Guide to 2000s fashion

Guide to 2000s fashion. 2000s fashion is usually categorised as fashion between the year 2000 and 2009. It was not so long ago, yet the fashion was distinct. Fashion trends on the red carpet included clinging white goddess gowns with dramatic draped necklines and fishtail trains, beaded dresses and black, white and gold styles. Street style found velour Juicy Couture tracksuits, Von Dutch Trucker Hats, Ed Hardy jeans, cargo pants, low rise jeans, denim skirts and studded belts.

Guide to 2000s fashion – The Red Carpet

Dramatic gowns were in fashion for the 2001 Oscars. Julia Roberts, winning best actress for Erin Brockovich, turned up in vintage Valentino. The gown was a fitted floor-length black and white velvet column, with a tulle fishtail train. It was a move that surprised people, but they approved of it and she topped the best-dressed lists. Halle Berry had a clinging white sequinned gown, also floor length, and also with a fishtail train. She looked amazing. Michelle Yeoh, nominated for Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon did formfitting sequins, and a train, with a twist. The twist was the collar, and shape that recalled a traditional Chinese cheongsam. Oh, and the fact that the sequins wire gold, black and silver, in tiger stripes. And despite that, her dignity and beauty are so great that she transcended tackiness.

But the most dramatic of all? Björk of course. The singer was up for an Oscar for the best original song for I’ve Seen it All from Lars von Trier’s wrenching (and highly recommended) Dancer in the Dark. She also starred in it. She wore a beautiful dress by Marjan Pejoski. It was in the shape of a swan with its long neck curled around hers and head nestled on her breast. Her nude illusion tights were dotted with crystals, as were her sleeves. Her visible floral bra was rather unfortunate, but nobody was looking at that when she decided to lay a trail of eggs on the white carpet. Commentators were really stunned by her outfit, and they made fun of it, but Björk found it classical, as a tribute to swimmer and actress Esther Williams and Busby Berkeley musicals.

Guide to 2000s fashion – The Blue Planet and the Green Clothes

Sustainability was a buzzword that few could ignore. David Attenborough’s TV series, The Blue Planet, was a nature programme which first aired in 2001 that had an unprecedented environmental message. Very quickly, issues specifically mentioned such as the plastic straws that litter the seas were addressed. Plastic straws were banned in many places, plastic ear cleaners replaced with paper, and finally in 2015 the UK Government levied a 5p charge on plastic carrier bags, encouraging people to bring their own re-usable one. Anya Hindmarsh’s “I’m not a plastic bag” tote was a hit back in 2007. Soon many designers started producing their own re-usable branded cotton totes too. Green clothing was in.

Guide to 2000s fashion – the High Street

Guide to 2000s fashion. Low waistband showing underwear. Image via Wikimedia.

No guide to 2000s fashion would be complete without talking about low waists. The waistline in the 2000s was vanishingly low. Jeans were strapped tightly around the hips. Strangely, underwear stayed mostly at the same height, and it could be difficult to avoid your knickers peeking over the top of your jeans. However, the answer to that became to make underwear a feature. Thongs and G-Strings were in fashion, and the backs were embellished with crystals, bows, little butterflies, and twinkling butterflies flashing with crystals and bows. Calvin Klein underwear was a more masculine or androgynous version of the trend. Thick elastic waistbands emblazoned with the brand name emerged above jeans for both men and women.

Trucker caps and baker boy hats

A man in a trucker cap. Image via Wikimedia.

A huge fashion in the 2000s for both genders was trucker caps. These are a very large, square, very ugly baseball cap that’s loose fitting and comes down over the eyes. They came in a variety of patterns and logos, deliberately supposed to look like you were a delivery man or trucker.

Other hats that were popular were baker boy hats, large floppy caps with a peak. They started off being worn by Edwardian men, particularly working men, particularly, strangely enough, delivery men or baker’s boys. Britney Spears particularly liked them. She also wore them pulled down right to her eyes.

Trilbies and sometimes bucket hats were also worn in a hangover from the 90s, although these hit peak popularity more recently. Fluffy angora Kangol hats, in black, baby blue and baby pink were an unexpected trend.

The 2000s on the catwalk

The early 2000s on the catwalk were a combination of colourful excess and slinky, form-fitting gowns. A guide to 2000s fashion on the catwalk is a mixture of bright colours and demure black and white.

In 2002, Julian Macdonald was appointed to Givenchy. He loved razzle-dazzle, and that year presented miniskirts in purple and pink, with form fitting leather jackets. But his tenure only lasted two years. At his last show in 2004 only 80 people were invited and no journalists, apparently because the House hated his work so much. But it wasn’t so different for the work of John Galliano, who had helmed the House for a year in the 90s. Perhaps they didn’t learn from that mistake.

However, others loved the colour and showmanship. Lacroix, Valentino, Ungaro and of course Versace presented similarly colourful outfits.

In complete opposition, Chanel and Balmain showed black, buttoned to the neck ensembles.

In 2003, John Galliano gave a roaring show for Christian Dior exuberantly referencing flamenco dresses. This show would probably not have flown today, as it also referenced “Gypsy” style, including models deeply fake tanned and dirty looking.

Possibly chastised, Macdonald’s show for Givenchy was largely black, and far more ladylike. It featured knee-length pencil skirts and fitted jackets with a Forties vibe, and flared skirts with a Fifties feel, as well as floor length gowns.

• 2000s
• Catwalk