The Controversial 2000s Fashion Trends Making a 2024 Comeback

As a mid-’90s baby, the early aughts were my formative fashion years. Nearly every wardrobe malfunction, fashion risk, or otherwise chaotic clothing choice I made took place between 2000 and 2010. So, imagine my surprise when, as a nearly 30-year-old, I noticed that many of the most controversial fashion trends from the 2000s were suddenly cool again for fall 2024. While they were cringe in the early aughts, even fashion experts agree: some of them are surprisingly chic.

Michelle Finamore, a fashion historian and curator, has a few ideas about why these trends are making a fierce comeback. Her top theory? Nostalgia. “I always look to pop culture television and film for clues,” she tells Marie Claire over email, citing Gilmore Girls, Sex and The City, and Grey’s Anatomy as of-the-time references. Now that the original viewership has gotten older, they finally have the funds to tap into the trends they wish they could have worn all those years ago. Oh—and our time chronically spent online may also be to blame. “Social media and TikTok have changed the game—there is such an overabundance of vintage styling from all decades that is constantly accessible online,” she says.

Avid scrollers aren’t the only ones with a knack for looking back right now. Popular trends from the era dominated the runways for the Fall 2024 season. Low-rise jeans were one of the biggest denim trends, with brands like Miu Miu and Balenciaga all offering their take on the style. Oversized logo designer belts were spotted at Chloé and Louis Vuitton, and dresses were unexpectedly styled over trousers and leggings on the runways of David Koma and Proenza Schouler. Collina Strada took it further, layering psychedelic printed mini skirts over pants.

One of the stylists carrying the movement forward is Tabitha Sanchez, who works with burgeoning It-girls like Ashtin Earle and Chloe Cherry. In her opinion, tapping into the resurgence doesn’t mean you have to forfeit the wardrobe you’ve worked so hard to build since the decade ended. “I don't think any of the trends have to be controversial,” she says. “It's all about picking and choosing what works for you and incorporating it into your personal style.”

Ready for your mini nostalgia trip? Keep scrolling to see the best early-aughts-inspired trends officially back in 2024.

Dresses Over Pants

As soon as I saw Gigi Hadid wearing a white sweater dress over the top of a pair of blue jeans, I knew that the dress-over-trouser look was back. The Fall 2024 runways only confirmed my inkling. "There are so many ways to style a dress over jeans. You can do a cool sheer dress with a bralette over jeans and a strappy heel or sneakers," says Sanchez. "Alternatively, style a mini bubble skirt dress with a corset on top and baggy pants."

Low-Rise Jeans

Don't totally dismiss the low-rise jeans style. Kaia Gerber, modern-day It-girl, is a fan of the look and wears it often. But you don't have to be a member of Gen Z to get it right. While slimmer-fitting styles were popular on the runway, I recommend a more forgiving, baggy, jeans-centric fit. "I see them everywhere," says Finamore. And the trend is likely to have legs for 2025, too.

Statement Belts

Belts are back, baby! Now try saying that three times fast. Statement-making belts were a signature of early-aughts fashion. They were often low-slung around the hips of teen icons like Mischa Barton or Paris Hilton and emblazoned with statement-making buckles and logos. They're now a little more refined—but just as bold.

Baguette Bags

It doesn't get cuter than a teeny baguette or east-west bag tucked underneath your shoulder—ask Fendi and Miu Miu. The mini shape is everywhere yet again, and for good reason. The girls need going-out bags that only hold a phone, a wallet, a set of keys, and some lip gloss.

Meet The Experts

Michelle Finamore

Michelle Tolini Finamore, Ph.D., is Salem, Massachusetts-based fashion curator and historian who has curated exhibitions ranging from Fashioning America: Grit to Glamour (2022-3), Gender Bending Fashion (2019), #techstyle (2016), Think Pink (2014) and taught fashion, film and design history. She has lectured widely and written for both the scholarly and popular press and has a special interest in fashion in film.