Hilary Duff did something that didn’t even exist when she first butterfly-clipped her way into our lives—she broke the internet. On Aug. 23, the now-31-year old actress announced via Instagram that Lizzie Mcguire, the cult classic show that ran from 2001-2004 on Disney Channel, is returning to screens.
Lizzie’s outfit repeating isn’t the only 2000s relic getting a reboot. Bedazzled tops, candy-colored barrettes, and increasingly chunky sneakers are making their way through Instagram feeds and New School classrooms alike. Even the seemingly eternal mom jean is being ditched, inch by inch, in favor of vintage hip-huggers. We got New School students’ take on every element of the growing Y2K trend, from go-to shopping spots to style inspiration.
“I’m inspired by the 90s and early 2000s fashion for sure. I’m from Harlem and to be honest, people sleep on Harlem all the time. Rappers and artists from that area heavily inspire me,” said Taira Rice, an illustration major at Parsons. Photo by India Roby.
Taira Rice, an Illustration major at Parsons, didn’t hesitate to name eBay as the fuel behind her Y2K wardrobe. Her effortlessly cool, quintessentially 2000s outfit combined a transparent PVC tote bag, orange halter polo top, and low-rise jeans flared over vintage Air Force 1’s. Rice cites her New York City upbringing as a source of inspiration. “I’m from Harlem and to be honest, people sleep on Harlem all the time,” she said. “Rappers and artists from that area heavily inspire me.”
As a 2000s baby and seasoned New York native, Rice has the right idea. Many of the 2000s’ biggest hip hop stars hailed from the Big Apple and brought their era-defining style with them. Artists like Jay-Z, 50 Cent, and Cam’ron popularized the velour suits, oversized tees, and classic sneakers that are still heavily worn today.
For Sharnice Knox, a first-year student at Parsons, the best Y2K inspiration can be found within her iPhone. “I derive my inspiration from lots of streetwear,” she said. “My to-go places are definitely thrift stores like L Train Vintage, Goodwill, and Beacon’s Closet.” Knox named streetwear stylist Ian Connor and influencers Aleali May (@alealimay) and Alani Figueroa (@wuzg00d) as her style icons. As Y2K motifs trickle into streetwear, and onto the digital heavyweights that represent it, it’s increasingly easy for followers like Knox to draw inspiration and emulate modern twists on anything from trucker hats to tracksuits.
Karissa Rowe, a third-year Culture and Media student, blends the media of today and yesteryear to curate her wardrobe. “I get my inspiration from street style,” she said. “I go on Tumblr so much, and I archive a lot of pictures from the past. I also use Instagram and magazines.”
While decade-centric trends come and go as fashion fluctuates, the iconic silhouettes of the early aughts resonate differently with students who lived through them in the first place. For the first time, gen-Z students are witnessing the recurrence of trends that they helped establish. The college students of today were the catalog-flipping, Limited Too-shopping, Lizzie McGuire-watching, unintentional trendsetters of the 2000s.
“We grew up in the 2000s era and looked up to people who dressed like this, and probably dressed like this ourselves and didn’t even notice,” Rice said. “Since we weren’t old enough to fully immerse ourselves in that world, we’re doing it now in our own way.”