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The 2000s

Y2K, boho chic

Tracksuit, Juicy Couture, ca. 2004
Juicy Couture · ca. 2004

Celebrity and online images accelerated the circulation of looks, while wearers and designers continued to shape them. Low waists and romantic layers coexisted with runway spectacle.

Key styles

Jennifer Lopez in Juicy Couture, Juicy Couture, 2001

Y2K

Low-rise waists · Cropped tops · Shine and visible branding

Look 6, Chloé, spring/summer 2005

Boho chic

Loose, layered silhouettes · Frills and vintage references · Relaxed accessories

Jennifer Lopez in a cropped white top, low-slung trousers, sparkling belt and embellished bandana, photographed with Sean Combs in 2000.

Hip-hop style

Oversized casualwear · Sportswear and sneakers · Bold jewelry and branding

New Funk outfit worn by Hashimoto Suguru, New Funk Inc.; selected and worn by Hashimoto Suguru, Made 2000; worn about 2000–02

Harajuku street style

Personal mixes and layering · Secondhand and handmade clothing · Independent labels and substyles

Defining work of the 2000s

Selected examples dated to this decade.

Designers active in the 2000s

Ensemble, Alexander McQueen, fall/winter 2006–7

Alexander McQueen

fall/winter 2006–7

Joined precise tailoring with historical narratives and theatrical silhouettes, including the Scottish references of his 2006 collection.

Evening dress, House of Dior, spring/summer 2000

John Galliano

spring/summer 2000

Reworked historical cutting and drapery into expressive Dior couture, exemplified by his spiraling silk gown of 2000.

Dress, House of Balenciaga, spring/summer 2006

Nicolas Ghesquière

spring/summer 2006

At Balenciaga, combined historical construction with experiments in textiles, pattern and proportion.

Remote Control, Hussein Chalayan, spring/summer 2000, edition 2005

Hussein Chalayan

spring/summer 2000, edition 2005

Used transforming garments to investigate the body and technology, including the Remote Control design introduced in 2000.

Look 6, Chloé, spring/summer 2005

Phoebe Philo

spring/summer 2005

At Chloé, gave bohemian dressing a contemporary ease through loose blouses, soft skirts and romantic detail.

Jennifer Lopez in Juicy Couture, Juicy Couture, 2001

Juicy Couture

2001

Pamela Skaist-Levy and Gela Nash-Taylor’s label made the tracksuit a recognizable early-2000s fashion statement.

Jennifer Lopez in a cropped white top, low-slung trousers, sparkling belt and embellished bandana, photographed with Sean Combs in 2000.

Sean Combs · Sean John

2000

Brought hip-hop into designer fashion and celebrity wardrobes; founder Sean Combs received the CFDA menswear award in 2004.

Wedding dress, Vera Wang, 2002

Vera Wang

2002

Connected bridal dress with contemporary fashion through expressive drapery and volume, alongside ready-to-wear launched in 2000.

The world behind
the wardrobe.

Celebrity images, music and rapidly expanding online media helped fashion travel across the 2000s. Early-decade Y2K looks made low waists and casual status pieces recognizable, while boho chic mixed romantic vintage references with designer clothes. Hip-hop shaped silhouettes, accessories and major clothing businesses.

Early 2000s

Celebrity style travels

Tabloids and online photographs helped turn low-rise denim, tracksuits and accessories into recognizable status pieces.

2004–05

Boho reaches the runway

Vintage references and relaxed styling shaped a recognizable moment in celebrity dress and Phoebe Philo’s Chloé collections.

2004

Hip-hop wins industry recognition

Sean Combs received the CFDA Menswear Designer of the Year award, a milestone documented by the Museum at FIT.

Browse all 479 designers

Designers active in this decade. Available garment examples may come from another period; their dates are labeled.

479 of 479 shown

READ FURTHER

FIT Fashion History Timeline: 2000–2009Vogue: Juicy Couture founders on the 2000sVogue: Chloé spring 2005, reviewed October 2004Museum at FIT: Fifty Years of Hip Hop Style
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