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October 11, 2021 at 06:03AM

Each season, as fashion month begins editors, influencers and general fashion enthusiasts are bombarded with new season styles. With four separate cities putting on events and several shows each day, there’s a veritable banquet of looks and designers to keep track of. And while newness is of course the name of the game, this season I found myself experiencing a recurring sense of déjà vu.

From New York to Milan and Paris, several influencer designers and brands sent looks down the runway which felt oddly familiar, immediately conjuring up nostalgia for the early 2000s. Miu Miu created barely there mini skirts adorned with box pleats and thin belts, a look which Paris Hilton, Lindsay Lohan and every other Y2K It girl heavily invested in back in 2002. While cargo trousers (yes, cargo trousers!) were back on the agenda at Tom Ford, validating the questionable fashion choices I made as a pre-teen. Keyhole cut outs were seen at LaQuan Smith, Stella McCartney and Victoria Beckham, harking back to the red carpet looks spotted on Beyoncé, Jennifer Anniston and Halle Berry in the early aughts, and exposed midriffs were seen left, right and centre, reminiscent of the looks pop-stars used to sport in music videos and at events.

Don’t believe me? Keep scrolling to see for yourself. Below are 9 examples to prove that in 2022, everyone will be dressing like it’s 2002 all over again.

Thigh grazing skirts were a trend we saw across the board for Spring/Summer 2022, though no brand created them quite as itsy, bitsy, teeny, weeny as Miu Miu. The Muiccia Prada-founded label sent models down the runway in low-rise mirco minis adorned with thin belts, immediately casting the mind back to Paris Hilton’s heyday, when the heiress was known for wearing almost the exact same look. 

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The moment I saw this Stella McCartney tassel crop top hit the runway I knew the was something familiar about it. And it only took a little bit of googling to discover Britney Spears wore something very similar back in 2002. Crops of all kinds were a wardrobe staple in the early aughts, often paired alongside low-rise jeans for the perfect “jeans and a nice top” look. Seems we’ll be bringing this back for Summer 2022, as well.

The similarities between the two looks and how they are styled below is uncanny, right down to the fur-covered outwear. Is it possible LaQuan Smith had this 2003 Beyoncé look on his mood board? We wouldn’t blame him. We may never know, but you can guarantee we’re about to see a resurgence in this peekaboo, keyhole silhouette.

As a young girl deprived of the practicality of real pockets on jeans, I can distinctly remember myself living in cargo trousers throughout my pre-teen years. Plus with endorsements from pop stars like Fergie, Britney and Christina Aguilera, they were a bonafide cool-girl investment. And Tom Ford has now decided it’s time for item’s revival, as the designer sent a pair of bright green cargos down the runway for Spring/Summer 2022. Of course, the full Y2K-inspired look wouldn’t have been complete with a bare midriff, so Tom Ford styled the trousers alongside a bra top, reminiscent of a look Fergie wore in 2003.

The early aughts wasn’t all loud prints and miniature hemlines. Of course the era had its own brand of minimalism, depicted so perfectly below by none other than Jennifer Aniston. The actress wore a black column dress to the 2003 Screen Actor’s Guild Awards complete with keyhole cut outs, which captures the feeling of a look Victoria Beckham recently debuted as a part of her Spring/Summer 2022 collection.

On the topic of cutouts, Stella McCartney utilised the trend throughout several styles in her latest collection. McCartney’s show featured shoulder and stomach cut out dresses paraded down the runway in several colours and patterns, and I couldn’t help but notice how similar this felt the looks Destiny’s Child wore in 2000.

From Christina Aguilera to Rihanna, every popstar of the early aughts had a tie up top moment of some description. The detail was often found on the front or side of belly bearing tops and paired alongside (you guessed it) low rise jeans. Charlotte Knowles tapped into the style for her S/S22 show going all in on the Y2K vibes, which will no doubt appeal to her very Gen Z fanbase.

Are you sensing a theme here? Interesting silhouettes and cut outs were big news in 2003 as evidenced here by Halle Berry’s red carpet gown. The trend will be headlining again in the not too distant future, solidified in part by Victoria Beckham’s Spring/Summer 2022 collection.

Power suits have taken centre stage on the runway for a few seasons now, though for Summer 2022 the look will transcend office attire and move into the party wear category. At Fendi and Versace, we saw bold suits paired alongside bra tops, which is an outfit forumla TLC championed in the late ‘90s.

Next up, the biggest Autumn/Winter 2021 trends you need to know. 

Author Zoe Anastasiou | Whowhatwear
Selected by CWC