Drop It Like It’s Aught

Updating Y2K style trends

March 16, 2023

Intro by Nina Bays Cournoyer, Styled and Photographed by Drewe and Kate,

WILMA has seen a lot in her 20 years, especially when it comes to style.

The year is 2003 … While readers are clamoring for Wilmington’s newest women’s mag, the fashion world is experiencing its own whirlwind debut. Early-2000s (Y2K) style emerged during the famous (or infamous, depending on how your investment portfolio read) dot-com boom, giving it a flair for the futuristic and a hunger for maximalism. Hot pink was still the “it” color, thanks to the wardrobe of Reese Witherspoon’s Elle, of Legally Blonde, and the cast of Mean Girls, not to mention the more-is-more styling of celebutantes like Paris Hilton.

Pair that ultra-pop color with anything shiny or metallic, and you were a legit carnival of 2000s fashion.

Today, a few of the Y2K trends have circled back around, but now we can wear them with a little more refinement – a select few at a time. Wide-leg jeans worn with heels, collared shirts layered with sweaters, and, of course, the color pink are all big winners.

So go ahead and channel that early-aughts nostalgia, just make sure to revisit it with your own adult spin. Game on.

Mesh CROP TOP in lilac, Akiya DRESS in pink glo, Natalia platform SANDAL in platinum, EOS CLUTCH, and chevalier RING, all available from Oliver Clothing

Erin DRESS in caviar, Eleanor TOP in mercury, Gia tall BOOT in black, and silver hoop EARRINGS, all available from Oliver Clothing; LIPSTICK by Madame Gabriela in New York at 1PM, available from Pipton

Ramona SWEATSHIRT in heather gray, Kinsley TOP in hot pink, Amyra bow heeled MULE in fuchsia, and gold CHAIN with customizable charms, all available from Oliver Clothing