishap. While the memory may sound uncomfortable to those who still remember the shimmy move that sitting down in low-rise jeans required, she recalls them being her “prized possession.” 

I’m not new to this. I’m true to this. 😉
(29 vs 16) pic.twitter.com/YAsGJo635E

— Nai, the Internet’s Esthetician (@LaBeautyologist) December 6, 2019

Roberts-Smith’s style at the time was so rooted in Y2K trends that she even became a meme in 2019, after she posted a 2003 photo of herself putting on, what else but, shiny lip gloss. In the photo, she’s wearing a bedazzled corset, paired with chandelier earrings, and rimless sunglasses. Almost two decades later, she finds herself coming back to that photo as a reference for her personal style as an adult. So far, she’s experimented with butterfly tops a la Mariah Carey, which she says “gave me so many feels.” As for the low-rise jeans? “It’s coming,” she says.

For Jessica Camerata, the chance to embrace low-rise jeans, belly chains, and tiny tops in the early 2000s never came because her parents didn’t allow her to wear them. Instead, back then, Camerata was fond of Juicy Couture tracksuits, popularized by celebs like Paris Hilton and Kim Kardashian. Now, as a 34-year-old style blogger, she’s using her audience’s interest in Y2K trends as an opportunity to jump back in time: “The more I see pieces get styled by my peers, the more excited I get about trying out trends again.”

However, she’s not looking to be a 30-something version of a teenager. Instead of “ovary pants” and heeled-thong sandals, she’s embracing trends from earlier eras, like straight-leg pants and Dr. Martens boots, that were staples in the ’00s and withstood the test of time. Camerata is also having fun with trends she didn’t even consider back in the early 2000s, like leather blazers and matching mini sets. “It’s like we’re getting permission to have at it and make [the trends] our own,” she says.

While some millennials see the current Y2K fashion renaissance as an entertaining way to revisit the questionable styles of their youth, for many, this latest wave feels like an opportunity to reclaim the freedom they didn’t have as teens. “It’s different now because there are less rules about who can wear what,” says Muenter.

Roberts-Smith agrees: “Now, as an adult, I can be who my 13-year-old self wanted to be.”

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10 Fashion Brands That Led The Y2K Comeback

How I Stopped Worrying About Low-Rise Jeans

6 Y2K Trends That Fashion Loves To Hate

This Latinx Designer Is Challenging Hair Stereotypes With Her T-Shirt Line

Sherly Tavarez was only six when her mom started relaxing her hair. “I remember thinking I would never know what it was like to have ‘good hair’,” she says. And as a Dominican woman and a first generation immigrant growing up in New York, she wasn’t alone in this experience. 

That’s where she found the idea for Hause of Curls. Originally, the business operated as a digital storefront for graphic tees with clever uplifting phrases about Latinx hair that she hoped would help eradicate the idea of “pelo malo” or “bad hair.” “I just woke up one day and thought, ‘I want to make a T-shirt that says Pelo Malo Where?’ — so I did,” she says. “I knew that if even a few people could relate, I’d have done something good.” 

Lo and behold, after the initial T-shirt launch, far more than a few people showed excitement about Tavarez’s tees. And now, with countless T-shirt styles boasting any number of slogans — along with hair-care products, accessories, and so many other goods — Hause of Curls is a full-scale operation. But still, the mission remains the same: to celebrate natural Latinx hair in all its glory. 

That’s why Refinery29 is partnering with Jack Daniel’s Tennessee Apple to produce Valiente Y Fuerte — a video campaign designed to amplify the voices of Latinx creatives like Tavarez who inspire us every day. Watch the video above for more information about the origins of Hause of Curls —   and how it’s changing the narrative around natural hair. 

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The Bonnet: Not A Beanie, Not Yet A Balaclava

Flash-fashion events are like lightning, only lasting a hot second before disappearing into the seasonal ether — but even such fleeting fads can leave a lasting mark. Welcome to Micro Trends, where we explore the latest and greatest of these blink-and-you’ll-miss-them style moments.

It seems as though the winter beanie is taking a backseat this season. Instead, we’re seeing an influx for fuller head-coverage pieces like balaclavas, ski masks, and puffer hoods — but perhaps the next great hat alternative that ought to be on your radar is the bonnet. Yes, the kind of bonnet you’d usually see on babies but, you know, sized for adult heads.

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“There have been a handful of bonnet revivals over the past century but two distinct bonnet approaches seem to be trendy right now: the close-fitting, monastic cap similar to those worn by Tudor women and the wide-brimmed ‘prairie’ bonnet, reminiscent of mid-19th century sun bonnets worn by women who spent much of their day working outside,” Sarah Jean Culbreth, fashion and textile historian, tells me. “The bonnet trend now might be a result of people watching period films and TV, or the popularity of antique and vintage sellers on Instagram, or maybe it’s a reaction to the cottagecore look that still pervades the fashion system.”

Skull Cap Bonnets

“Women have covered their heads with some version of a cap, or bonnet, for millennia,” says Culbreth, when I ask about the bonnet’s rich, centuries-spanning history. “One of my favorite early examples is a sprang net cap worn by women as early as the Bronze Age. Caps, usually of white linen, were worn every day by most 17th- and 18th-century women in Europe and the Americas and these are likely where the bonnets of today have their stylistic roots.”

Luxury Bonnets

While modern-day bonnets range in styles, materials, and fits, Culbreth tells me bonnets were typically constructed in two parts — a crown and a brim — which could be “simple or decorated to within an inch of their life with ruffles, lace, ribbon, pintucks, flowers, fur, and anything else fashion can conceive! In many ways, 19th-century fashion could be defined by the evolving shape and style of the bonnet, just as it could be charted by the changes in corset and petticoat silhouette.”

It’s no surprise that fashion brands are rolling out with more bonnet and hood styles this season, which could be seen as a younger cousin (and less intense) version of the full-head balaclava. DIY crocheters and Etsy makers alike are also seeing more of a demand for bonnets, which are arguably cuter and warmer than the beanie and easier to wear than, say, a ski mask.

Knit Bonnets

“Bonnets to me are a perfect beanie and balaclava hybrid,” Olivia Irja Strautmanis, an NYC-based crocheter, tells me. “I made my first bonnet four years ago when I had a short haircut and wanted something that covered my ears but was also flattering because most winter hats at the time made me appear bald.” Timing-wise, the rise of the bonnet also coincides with our second winter of the coronavirus pandemic. “A lot of makers used the pandemic as a time to hone in on skills and craft,” says Strautmanis. “We were looking for a way to make money when we all lost our day jobs in 2020. I think there was a surge in practical fashion during the pandemic in general and bonnets are a super practical winter accessory that can also make a statement.”

As a bonnet enthusiast (I myself own seven versions of the detachable winter hood, including one of Strautmanis’ designs), I can say I much prefer this type of cold-weather hat because I love how a bonnets cradles my head and plays nice with my hair — whereas wearing a beanie feels like I’m shoving my head into a sock. Plus, the ear coverage makes all the difference when trying to stay warm.

Rain Bonnets

“I like to wear caps and bonnets because they are practical and because I think they showcase your face in a sweet way,” says Culbreth, who is also a skilled needleworker and makes antique-inspired bonnets. “A brimmed bonnet with a skirt — when the fabric hangs below the crown — offers both face and neck protection from the sun. A wool cap that ties under the chin is warm and stays on when it’s windy. Bonnets are my interpretation of something like a baseball cap or a beanie — two accessories that, oddly enough, I will never feel comfortable wearing.”

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