y2k’s return to our wardrobes

Within the last few years, we have seen the resurgence of the Y2K aesthetic. Fashions from the early 2000s grew after the maximalism trend of the early 2020s began to fade post covid. Sustainability was seen as a huge bonus after the ordering everyone did during COVID-19 and made your retail therapy sessions much more justifiable. This saw a large rise in thrifting, because who doesn’t love a day at the Stockbridge charity shops or walking down Newington on a break from the gossip on the 4th floor? Charity shops were an ideal place to get anything from the past few years. 

The remains of the maximalism trend with many people still embracing the bright color of that time in fashion, along with the fun patterns with animal prints of cheetah and leopard coming back to replace the popular cow print. This made for an easy change for many people's wardrobes and made it easy to repurpose certain items from that period, with the potential to just add gemstones to many items. The inspiration from magazines and the internet saw plenty of ideas for affordable outfits, as well as the likes of reality tv stars such as Jersey Shore's Snooki and Paris Hilton.  

When ideas on what to wear come to mind there are also many established brands that never left and were easy for consumers to get their hands on. The idea of having the logo to show people what you were wearing saw a return, continuing the maximalism that was already present within trends-developing posts COVID. 

Photos Courtesy of Getty Images

Photo courtesy of Getty Images

Juicy Couture 

Since the resurgence in Y2K, there has been a rise in the classic staple of Y2K fashion, the iconic juicy couture. Most known for their famous velour tracksuits every girl in the early 2000s owned. These velvet tracksuits came as a pair of low-rise flared bottoms and a zip-up cropped hoodie. However, the most notable feature of the tracksuit was the bedazzled ‘juicy’ written across the backside of the tracksuit. These tracksuits came in every color you could imagine and were seen on every celebrity of that time. 

Along with these tracksuits the famous handbags were created, as well as t-shirts and jewellery. The large logos, with the jewelled elements and the bright colours were a key to the brand and were part of the reason it has stayed in the market. This is now a brand new staple to many girls' wardrobes, from seeing them all over social media to the comfiest outfit for those long library days, or even dressed up with a nice pair of kitten heels and a top they can be seen in bars now too. 

Low rise 

Another staple that has seen a return is the low-rise jeans. Love them or hate them they have come back in full force. These jeans are a practical purchase from the rise of this style in recent years with them being perfect for any club night out (specifically tamagotchi tuesday), to a lecture with a baby tee, or even a fun shopping day. The wear you will get from these is unbelievable.

Along with these usually comes the recommendation of a belt, if you're looking to stick with the Y2K style then a chunky buckle or a rhinestone edgy toned belt would be the perfect combinations. This can be again worn very casually or for many evening events.

Ugg

Ugg is a classic piece of footwear that everyone and their mother seems to own. While maybe not the most practical shoe for the wet wintery Edinburgh months, this was and still is one of the most popular shoes. The ugg boots were a must have for any Y2K wardrobe and now have grown into the platformed ugg boots. These platforms would be a great match for your juicy couture tracksuit, much like the original boots that were popular.   

Sunglasses 

Every celebrity within this time wore a pair of iconic wrap around or oversized sunglasses. Popular in particular with the reality tv stars such as Paris Hilton and Real Housewives everyone was wearing them. These still can be found very easily, with the original ones on trend being the prada, however most people don’t have any sort of budget so looking in your local thrift shops would be a step in the right direction. From Armstrongs to Primark to Zara somewhere will sell these iconic wrap-arounds. 

Caps 

When it comes down to the y2k aesthetic a cap was always seen as a primary accessory. Von dutch was a brand that you can still find in your local urban outfitters or any second hand vintage store. These caps while expensive were seen as part of the overall look when it came down to having that bright cool girl energy. With many colours they are the perfect combination for your new tracksuit or a pair of low rise jeans. 

Another type of cap popular to this time was the camouflage with rhinestones and pink edges. As well as any bright coloured mixed colours caps.