Share

The fashions of the 2000s were often described as a global mash up, where trends saw the fusion of vintage styles, global and ethnic clothing (e.g. boho), as well as the fashions of numerous music-based subcultures. Hip-hop fashion generally was the most popular among young people of both sexes, followed by the retro-inspired indie look later in the decade.

Men and women aged 25 and older adopted a dressy casual style which was popular throughout the decade. Globalization also influenced the decade’s clothing trends, with the incorporation of Middle Eastern and Asian dress into mainstream European, American, and Australasian fashion. Furthermore, eco-friendly and ethical clothing, such as recycled fashions were prominent in the decade. In the early 2000s, many mid and late 1990s fashions remained fashionable around the globe, while simultaneously introducing newer trends. The later years of the decade saw a large-scale revival of clothing designs primarily from the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s.

American, British and Western European Fashion in the 2000s was profoundly influenced by technology. Around this time, there was a monochromatic futuristic approach to fashion, with metallics, shiny blacks, heavy use of gray, straps, and buckles becoming commonplace. Y2K fashion, as it came to be known, aimed to reflect the sleek appearance of its era’s new technology. When the original iPod was introduced in 2001, the white earbuds, became something of an accessory for early adopters. 

Fashion also influenced technology; in January 2015, Google’s president Eric Schmidt cited the massive attention to the dress Jennifer Lopez wore to the 2000 Grammy Awards as the motivation for the creation of Google Images search. In 2000, Google Search results were limited to simple pages of text with links, but the developers worked on developing this further, realizing that an image search was required to answer “the most popular search query” they had seen to date: Jennifer Lopez’s green dress. 

Other pieces of Y2K clothing included mesh tops, wraparound sunglasses, wireframe rectangle glasses, box-pleated skirts, handkerchief tops (often in a metallic pattern such as silver or gold for a disco feel), satin or leather skirts, concert t-shirts or band merch with rhinestones, sparkling shoes, halter tops, sequined pants (popularized by Peter Morrissey), and embroidered and sequined tops (inspired by Easton Pearson), along with the famous pearl printed black dress cocktail dress by Karen Walker—which was successful worldwide. 

In 2000, some examples of casual women’s and girl’s fashion trends were oversized sunglasses, mini shoulder handbags/purses, aviator sunglasses, oversized hoop earrings, jeans worn in various ways (such as mid-rise, boot-cut, fabric accents down the sides, fabric accents sewn into the flares, lace-up sides and tie-dye), wedge flip flops, hot pants, denim jackets, chunky sweaters, pashmina scarves, Skechers, belly shirts, and tube tops.

In Africa, Europe, North America, East Asia, South America, and Oceania, the early 2000s saw the continuation of many mid and late 1990s fashions due to the continued influence of teen pop stars.

 

Photo Credit: Shutterstock