Ready to Wear (Again): Why Y2K Fashion is Here to Stay
The Spring/Summer 2022 season looks back to the '90s and aughts with longing for a happier, hedonistic, less fraught era.
Like a recurring dream, the trends that defined the 1990s and early 2000s have made an indelible return to the runways over recent seasons, this time reimagined in step with a cultural zeitgeist ruled by Gen Z. The rampantly covered street style of celebrities like Bella Hadid, Dua Lipa, and Alexa Demie have trickled down into the Depop-sponsored wardrobes of today’s young tastemakers, while in music, stars like Olivia Rodrigo and Willow Smith are embracing the pop-punk angst that made 2000s bands like Paramore and My Chemical Romance such hit-makers. Scene stills from cult films and TV shows like 'Clueless' and 'The Simple Life' fill Instagram feeds, paired with made-to-go-viral captions, and fresh shows like 'Euphoria' feed off of the Y2K fashion craze. Amidst all of this nostalgia, it is no wonder that these styles have emerged as a seemingly permanent fixture on the trend cycle.
A global pandemic, the increasing pervasiveness of social media in our lives, and impending climate-related doom have all encouraged an anxiety akin to that felt at the end of the 20th century. It is no wonder, then, that we are looking toward an irreverent, cheeky version of ’90s and Y2K fashions to reclaim and reinterpret as our own. While original keystone brands of these eras have made a comeback, new designers and creators across disciplines have helped to redefine this trend through their own perspectives. At the centre of the 1990s and Y2K fashion systems was a similar dichotomy between ostentation and originality, albeit one without the complexities created by follower counts and feed aesthetics. While we continue to adapt to an uncertain world, there remains an enduring certainty in the significance and substance of this revolutionary era in fashion and culture.
This return to the popular Y2K styles has become a prevalent subject of study for today’s fashion scholars. At FIT, curator Colleen Hill developed an exhibition entitled Reinvention and Restlessness: Fashion in the Nineties, which examines how the decade represents a collision between minimalism and fantasy, and how this juxtaposition is at the crux of the renewed appeal of these styles and trends.
The retrospective, which is open to the public through April 17, 2022, features 85 pieces selected from FIT’s permanent collection. Hill draws connections between iconic garments and trends of the era, melding them with significant cultural moments and moods from the decade. The exhibition could not come at a better time: Celebrities and brands alike have, for better or worse, brought back low-rise pants and skirts, and chunky platform shoes reminiscent of ’90s shopping catalogues stomp the runways of Versace, Vivienne Westwood, and Moschino, while Prada makes a case for the pointed kitten heel that was a favourite going-out shoe among noughties It girls.
Reinvention and Restlessness proposes that these styles were born from a desire to revitalize ourselves and our world, particularly as the relatively drama-free ’90s gave way to a seemingly threatening new millennium, generating widespread anxiety. In 2022, we are experiencing a similar moment as we fluctuate through a global pandemic and an increasingly complex and digitized world. Whereas the ’90s and early 2000s sought to reinvent style entirely, today we yearn for what we perceive as a much simpler time, reinterpreting the aesthetics of the era through a modern lens.
As Y2K fashion soars on TikTok, the once-faded brand Blumarine has returned to the spotlight, encapsulating the campy coolness and casual sexiness of the ’00s girl. Blumarine’s bubblegum-and-butterflies aesthetic is a carefree refresh, inviting joy back into fashion during a period of darkness. Roberto Cavalli has also made a recent resurrection, and, in turn, ’90s couture heavyweight Vivienne Westwood has recaptured the industry’s attention, with celebrities and influencers alike repping the designer’s quintessential punk image in flirty mini kilts, corset tops, and pearl chokers. At Prada, the brand has released a re-edition of its iconic nylon handbags, while at Miu Miu the miniskirt is back in full force for Spring/Summer 2022, this time even shorter than we remembered.
The season is rife with the energetic hedonism of the turn of the millennium, infused with candy colours, body-bearing silhouettes, and indulgent prints and textures. This nostalgic trip delights in the femininity, sexiness, and deliberately tacky qualities of Y2K fashion, delivering a much-needed dopamine dose following the dreariness that has so far been the 2020s.
