2000s Fashion: Top Styles, Designers And Clothing Trends

Low-rise everything, velour tracksuits, chunky highlights and a lot of pink.

Below: the clothes, the hairstyles and the accessories of the 2000s, then the fastest way to put together a costume if you are going to a themed night.

Useful for a decade party, a school project, a reminiscence session or working out what someone wore when they were young.

Years covered in the 2000s

• 2000 - The Millennium Dome, the fuel protests and Big Brother arriving from nowhere. Full year: /blogs/news/look-back-to-2000
• 2001 - Foot-and-mouth, 11 September and the first iPod. Full year: /blogs/news/look-back-to-2001
• 2002 - The Golden Jubilee, the death of the Queen Mother and Pop Idol fever. Full year: /blogs/news/look-back-to-2002
• 2003 - Iraq, a record-breaking heatwave and England winning the Rugby World Cup. Full year: /blogs/news/look-back-to-2003
• 2004 - Strictly and The X Factor both started, and the year ended with the tsunami. Full year: /blogs/news/look-back-to-2004
• 2005 - The Olympic bid, the 7 July bombings and the Ashes coming home. Full year: /blogs/news/look-back-to-2005
• 2006 - Arctic Monkeys, the Wii and another World Cup penalty shoot-out. Full year: /blogs/news/look-back-to-2006
• 2007 - The iPhone, the smoking ban, the floods and the run on Northern Rock. Full year: /blogs/news/look-back-to-2007
• 2008 - The banking crash, a brilliant Olympics and Lewis Hamilton on the last corner. Full year: /blogs/news/look-back-to-2008
• 2009 - Recession, MPs' expenses and a Christmas number one campaign that worked. Full year: /blogs/news/look-back-to-2009
• That is every 2000s year we have written up so far: 2000 to 2009.

What people wore in the 2000s

• Low-rise bootcut jeans, often with a visible belt and a longer top.
• Velour tracksuits worn as going-out clothes.
• Boho: floaty tops, tiered skirts, waistcoats, ugg boots.
• Denim skirts over jeans, and skirts over trousers generally.
• Indie sleaze at the end: skinny jeans, leather jackets, band tees.

Hairstyles

• Chunky highlights and the side fringe swept over one eye.
• Straightened hair, flat and glossy - GHDs everywhere from 2001.
• Crimped sections and half-up buns.
• Men: spiked-up gelled hair, frosted tips.

Accessories and finishing touches

• Trucker caps, oversized sunglasses, studded belts.
• Shell and bead necklaces, charm bracelets, rubber wristbands for causes.
• Tiny handbags, then very large ones by 2007.
• Flip-flops and ugg boots, often in the wrong weather.
• Body glitter and lip gloss by the tub.

Designers and labels of the 2000s

• Marc Jacobs at Louis Vuitton, with the artist collaborations.
• Phoebe Philo at Chloe, then heading to Celine at the end of the decade.
• Christopher Bailey reviving Burberry after the check went out of favour.
• Zara, H&M and Topshop setting the pace, with the Kate Moss range in 2007.
• Roland Mouret's Galaxy dress (2005).
• Alexander McQueen's own label at its most theatrical.

Dressing up as the 2000s

• Velour tracksuit, side fringe, oversized sunglasses.
• Chunky highlights can be faked with clip-in pieces.
• For men: skinny jeans, band tee, gelled hair.

Where to find the clothes

• Charity shops first - the later decades turn up constantly and cost almost nothing.
• Your own loft or a relative's wardrobe beats any fancy dress shop for authenticity.
• Buy the accessories new and the clothes second-hand; the accessories are what people recognise.
• Fancy dress versions of an era are usually a cartoon of it - one real garment looks better than a whole costume.

Shop cards

How to write it so it lands

• Photographs date an outfit faster than anything - look at family albums from the era before you shop.
• Hair and accessories carry a decade better than the clothes do.
• Pair this with the 2000s playlist for a themed night that hangs together.

Where to shop next

• Look back to 2000
• Look back to 2001
• Look back to 2002
• Look back to 2003
• Look back to 2004
• Look back to 2005
• Look back to 2006
• Look back to 2007
• Look back to 2008
• Look back to 2009
• 2000s books, films and TV
• 2000s calendar: year by year
• 2000s trivia: fun facts
• The 2000s: the whole decade
• Retro gift guide: the 2000s
• 2000s party playlist
• 00s quiz questions
• Dial-up, MSN and MySpace
• Adverts we can still recite
• Decade music round questions
• Decade history: key events, politics and culture by era
• Decade books: best novels, authors and reading trends
• Decade fashion: clothes, hair and accessories by era
• Decade guides: books, films and TV by era
• Decade calendar: every year from 1920
• Decade trivia: fun facts by era
• Nostalgia gift shop
• Retro party supplies
• Decade-themed birthday parties
• Guess the year quiz
• Milestone birthday cards
• Planning the party? Birthday party ideas
• How to make a balloon arch
• Photo booth prop ideas
• Pin badges
• All guides

Frequently asked questions

What did people wear in the 2000s?

Low-rise bootcut jeans, often with a visible belt and a longer top. The full list above covers the everyday clothes as well as the going-out ones, because the two were rarely the same.

What was the 2000s hairstyle?

Chunky highlights and the side fringe swept over one eye. The other styles above ran alongside it - no decade had only one haircut.

Who were the big fashion designers of the 2000s?

Marc Jacobs at Louis Vuitton, with the artist collaborations. The designers section above lists the rest of the names and labels that set the decade's styles.

How do I dress up as the 2000s for a party?

Pick one silhouette and one accessory that everyone recognises, and stop there. The dressing-up section above gives the shortcuts for this era.

Do you sell clothes?

No. We make greeting cards, art prints and pin badges in the UK. This page is free to read and free to copy.