The 2000s are often described as a "mash-up" decade,[1] where trends saw the fusion of previous styles, global and ethnic clothing, as well as the fashions of numerous subcultures, such as hipsters. For the most part, the decade did not have one particular style but recycled styles from the 1930s–1980s, which was common in 1990s fashion. Many 1990s styles continued into the 2000s, and many in the industry have noted the lack of divide between the two decades.[2]
Despite the numerous and mixed fashion trends of the 2000s, items of clothing which were predominant or popular throughout the decade include Ugg boots,[3] High-tops, hoodies, and skinny jeans.[4] Globalization also influenced the decade's clothing trends, with the fusion of fashions from around the world being popular.[5] Furthermore, eco-friendly and ethical clothing, such as recycled fashions and fake fur, were prominent in the decade.[6]
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In the early 2000s, women and girls wore shoes and boots with rounded or flat toes. Dressy, feminine styles were reintroduced over the course of the decade, as women's fashion moved away from the more unisex styles of the 1990s. From the early 2000s onwards, women wore denim miniskirts, burberry, hip-hop inspired sweatpants, Daisy Dukes, ripped "distressed" jeans, flip-flops, ponchos, flared trousers, denim jackets and tank tops exposing the midriff. Colors like baby blue, yellow, and hot pink were popular.
From the mid 2000s and onwards, European and American women wore lowrise skinny jeans,[7] lycra yoga wear, knee-high boots with pointed toes, 1960s style trenchcoats and peacoats, tunics worn with wide or thin belts, capri pants, longer tank tops worn with a main blouse or shirt, 1940s inspired New Look dresses and sandals,[8] leggings, and "vintage clothing" including hippie and Boho inspired dresses with paisley patterns. Crocs were a brief fad for both sexes in the summer of 2006, despite their kitsch connotations.[9][10][11]
In the late 2000s, headbands, denim-print leggings, knitted sweater dresses, Nike Tempo shorts, wonderbra and sloggi underwear, ballet flats, acid wash skinny jeans and light, translucent tartan shirts worn with a camisole underneath were popular among young women. Long, baggy shirts were taken in at the bustline and often paired with a belt. Leather jackets and fur coats (previously avoided due to their association with animal cruelty) made a comeback. In Britain Middle Eastern shemaghs were worn as scarves as a protest against the Iraq War and demonstration of solidarity with the Palestinians.[12]
In the early 2000s, Argyle socks, khaki slacks, bootcut jeans, tracksuits,[13] light-colored polo shirts (sometimes striped), white Adidas or Nike trainers, baggy carpenter jeans, Oxford shoes, loafers, camp shirts (often in fancy metallic patterns for clubbing), and baseball caps were popular.[14] Practical hiking jackets (of the type made by Berghaus), fleeces and padded tartan lumberjack-type shirts were worn as winter outerwear.
In the mid 2000s, retro fashions inspired by British indie pop groups and the 1960s counterculture became popular,[15] including Converse All-stars, winklepickers (taken to extremes by individuals within the Mexican cholo and lowrider subcultures), cartoon print hoodies (in contrast to the designer brands worn by the chav subculture), vintage T-shirts, Mod-style parkas and fitted 1970s style Western shirts[16] with pearl snaps[17] (popularised by blues-rock band the White Stripes).
In the late 2000s, 1950s[18] and 1980s fashions became popular: Letterman jackets, black leather jackets[19] like the Perfecto, Hawaiian shirts, slim and straight leg jeans,[20] slim-fitting jeans[21] Ray Ban Aviator sunglasses,[22] wool topcoats,[23] Ed Hardy T-shirts with low necklines, retro Patek Philippe, Casio G-Shock[24] and Rolex wristwatches, houndstooth tweed jackets, neon colors inspired by rave music,[25] geek chic inspired horn rimmed glasses, roll sleeve tartan flannel shirts worn with white T-shirts, cardigans and knitted V-neck sweaters.[26] Popular footwear in Europe and America included Sperry Top-Siders, Keds, motorcycle boots, Nike Air Jordans,[27] checkerboard pattern Vans, and Converse Chuck Taylor All-Stars.[28] In the European workplace the cut of suits changed as the three buttoned jackets popular in the 1990s were replaced with suits comprising a two-buttoned blazer and matching trousers[29] while in the US the power suit made a comeback.[30] Single-breasted European suits sometimes featured contrasting Edwardian style piping on the lapels and were often worn with slim ties and waistcoats.[31]
Youth fashion was strongly influenced by many music-based subcultures such as Emo, Indie kids, scene kids,[32] Psychobilly, Preppy, Skater, Goth, Nu-Metal (known as Moshers in the UK),[33] ravers and Hip-Hop,[34] including the British chav, US gangsta rapper and Mexican Cholo styles of the early 2000s.[35]
In the early 2000s, the most common British subcultures were the chavs and skate punks. Chavs favored hip-hop fashions like tracksuits, burberry baseball caps, white trainers, and cheap sportswear, while the skaters (nicknamed greebos or moshers) had long hair or dreadlocks and wore grunge inspired padded flannel overshirts and baggy pants as these were less likely to rip when skateboarding.[36] In America, common subcultures included the nu-metal fans and goths who wore black leather duster coats and tripp pants. Their rivals were the jocks and preppies: wealthy teenagers who wore expensive designer clothes by Hollister, Old Navy, Abercrombie and Fitch, and American Eagle.[37] Another common American subculture were the cholos and chicanos who wore baggy khaki slacks, gold chains, white T-shirts, and slicked back hair or shaved heads in imitation of Mexican prison gangs.
From 2003-2007 indie culture went mainstream in both Britain and the US,[38] prompting a revival of 1960s British Invasion fashions, vintage clothing,[39] and the popularization of activist fashions like the keffiyeh.[40] Other subcultures, including American preppies and even rappers like Kanye West, imitated indie fashions[41] or combined them with elements of Japanese street style, like the Harajuku and Lolita clothing popularized by Gwen Stefani. The other notable youth group of this period were the emo kids, identifiable by their black hoodies, band T-shirts, skinny jeans, lip piercings, silver jewellery, and long bangs dyed black.[42]
By 2008, the most conspicuous subculture was the "scene kids."[43][44] They originated in Britain during the late-1990s when some members of the chav subculture began to experiment with alternative fashion,[45] incorporated elements of indie pop, emo,[46] rave music, and Japanese glam rock style, and spread to America and Australia in the mid-2000s.[47] The style, originally comprising tripp pants, stripes, tartan, spiky hair, Chucks, Vans, and trucker hats derived from grunge and skate punk fashion, evolved to incorporate androgynous, brightly dyed big hair, skinny jeans,[48] cartoon print hoodies, shutter shades, promise rings,[49] checked shirts, and lots of bright colors.[50] The name was originally derived from "scene queen", a derogatory term within the 1970s glam rock scene for a heterosexual musician who pretended to be gay and later applied to poseurs within the UK goth, heavy metal and punk subcultures.[51]
In the early 2000s, women's hair was long and straight. Side-swept bangs become popular towards the mid-2000s in both Britain and the USA. By the late 2000s, textured hair with volume, natural wavy hair, side-parted hair and shorter styles like the bob cut and pixie cut made a comeback. For black women cornrows, dreadlocks and curly weaves were popular until the late 2000s, when tamed-down versions of the Afro, Jheri curl and short pixie cuts were popularized by artists like Janet Jackson and Rihanna.
For men over 25 in the early 2000s, shorter hair styles that usually took the form of a quiff were fashionable, although collar-length centrally parted curtained hair (as worn by Tom Cruise) was also briefly popular in the US and remains so in Japan. Another common haircut was the spiky hair popularized by boybands in the late-1990s and into the early millennium. In America the fauxhawk, Bed head, and Buzzcut were popular among young men emulating their favorite hardcore punk bands. Long, shaggy Mod and surfer hair became popular between 2003-2006 as many indie rock bands moved away from the punk rock and rap metal in favor of a 1960s inspired sound pioneered by groups like The Strokes, Jet, The Killers, The Hives, The Vines, Coldplay, and The White Stripes. By the late 2000s, shaved and bald hairstyles along with beards, moustaches, stubble, sideburns and the goatee became popular in reaction to the effeminate early 2000s metrosexual look, with charitable events like Movember further increasing their acceptability.[52]
For teenagers, short haircuts like spiky hair, dyed hair, the buzzcut and Caesar cut were popular in the early 2000s. In the mid-2000s, longer hair became popular, including the wings (haircut) inspired by surfers and British indie pop stars.[53] In the late 2000s the androgynous Harajuku inspired scene hairstyles (often dyed bright colors) and eyeliner were popular among girls and boys alike.[54] As an alternative to the scene hairstyles, teenage girls opted for a preppy hairstyle that involved long, straight hair, side-swept bangs and a side part, while boys wore side-swept surfer hair in imitation of Justin Bieber.
A selection of images related to the period.
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