5 Y2K trends that should never come back — and one that’s slipped through the cracks

• Y2K fashion trends have gained traction on social media in recent years, especially among Gen Z.
• But not all trends from the early aughts deserve a resurgence.
• Stylists told BI they’re not fans of cork wedge heels and dresses over jeans.

In times of uncertainty, there’s something to be said for the power of nostalgia.

“Nostalgia is a refuge, as people turn to the feelings of comfort, security, and love they enjoyed in their past,” Krystine Batcho, a psychologist and professor at Le Moyne College, told Business Insider in 2022.

However, Gen Z’s relationship with the concept is unique. They’re nostalgic for a time they barely remember, or don’t remember at all: the early 2000s.

That’s led to some interesting interpretations as they aim to replicate Y2K — Year 2000 — fashion.

Fashion stylist Payton Dale told BI that members of Gen Z are looking to Vogue, Y2K movies, and other “over-the-top things” to determine what fashion was like, and mistakenly using them as their guide.

BI spoke with Dale, as well as fashion stylists Maiya Simone and Turner Allen, to learn which Y2K trends are better left in school yearbooks, moms’ Facebook archives, and “Mean Girls.”

Here’s what they said.