I’ve Discovered a Love for Early 2000s Fashion, and I’m Never Going Back

I have fallen hard for early 2000s fashion, and there is no turning back. When I added pink Uggs (a shoe that I hadn’t looked twice at in over a decade) to my holiday wishlist this past December, it felt like the icing on my personal style cake and an official testament to this awakening. Realistically, my favorable way of dressing has shifted, thanks to nostalgia for an era I never fully embraced and a Pinterest board full of early-aughts fashion campaigns and Paris Hilton paparazzi shots.

Now that I have secured the pink Uggs (thanks to my boyfriend and hours spent scouring the Internet before landing the perfect pair), I can reflect on why this style feels right all these years later. Firstly, I was too young and self-conscious in the early 2000s to fully embrace the aesthetic when it was splashed across runways, editorials, and celebrity street style. Let’s be real—it takes confidence and truly knowing oneself to go out in pink Ugg boots, matching pink sweatpants with crystals on the butt, or an archival Yves Saint Laurent crushed velvet top styled with neon green Adidas track pants.

Secondly, now that I am older, I’ve realized that fashion is intended to make you feel good, and what an individual chooses to wear every day is a way to communicate who they are to the world. The message that I’m sharing with the world in 2026 is that I’m going all in on Y2K fashion, and if I need a pair of pink Uggs to fully lean into the vibe, so be it.

Keep scrolling to see more of my favorite early 2000s-inspired looks and how to make them your own.