Y2K Fashion in 2026

When your past comes back to haunt you...

    My friend, Elisabeth, is a secondary school teacher. When she comes for visits she likes to regale me with stories about her students. It's usually in regards to how poorly they're performing at school and how she fears that they're academically doomed; but she also enjoys telling me about their bizarre outfits. Like kids coming to school in weird lingerie costumery type stuff. A lot of it she tells me is hideous and does not go together, at all. She has also told me that they no longer have fashion cliques in high school like we did. No goths, jocks, preps or nerds. They wear anything and everything, it just depends on the day. We laugh about it, but it's not so funny when you realize kids are starting to wear the same crap that you did when you were their age. It's like the planets coming into alignment, water turns into wine, and kids start dressing like their parents. You might think it's flattering or cute, for me it's weird and sort of feels like we're losing apart of ourselves, but it's not so unfamiliar territory...

    When we were teens in the 2000's we were wearing clothing largely inspired by the styles of the 1970's. I remember it firing up in the late 90's when we started to see less hippy chic or club wear and more relaxed boho designs. There were peasant tops, empire waistlines, puff sleeves, appliqued pants, ruffles and all sorts of embellishments. That was my parent's generation of fashion, and my mother and other relatives would not let me forget it. I thought to myself, "there's no way it's remotely the same!" And then of course That 70's Show gained in popularity and some girls started doing Farrah hair and it dawned on me that it was probably true. But there was also this weird hybridization thing going on... these 70's styles were being incorporated into cowboy and military looks...? I don't know where the hell that came from but it happened. It was a crazy mish mash of fashion, a little of something for everyone!

    I knew it was possible that some of these styles would be revisited eventually, especially with how hard designers pushed the 90's aesthetic for the last decade, but I'm surprised to see it come back all at once. It's not been gradual and it feels like I'm shopping in the past. In the main photo above is a picture of a girl with a furry purse, and it feels like it could've come straight out of our yearbook...or from someone's Myspace page. It's all too familiar. The straw cowboy hats. The handkerchief tops. Statement jewelry. Purse charms. Cadet hats. Studs. Square necklines. Empire waistlines. Crocheted things. The peasant style shirts and skirts. The big ass belts worn low on the hips. Even the subtle nod to Aviator glasses but I'm sure we'll be seeing those come back eventually, too.

    The only thing they're missing are ponchos. I don't see any contemporary ponchos. Give it time I guess.

    It was only yesterday when I was thinking about how much I miss 2010's adult fashion; that prim and proper, jeans and a nice top aesthetic. Everyone looked so put together. I can see that we're probably only a few years off from returning to that business casual, handicraft chic. With pageboy hats, statement bib necklaces and bootcut jeans... Or the cardigans with the infinite scarves, pencil skirts and the pixie cuts...you know, that coveted "librarian look". I'm not likely to wait for it mind you, I've already started digging up patterns in my stash that I purchased during that era (I'm aging myself here) and I'm hoping to sew some over the summer so that my fall wardrobe is look book ready!