Y2K - why?

[TheLeadbetterLife]

This Y2K trend—I suppose it must be very young people looking at pics of Girls Aloud or Britney and thinking they look cool and retro?

Even though I was in my 20s during the 00s, I have no nostalgia for the fashion whatsoever. It was so basic. All strappy cami tops and hipster jeans. A-line knee length skirts in thin tweed, with a fitted v-neck jumper—I'd look twenty years older if I wore that now.

I suppose every generation looks at the one before with fresh eyes, but I'm surprised—with all the wild and wonderful shapes, colours and fabrics that are around now—that anyone finds the Y2K era at all inspiring.

I loved Y2K fashion but I had money to spend on clothes and went shopping a lot and I was much younger then.

I liked Morgan de Toi, Kookai, Karen Millen Jigsaw and DKNY. I also loved D&G and Biba and Pied a Terre shoes.

Oh! The pointelle vest/cardigan twinsets, trimmed with velvet, that Whistles did and everyone else copied. I still find them at the bottom of my drawers. Again, not really a friend of the 34E bosom.

I wouldn't wear a knee length tweed skirt but I'd like a long, fitted one - ankle skimming length.

I would (and do) wear mid-calf wool pencil skirts. It's anything knee-length that makes me look like OG Spider-Man's aunt.

I bought an absolutely gorgeous Pauw skirt on Vinted last winter—it's a beautiful navy wool cloth, with asymmetrical pleats and off-centre buttons down the back. Tragically though, it's knee length and I just can't make it work. I need to re-sell it, but I keep fondling it, sadly.

Ahhh, I feel all nostalgic when I think of y2k fashion.

I had a Saturday job and saved up to buy an outfit from Lipsy, it was a white lacey peasant style top, white hipster flared trousers and a tan leather disc belt from Topshop. I wore it to go to round town (when I was 15!) and I felt so grown up and trendy.

My usual outfits consisted of pedal pushers, boob tubes, strappy handkerchief style tops with glittery butterfly’s on them, denim pencil skirts worn with Adidas superstars & fitted tracksuit tops in pastel colours
My favourite jeans were really low on the hips and fastened with leather string at the front. I loved them jeans!

I wouldn’t wear any of it now as I’m pushing 40 & it’s not really my style, but it was far from boring.

I've just remembered, I was mad for Miss Sixty. Not the clothes but the footwear and bags. Topshop was also a favourite, I had a Kate Moss 60s print top which I wore all the time. Benefit and Dior were my make up brands. Warehouse and Oasis were my go too as well. Shoes and boots from Faith. Underwear was Wonderbra. I was never one to wear a thong sticking out my jeans etc and never wanted to be Paris Hilton or Britney. I was more into my indie music but did enjoy getting dressed up for nights out. I loved experimenting with make up too. Still do.

I’d associate (rightly or wrongly!) some of the trends mentioned as being from mid-late noughties. The quality of a lot of clothing in the very late 90’s into the noughties was excellent. Places like Oasis, Kookai, Karen Millen and French Connection had some beautiful pieces.

Back in the early and mid noughties we had good fashion. At approx 25 years old (born in 1971 you do the maths!) I worked in Kensington High Street for a publisher. Kookai had a shop there and its seconds/sample sale was on its top floor. I had a nice teal blue ribbon trim skirt and top with I think embroidered bird print on top and bottom. We had Bjorn Borg sample sale/factory seconds in the indoor market there where I bought patent knee high leather boots and lingerie there.m

One day Morgan had a £10 everything sale in just that one shop, it was at the end of the month so on payday. For some reason I wasn’t into Morgan so much but my 19/20 year old colleague was off to Ibiza and bought all her holiday clubbing wardrobe there, my best friend wanted a leopard 🐆 print top which I bought for her.

I don’t know much about indie music or fashion from then but I do recall a British/Aussie DD of a family friend come over to London to stay for a while who was really into her indie clubbing where I joined her once. She liked clubbing and makeup and clothes but my soul was always into happy/Ibiza house/techno tunes and a bit of drum and bass but not jungle.