2000–2009 in fashion

This article describes the many fashions and trends commonly seen in the world from 2000–2009.

For the most part, the decade did not have one particular style like the decades from the '40s to '80s, but rather a recycling of styles from past decades, which was common in 1990s fashion.^[1]. The minimalist aesthetic of 1990s fashion continued in the first years of the decade, but fashion moved away from minimalism from 2003 onwards.

In women's fashion, dressy, feminine styles were reintroduced over the course of the decade. Dresses and skirts were increasingly popular, especially in the second half of the decade.

Fashion was strongly influenced by many youth subcultures such as Emo, Scene, and Chav.

Contents 1 Early 2000s (2000-2004) 1.1 Denim 1.2 Dresses and Skirts 1.3 Hip-Hop Culture 1.4 Heavy metal fashion 1.5 Pop punk fashion 1.6 Activist Fashion 1.7 Boho-chic 1.8 2004 2 Late 2000s (2007–2009) 2.1 The Sophisticated Urban Look 2.2 Leggings 2.3 Footwear 2.4 The "Grown Man" look 2.5 Skirts and Dresses 2.6 Form-Fitting Clothes 2.7 Designer glasses 2.8 Other trends 3 Hairstyles of the 2000s 4 Gallery 5 See also 6 References

Early 2000s (2000-2004)

The minimalist aesthetic of 1990s fashion continued in the first years of the 2000s. Fashion began to move away from the minimalist aesthetic in 2003, with the rise of Boho in women's fashion, as well as distressed denim. The sophisticated urban look, one of the key trends of the latter half of the decade, began in 2004.

Denim

Dark denim was popular in the first half of the decade. This trend culminated in 2004, as light denim became scarce. Men's denim in the early part of the decade was dominated by wide straight leg styles. Women's denim was generally fitted through the seat and thigh down to the knee, with the leg opening being either boot-cut or flared. Low cut waists became increasingly popular in women's denim over the first half of the decade.

In 2002, women's denim with no pockets became fashionable. Some of these pocketless jeans featured a built-in denim belt. Women's jeans with an elastic strip down the side (generally a white strip with either a black or red stripe down the middle) became popular in 2003-2004. Women's jeans with a built-in nylon belt were popular from 2003-2005.

Dresses and Skirts

After a moderate trend in the late 90s towards women wearing pantsuits to some formal functions, the pendulum swung in the opposide direction in the early 2000's, as dresses again became the norm for women at formal functions. This even as pantsuits peaked in popularity as women's business wear in the years between 2000-2002. Women's formal dresses in this period often featured plunging necklines and backlines, wide straps instead of sleeves, and shiny fabric. Red was the most popular colour for formal women's dresses in the early 2000s, although various shades of blue were also popular.

With the exception of black miniskirts, skirts and casual dresses were both de-emphasized during the early 2000s, until the advent of Boho fashion in 2003.

Hip-Hop Culture

Hip hop fashion progressed a lot during this decade. Hip hop culture fashions (especially hoodies and sweatpants) influenced many subcultures including chav, juggalo and gangsta.^[2] Within hip hop clothing, baggy jeans, denim-jean jackets with matching jeans were popular,along with track suits (primarily made of fleece that matched top and bottom usually worn with a headband for men). Bandanas with rhinestones were popular from late 2000 to early 2002 and Phat Farm shoes and apparel were popular during this time. The "tough guys wear pink" craze hit young members of the hipster, preppy and British chav subculture.^[3]. This continued on until about 2007. In 2003, trucker hats and vintage t-shirts from American Eagle and its many counterparts became highly popularly. Mitchell & Ness throwback jerseys were made popular by the rapper Fabolous.

Heavy metal fashion

Heavy metal fashion was worn by a notable subculture of teenagers, based on the biker, rocker and leather subcultures. Nowadays, heavy rock remains common among the youth in the US, and parts of Europe.

Pop punk fashion

Pop punk fashion characterized by wearing baggy jeans, wristbands, spikey hair, patrol caps or trucker hats, Aviator sunglasses, and full-zip hoodies (which are now urban and preppy in the late 2000s) was very popular in the early to mid 2000s. This was due to the success of bands such as Blink-182, Lit, Sum 41, and Green Day.^[4]

Activist Fashion

Clothing worn by left activists enjoyed moderate popularity during the early 2000's. These included Che t-shirts, Kafieh's (associated with Palestine activism), and t-shirts supporting various other activist causes and groups. The popularity of activist fashion peaked during the protests prior to the start of the Iraq war in early 2003. Activist fashion has declined in popularity since 2003, although it has not entirely dissapeared. In a notable exception, Kafieh's have become a mainstream fashion item in the latter half of the decade, appearing in upscale clothing boutiques beginning in 2005.

Boho-chic

The gypsy/Bohemian style, commonly known as Boho or Boho-chic, began as an underground fashion style in 2000, and emerged in mainstream women's fashion in 2003 as influenced by Sienna Miller. This style peaked in popularity in 2004-2005, and was commonly associated with Mary Kate & Ashley Olsen. The popularity of boho began to wane in 2006, but the influence of boho continued to be felt as late as 2008. Boho featured loose, flowing tops; loose flowing a-line skirts, often with uneven hemlines; and losse flowing a-line dresses, often with only one shoulder strap and/or an uneven hemline.

2004

2004 witnessed both the culmination of certain trends of early 2000's fashion (notably the trend towards darker denim), as well as the introduction of a few fashion trends that would continue into the latter half of the decade. Building on the distressed denim trend that began in 2003, acid-washed denim began to make a comeback in 2004. 2004 also saw the beginning of the trend towards brighter colours, as well as the beginning of the sophisticated urban look with striped dress shirts and black dress pants.

Late 2000s (2007–2009)

Women's fashion in the late 2000's became increasingly feminine, and dresses and skirts enjoyed ever increasing popularity. The sophisticated urban look became popular among professional men, and featured striped dress shirts, black dress pants, and black dress shoes. There was a move away from dark denim towards a greater variety of denim colours and washes. Narrower, more fitted colthing became popular with both sexes, but especially among women.

The Sophisticated Urban Look

The Sophisticated Urban Look became popular among many urban professional men beginning in 2004. The look featured pinstriped dress shirts, black dress pants, and black dress shoes. There was a general shift in popularity away from Kakhis and towards black dress pants. Black suits became increasingly popular. Charcoal grey pinstripe suits also enjoyed popularity. There was a move away from casual fridays in some professional offices and towards dress up fridays, though casual fridays still remained the norm in some professional business environments.

Leggings

Leggings returned as a women's fashion item in 2005. Leggings rose in popularity in 2007 after introduction by brands such as American Apparel. Initially avialable mostly in black and grey, leggings gradually became available again in a wide variety of colours. These were often worn with long, fitted tunic tops, or baby-doll dresses and shirts with empire waists. As in the 1980s, they were sometimes paired with mini skirts.

Footwear

By 2005, Stilletto-heeled shoes with extreme pointed toes became the dominant trend in women's footwear. In 2007, ballet flats appeared yet again, and the toes of many women's shoes became rounded, rivalling but not entirely replacing the pointed-toed stiletto-heeled shoe.^[5] Boots came in a variety of styles, some with the heels high, heavy and geometric in shape. By 2009, many designers had also brought back the high heel coupled with platform sole, last seen as recently as the end of the 1990s, and, as with the combination of pointed toe and stiletto heel, never far from popularity somewhere in the spectrum of fashion. The newer platform sole is often referred to as "concealed" when it is covered with the same piece of material as the upper, in the manner popularised by Vivienne Westwood.

• During most of the early and mid 2000s the smart casual style made it unfashionable to wear formal clothing except in businesses and churches or at special events.^[6] This changed in the autumn of 2006, when the power suit received worldwide popularity amongst young men for its structured design. Men's suits of this era moved about the late 1990s style of bulky double-breasted jackets and towards single-breasted tailored jackets with thinner lapels, a higher gorge and low two-button stance.^[7]

The "Grown Man" look

In hip hop, the throwback jersey and baggy pants (popular in the '90s to 2004) look was replaced with the more "grown man" look which was highly popularized by Kanye West around the year 2005.

Skirts and Dresses

Skirts and dresses became especially popular in Women's fashion during the second half of the decade. Boho-chic continued to be a significant source of inspiration, although non-boho influenced styles were also popular. Teenaged girls wore both fitted denim mini-skirts and ruffled skirts, the latter being worn by all the main characters in the 2004 movie Mean Girls. Women's skirts were predominantly mid-length, both straight and a-line, ruffled and non-ruffled. Dresses were popular in both straight and a-line cuts. Thick straps and ruffles were popular with a-line dresses, and spaghetti straps were popular with more form fitting dresses. Many skirts and dreses had uneven hemlines. In 2009 the skirts that were worn most were high waisted skirts. They became increasingly popular.

Form-Fitting Clothes

Sagging, popularised by rappers and popular for the majority of both the 1990s and 2000s, lost its appeal around 2007 as expensive, close-fitting designer jeans rose in popularity, particularly amongst men. Baggy and loose styles of the '90s and early '00s gave way to bootcut and flare jeans popularised by 7 for all Mankind, True Religion, Rock & Republic and Diesel S.p.A..^[8]

Men and women began to wear skinny-fit lowrise jeans that became even more popular later in the decade as jeans' waistlines were cut as low as possible.^[9] Hip-hugging, denim mini-skirts were also worn. Many schools had made regulations about the sagging of pants and tops, which gradually defeated the fashion trend.

Designer glasses

• Designer glasses (often with thick rims), sunglasses such as Ray Ban Wayfarers, aviators, and rim-less glasses became widely available and extremely popular as geek chic went mainstream. This trend started about 2004 and has continued into the late 2000s for both males and females.^[10]

Other trends

• Polo tops, and striped dress shirts were the norm amongst young males, especially pink polo tops popularized by rapper Cam'ron. This trend continued into the late 2000s until 2008, when plaid and flannel button down shirts, hoodies, and general T-shirts and sweaters had replaced this style.

• Japanese kimonos and lacquer jewelry came in during 2006, inspired by the film release of Memoirs of a Geisha.

• Military attire became popular among indie fans. Men originally wore surplus dress jackets which were later produced by companies for the civilian market^[11] while women wore versions with more feminine lace or beading on it.

• Camouflage patterns, bandanas or shemaghs are frequently worn as scarves by young people in winter. Recently this trend has spread to the hip-hop subculture where it is worn by rappers such as Chris Brown and Kanye West.^[12]. Camouflage had become popular in the redneck subculture as well in the mid and late 2000s.

• Shoes and boots with long, extremely pointed toes were worn by both men and women in the mid-2000s.^[13]

• In 2005, other styles that appeared on the scene were Capri pants or pinocchietti as they were called in Italy, where they were popular. These usually stopped at just below the knee, and could be worn casually with sandals, dressed up with high heels, or worn with boots in winter.^[14]

• Bright colored plastic clogs known as Crocs^[15] were a brief fad in the summer of 2006.^[16]

• New Rave becomes popular in the United Kingdom in early 2006, with the trend lasting until mid 2008

• Fashion in the late 2000s was reminiscent of both the 1980s and 1990s, and something of a fusion of 80s New Romantic fashion and 90s Grunge fashion. Converse shoes and Vans, along with neon flannel and skinny jeans, defined the late 2000s look in both men and women. Men's hair was either short and traditional, or long and almost mullet-like. Women's hair was curly and somewhat voluminous, and headbands were a common accessory.

• The late 2000s saw a return to the grunge look of the early-to mid '90s in mens fashion, though with a 1980s twist: flannel shirts worn with bright colored shirts underneath, T-shirts worn with long sleeved thermal shirts, vans, beanie hats, work boots and ripped loose-fitting stonewashed jeans.^[17] Flannel and lumberjack tops are worn with skinny jeans. Although in the 90s, flannel shirts were baggy and usually unbuttoned, the late-2000s flannel was usually tight, buttoned, and part of the scene or emo look.

• Starting in the early-2000s and extending into the later part of the decade, gym shorts, athletic shirts and Jerseys outside of working out or practice were popular summer wear among teenage and college-aged boys in both Europe and America

• Argyle patterns became popular from 2007-2009.

• Neutral colors became popular during this time in the 2000s, including combinations of black, grey, white and off-white.

• Preppy style made a comeback in the late 2000s, especially brands such as The North Face, Polo Ralph Lauren, and Columbia Sportswear.

• V neck shirts for men became popular in 2008 and 2009.

• Baseball caps, particularly flat billed designs by New Era, were popular for casual wear among teenagers and college aged people. Once confined to the gangsta and redneck subculture, these caps were popular among many different groups and became more mainstream. They also were called "fitted caps" which are caps that don't bend and stay completely stiff.^[18] Many wearers kept the adhesive label on the peak to show others their hat was brand new.^[19]

• In 2009 a recent imagining of the dapper 1950's style as espoused by Buddy Holly was merged with the Punk fashion of the 1970s.This was,in part,inspired by the English Power Pop/Punk collective which esounced The Librarians.

• Christian Audigier's clothing brand based on Ed Hardy's tattoo designs became a popular clothing brand.

• In 2009, the Jerkin' movement influenced much of the urban community to switch from baggy pants and oversized shirts to fit/skinny jeans, fit clothing and brighter colours. This represents a move away from the long-held homophobia in the hip hop community towards a more inclusive culture.

• Singer Lights re-popularizes the headband.

• Pyramid belts became popular among young adults.

• Designer Athletic Pants became very popular in mid-2009 and are still on the rise.

• In Europe in the autumn and winter of 2009, stiletto-heeled shoes and ankle boots with cone-shaped heels were very popular.^[20]

• Hipster fashion, with ironic t-shirts, vintage clothing, tight low pants, and thick rimmed glasses became fashionable.

• Cardigan Sweaters became popular within the urban community in 2009, popularized by rapper Drake.

Hairstyles of the 2000s

• For women, straightened hair remains dominant, typically with side swept bangs. However the "Rachel" cut of the 90s and early 00s goes out of style for hair with slightly more volume. Curls are still worn on occasion, such as feathered curls of the 70s, or a more tousled look. Hair length varies as many retro hairstyles come back into fashion such as the Beehive (seen by Amy Winehouse), the Bob cut (seen by Rihanna), and the Pixie cut (seen by Katie Holmes).^[21] It's also common for most young women to dye their hair, or have hair highlighting done. Starting in late-2008, many women had short, feathered hair like Alice Cullen from the Twilight Saga. Also, hairstyles that are longer in the front and short in the back became popular on women in 2009.

• For men, hairstyles from previous decades also return, such as the Pompadour, and in 2009 the Jheri curl (most likely due to the passing of Michael Jackson). Short & well groomed hair stays dominant throughout the decade: the Buzzcut^[22], Spiked hair which was common to get frosted tips mainly in the early 2000s. While Metrosexual styles like the Fauxhawk (recognized by David Beckham), were on top, styles such as the Wings.^[23] are still worn. Length can range from very long to a moptop. The haircut is typically wavy and instead of lying on the wearer's ears, the hair flips up and comes straight out resembling wings on a bird, hence the name. This style, also known as "flippies", is similar to Surfer hair, younger people seem to have styles completely different then older men, children seem to have longish hair, teenagers are a mix, but longish hair is on the rise, while people past 30 have relatively short hair. From 2004 on Emo influenced hairstyle has become popular for young adults. This is characterized by a side swept bang along with choppy layers.

As for facial hair: Beards, Mustaches, Stubble, and the Goatee are worn by many men following the success of Movember fundraising for prostate cancer charities.^[24]

• In early 2009, a shorter 1940s inspired hairstyle^[25] and longer styles inspired by British rock bands came into play.^[26] Another popular style consists of a long fringe.^[27]

• Recently a wider variant of the mohawk extending to just above the temples has become popular: shaved at the sides and back into a V shape, and longer (usually spiky) on top. In some places, this style is known as a 'shark fin'.

• Due to the hit show Gossip Girl that premiered in 2007, long, flowy, wavy hair like the show's main characters Serena (Blake Lively) & Blair (Leighton Meester) has become popular in recent years. Young females in NYC often request to have their haircut "like Serena" similar to ten years ago when people asked for "the Rachel haircut" inspired by Jennifer Aniston's character on Friends.

• The bob hairstyle became popular in 2009. Actresses such as Jessica Stroup were seen supporting the hairstyle.

Gallery

A selection of images related to the period.

Haute couture dress from spring 2006	Lower back tattoos, an early-2000s fad	Ugg boots became popular in the mid 2000s amongst men and women alike	Paisley handbag associated with the preppy look
Modern leggings came into fashion in the late 2000s	Japanese teenagers on Harajuku Bridge	Trucker hats became popular in the early-mid 2000s	In late 2008, especially in Italy, the denim waistcoat was a popular feminine fashion accessory.
Slim-fit tweed jackets have gained in popularity since early 2008.	Vintage printed tees worn across Indie, Scene and Nu-Rave fans.	Skinny plaid lumberjack shirt gained popularity in the UK from 2008 onwards.	Loose-fit Athletic Pants became a major part of fashion starting in mid-2009 and are still on the rise.

See also

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: 2000s fashion

• 1990s in fashion
• Fashion design

References

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