By Middle-School Blogger Sophia Bottine

What is Y2K Fashion?

Y2K fashion started in the late 90s and ran to the early 2000s. It was made most famous by the movie The Matrix Reloaded (2003), starring Keanu Reeves, Laurence Fishburne, Carrie-Anne Moss, Hugo Weaving, and Gloria Foster. In the movie, Carrie-Anne Moss wore a white shirt and dark pants topped with a black metallic leather trench coat (http://lovehappensmag.com). Other movies like Mean Girls and The Simple Life also promoted Y2K fashion, sparking this new style and marking a new fashion trend in history. An example of a Y2K outfit from Mean Girls is when Amanda Seyfried, who plays Karen Smith in the movie, wears a black “Bling Bling” shirt, white with red hearts skirt, with black, open heels. 

Celebrities like Rihanna, who in 2018 wore a The Matrix Reloaded-inspired outfit to an event in London and Missy Elliot in her “Supa Dupa Fly” music video where she wore a black blow-up jumpsuit with matching shoes, gloves, a glitter helmet, and sunglasses influenced Y2K fashion even more. 

Other famous artists like Jay Z, Nelly, Snoop Dog, Destiny’s Child, Britney Spears, Christina Aguilera, and Paris Hilton quickly caught up on this new trend wearing low-slung denim jeans with velour tracksuits, flip-flops (for a little bold touch) and Von Dutch trucker hats, jackets or tracksuits, baggy jeans, and bandanas (http://lovehappensmag.com). 

Y2K Fashion Comes Back!

Y2K fashion started to resurface in 2020 thanks to social media trends, music videos, and movies. Celebrities like Britney Spears, Christina Aguilera, Paris Hilton, and Bella Hadid also greatly influenced the restart of this trend. But, you might be thinking, “I’ve never seen Bella Hadid wear this fashion trend before?” Well, you’re right, Bella Hadid did not wear Y2K in the 2000s as she was still a child. And, while Bella Hadid wasn’t one of the original icons of early Y2K fashion, she now is, wearing low-rise jeans to tiny sunglasses and chunky sneakers. 

You know what else helped bring back Y2K fashion? A little sense of nostalgia. Many people, like Bella Hadid, were still children when Y2K first started up. But now that they have grown up, they want to wear Y2K. I mean, who wouldn’t? It’s a bright, fun, and edgy fashion trend. 

Sources: 

1. https://www.lovehappensmag.com/blog/2022/09/30/who-started-y2k-fashion-and-is-the-trend-circling-back/
2. https://www.goodhousekeeping.com/uk/fashion/style-advice/a46719165/how-to-wear-y2k-fashion/
3. https://www.fashiongonerogue.com/y2k-fashion-trends/#:~:text=Y2K%20fashion%20reflects%20a%20unique,technological%20 advancements%20of%20the%20 era.
4. https://blog.waveplm.com/the-revival-of-y2k-fashion-a-blast-from-the-past/#:~:text=Pop%20culture%20played%20a%20crucial,that%20would%20define%20the%20era.
5. https://www.vogue.com/article/y2k-style-celebrity-runway-trend