A peek into casual-wear trends of the mid 2000s
I am not from New England or the Pacific Northwest, but when the winter months start to creep in, I can feel myself wanting to don my low-rise jeans, Henley top, zip-up hoodie, short boots, and accessorize with a steaming cup of coffee. My nostalgia for casual winter fashions of the mid-2000s comes partially from my childhood experiences, yes, but mostly from my love of media from that time such as Gilmore Girls, The Vampire Diaries, and Twilight. I want to take a look into these casual nostalgic fall fashions and stroll down memory lane with a lookbook of some classic winter trends.
Winter staples of the mid-2000s such as neutral tones, low-rise denim, natural hair colors, and boots are all the rage on social media, but where do they come from? As fashion lore has it, trends are a pendulum. So, it would have been reasonable to predict that the ultra-glitz, mcbling, and super crops of the late nineties and early 2000s would swing back to the muted colors, long tops, and simpler silhouettes of the mid-2000s. Additionally, the mid-2000s trends followed the 20-year rule (that trends come back every 20 years), which can be seen in the '80s grunge inspiration of the time. One last factor is, of course, the economy. The flashy aesthetic of the early 2000s was partially a product of the hyper-consumerist economy of the time. After the crash of 2008, however, it makes sense that a more muted vibe would come into style. The resurgence of grunge and other easily “thriftable" aesthetics, the popularity of natural colors, which are more affordable to maintain than bleach blonde, and the trend of boots, which last longer than other types of shoes were, all visual signs of the economic struggle of the nation.
Personally, I am attracted to this style because of its wearability. It is casual, yet it reminds me of the cool main characters I looked up to while growing up. It relies on a few pieces that can be re-worn again and again, which is great for those on a budget or looking for sustainable options. If I haven’t convinced you yet, I will now go through a lookbook of some iconic everyday mid-2000s looks.
Elena Gilbert from The Vampire Diaries
This Elena outfit is a classic, though sometimes the lighting of The Vampire Diaries was so dark you could hardly see what the characters were wearing. Her simple feminine style works off a color palette of moody reds, purples, greys, and black, which all work extremely well on her. Her love of a statement pendant also adds an extra flare to her simple outfits.
Lorelai Gilmore from Gilmore Girls
Lorelai Gilmore is the queen of styling the ultra-popular fitted denim jacket. Her messy-chic style fits perfectly into the mid-2000s casual aesthetic.
Fiona Gallagher from Shameless
Fiona Gallagher, in my opinion, is an underrated icon when it comes to the messy, grungy mid-2000s look. Here, she’s rocking the layered and the low-rise jeans look. She is also a proponent of the messy yet perfect natural hair, which was very in style at the time.
Sam and Dean Winchester from Supernatural
Fine, I’ll include a men’s look. Seriously, though, if you’re looking for inspiration for the masculine side of the mid-2000s casual winter look, Sam and Dean’s CW closet is the place. The characters are frequently seen in heavy work boots and layers, including vintage leather jackets, neutral-toned cotton sweaters, and simple undershirts peeking out.
Bella Swan from Twilight
I could never discuss this style without mentioning the queen muse, Bella Swan. The resurgence of popularity of the Twilight movies has made Bella’s simple feminine style in neutral tones iconic.
Macey Jacobs is a blog writer for Revolution. This article was edited by Meliha Ural.
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