We’re Calling It: These 7 Early Aughts Trends Are About to Be Everywhere

Back in 2001, Beyonce was in Destiny’s Child, and the trio wore diamanté bedecked denim to an MTV event. Fast forward to 2024, when Taylor Swift wore her own crystal-embellished wide-leg style to the Super Bowl. Note that today, the way to wear any diamondy jeans is to keep the rest of your outfit simple, like Swift’s basic black ensemble. (Unless you get cold, in which case sure, wear your star football player’s athletic jacket too.)

Get the look: Bebe rhinestone detail jeans ($129; $89); Reformation Chesapeake studded wide-leg jeans ($198); Area wide-leg jeans ($725)

Jellies are analogous to La Nina, the globally disruptive weather pattern that resurfaces every decade or so. Like La Nina, the jelly shoe trend re-emerges to wreak havoc on otherwise predictable summer days, then disappears until who-knows-when. As far back as 1994, nascent style avatar Chloe Sevigny was sporting the shoe, and by the year 2000—quelle surprise—the rest of the world was hoofing around in pairs of plastic platforms molded to look like fisherman’s sandals. Today’s iteration is a less candy-colored, more subtle jelly sandal that’s made of a softer and therefore less blister-inducing material.

Get the Look: Bamboo Jelly Chunky Block Heel Sandals ($20); Los Angeles Apparel classic jelly sandal ($45); Larroudé PVC Slingback Pumps ($145)

Cargo pants have re-emerged as a fashion staple, perhaps because, as a culture, we’d appreciate some non-sweatpants leg coverage that’s equally hella comfortable. Cargo pants—generally a light cotton pair of trousers with oversized pockets for carrying “cargo”—fit the bill. Donna Karan wore a charmingly slouchy pair in ’04, and honestly, we would wear that same outfit today as well. But we’re really admiring editor Eva Chen’s satiny version, worn recently in an elegantly monochromatic look, matchy-matchy down to the pointy heels.

Get the Look: Open Edit satin cargo pants ($90); BlankNYC satin cargo pant ($128) Ser.o.ya satin cargo pants ($248)

Skate culture and Paris Hilton were all about the graphic T-shirt, worn in the early aughts with low-slung jeans or a pair of baggy trousers. It was part of indie sleaze, a sort of grunge-meets-glamour look that is again popular for its casually sexy vibe. Today, though, we’re toning the skin-tight and overly exposed elements down, say with a nice scarf, like in this post from a Los Angeles-based designer.

Get the Look: Uniqlo Andy Warhol graphic T-shirt ($25); LP Anita shawl ($68); Desigual Rolling Stones T-shirt ($80)

The first Apple iPod, a now discontinued portable MP3 player, was introduced in October 2001 and shipped with little corded earphones, called earbuds. In the decades since, the design has evolved to fit into the ear canal more securely, and has been replaced in fidelity and popularity with wireless versions. That said, Gen Z trendsetters today find a certain retro-chic to just plugging in a tiny pair of wired, little white corded numbers which are hard to lose (unlike AirPods Pro) and easy to carry (unlike Airpods Max). And of course, it doesn’t hurt that, when you wear them, you signal “please don’t disturb me,” as a guest at New York Fashion Week coolly telegraphs above.

Get the Look: Apple EarPods headphones ($19; $18)

In 2004, Sarah Jessica Parker wore a satiny corset top over a puff-sleeve top in Aspen, giving ye olde wench vibes. Last summer, Taylor Swift wore a corset top with black shorts and a crossbody bag, exuding a pulled-together pop star aura. Our takeaway? Less is more when it comes to styling the contemporary corset.

Get the Look: Kutumai floral corset crop top ($30); Free People Melanie corset top ($58); House of Una floral cowl neck corset ($135)

Did you ever think you’d see the day? Indeed, Bayonetta glasses, which have thin, oval or rectangular frames and clear lenses with minimal adornments are back…and we kind of don’t hate them. The name itself comes from a popular 2009 Japanese video game character, Bayonetta, who was known for rocking similar specks while summoning demons and attacking her enemies. We appreciate the way these glasses are unobstrusive enough to coordinate with every other item in our wardrobe, including Bella Hadid’s sweater-rugby top—just not the huntsman’s cap Jeanine Garofalo wears in this early 2000s photo.

Get the Look: Pep Talk Bayonetta-style glasses ($30); Giant Vintage Fragile clear glasses ($32); Vint & York Cheaters glasses ($129)