Now in my early 40s, some memories are fuzzy, while others are clear as day (or sadly, memorialized in photos). For instance, that of the early 2000’s fashions.
I can very vividly remember trudging my way to the bars in 4″ platform heels, a spaghetti strap tank (dead-of-winter), and jeans riding so-low that I could feel the cold Northeast air in a place where the sun typically wouldn’t shine. Never mind those of us veritably blessed with an ample amount of junk-in-the-trunk had even more to risk with this trend, but good luck finding a mid-rise anywhere in site.
Fast forward to the 2020’s and while there’s been threats of return to those Y2K fallacies, we’re still staying practical in our wardrobe approach. Watching my Gen Z daughters attend a school dance sans heels but with much more feet-friendly sneakers instead, leaves me wondering why didn’t we think of that??
Not only is it super cute, but it saves the balls of our feet, not to mention the embarrassment of spending the evening hobbling around like a baby calf.
With that in mind, here are 5 fashion trends we wish were around when we were younger.
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1. Sneakers with dresses
From day dresses to cocktail attire, any frock goes when it comes to this comfy trend. What was once relegated to a running shoe or running errands, has become totally acceptable for dressier days (and nights).
We would have loved this more practical approach to footwear, which would have made dancing the night away a hella lot less painful.
2. Mom jeans
What once was the butt of SNL jokes, has comfortably become a part of our current-day fashion culture. High-waist jeans, aka “mom jeans,” are now appropriately hiding the belly buttons piercings and whale tales we sported in the 2000’s.
3. Jumpsuits
It doesn’t get much easier than pulling this one-and-done piece off your closet rack, tossing it on, and heading out the door. While we were racking our brains trying to figure out what went with what, today, we’re opting for one piece instead of two with jumpsuits, rompers, and catsuits.
The only caveat? Not as much ease when it’s time to use the restroom.
4. Matching sweats
Suddenly sweats became chic and we don’t hate it. Thanks to Kim Kardashian, Hailey Bieber, Bella Hadid, and others, we started bringing sweats out of the home, and into the light of day.
When you pair two matching pieces, you look even more pulled together in this jammies-like fashion trend.
5. Bra tops
OK, so hear me out with this one. If you think as a millennial you’re just too old to rock a bra as a top, well… maybe you are, but that shouldn’t stop you if you are so inclined.
But what I like about this is the obvious budgetary-benefits — no more buying both a costly bra and a top, instead just choose one! And obviously, most of us can’t go sans bra so we’ll simply skip the top. Sounds logical, right?
