Amidst a burst of nostalgia, it’s not uncommon to fish out old yearbooks or scroll through forgotten Facebook albums and cringe at the unsightly fashion choices we made. Thing is, those unflattering silhouettes and tacky patterns might reappear in the next few years. Fashion moves in cycles and takes inspiration from buried trends, making one decade’s trash another’s treasure. Everything old really is new again…
Hindsight is 20/20
With the hindsight of the present, we smugly judge the ignorance of our past self – ironically while sporting the 90s high-waisted mom jeans that were a sartorial sin not too long ago. Instead of shielding our eyes, we should take note, because we may be seeing those fashion faux pas return as fashion trends sooner than we think.
Take a peek into the future by checking out the old trends making a comeback this coming year.
Understanding the 20-Year Rule
When you find yourself surrounded by the ghosts of fashion’s past, you can thank one of the most widely accepted fashion theories in the industry: the 20-year rule.
It claims the life cycle of a trend is to go from stylish to indifferent to tacky then to chic in approximately 20-year cycles. There are rarely unique innovations in fashion, so most of the newest fads are just contemporary adaptations of old styles.
Time Heals All (Fashion) Wounds
When enough time passes, we embody a fresh perspective of the past and crave the familiarity of simpler days. Nostalgia rears its (ugly?) head and conjures inspiration. Think about the looks that popped up in the last decade: baggy jeans, scrunchies, neon streetwear, and grunge are all fragments of the 1990s that made their way back into our closets.
Now, as we creep into the new decade, we are revisited by some of the aughts-inspired fits that graced our childhoods 20 years ago.
Mini Purses
When they popped up near the end of the twenty-teens, these tiny treasures became some of the first indications that Y2K fashion was making a comeback. Throughout the years, purse sizes varied between laughably small and inefficient to unnecessarily large and showy. The popularity of the Fendi baguette in the early 2000s launched a wave of similar styles, which cemented the silhouette as an iconic staple of the era.
In recent years celebrities have adopted the statement piece once again, and now it is nearly impossible to peruse social media without coming across them. These days, however, the accessory will most likely have a more streamlined look with muted patterns and neutral colors. These bags pair best with casual attire, but keep in mind that they may not fit the newest iPhone.
Low-Rise Pants
Dreaded by the millennials who lived through the first wave of this trend, low-rise pants have recently gained some popularity among Gen Z-ers – particularly on TikTok. For the better part of the last decade, high-waisted bottoms were all the rage and are not disappearing just yet, but the rise of Y2K fashion trends has caused a resurgence in the low-waisted jeans of the early aughts.
Unlike some of the pants Paris Hilton, Lindsay Lohan, and Ashley Simpson wore in the early 2000s, the low-waist trend of today is seen on baggier bottoms in conjunction with a baby-tee for visual interest. Although not the most universally flattering addition to the list, be prepared to see a high rise in low-rise fashion.
Bucket Hats
Although their origins are found in the 1960s, bucket hats were a decade-defining fashion statement of youth culture during the late ‘90s and early ‘00s. If you were a teen catching some sun over summer vacation, odds are you would be sporting one of these Y2K classics.
In the early 2020s, the famous beachy staple began to reappear on the runway and was later worn by a number of celebrities and fashion influencers like Bad Bunny, Kendal Jenner, and Bella Hadid. This accessory is made in a variety of colors and materials to add a touch of whimsy to an otherwise simple and casual get-up.
Butterfly Clips
As are most fashion trends, this fad is dominated by the younger generations who sported this look in their adolescence. One of the significant appeals of the Y2K aesthetic is the link to the positive emotions typically present in their childhood. The butterfly clips of today embody the whimsical innocence of a simpler time while updating their design to appeal to young adults.
TikTok again played an integral part in bringing this trend into the present because of its youthful demographic. Many younger generations have just reached adulthood in the new decade and are overwhelmed by the heavy reality the real world offers, and finding safety in the joys of the past is a common influence on fashion.
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