Early 2000s Fashion Icons We All Worshiped
Admit it: if you grew up in the 2000s, you committed many fashion sins you wish to forget. My lengthy list of 2000s blunders includes flared PINK yoga pants tucked into Ugg boots, low-rise jeans that definitely didn't work for my body type, pink trucker hats, and glittery tees with rhinestone-encrusted butterflies.
But don't blame yourself for your style blunders; blame the early 2000s fashion icons you worshiped on MTV and the pages of Seventeen magazine. These celebrities and Hollywood socialites set the fashion trends of the 2000s; all we did was copy.
These early 2000s fashion icons defined Noughties style and somehow managed to pull off some of the cringe-worthiest early 2000s trends.
Britney Spears
Though Britney Spears never intended to become a style icon, the popstar had some of the most recognizable early 2000s red carpet looks. Her matching head-to-toe denim looks with Justin Timberlake for the 2001 VMAs has gone down in fashion history as one of the most iconic looks in the noughties.
The 90s popstar's music videos, on-stage performances, and paparazzied personal life gave her fans plenty of early 2000s outfits to copy. Her velour tracksuits, flared low-rise jeans, newsboys caps, and exposed bra straps became major 2000s trends.
Sarah Jessica Parker
There's no denying that Carrie Bradshaw was one of the biggest sources of fashion inspiration in the 90s and early 2000s. Thankfully for Carrie Bradshaw fans, SJP's off-screen style was just as good. Just like her character, Parker was known for taking major style risks.
SJP never shied away from statement pieces, funky hats, and bold accessories. She often styled late 90s trends like strappy heeled sandals and strapless dresses with an early 2000s flare. She loved anything pink or ballerina-inspired and often chose dresses applique flowers, feathers, or sequins.
Avril Lavinge
Canadian singer Avril Lavinge was the epitome of early 2000s punk style. Her signature style included loose neckties, wife-beater tanks, sweat wristbands, and scuffed Converse. Lavinge's tomboyish looks worn in music videos for chart-topping songs like Sk8er Boi and Complicated were copied by emo teens everywhere.
The pop-punk princess was unapologetically casual on the red carpet. She often wore baggy cargo pants, skateboarding sneakers like DC or Vans, studded leather belts, and graphic tees. Like a true emo girl, she loved wearing pink and camo— especially together.
Lavinge's beauty looks were equally as influential as her outfits. She almost always sported a thick layer of smudged black eyeliner and pin-straight flat-ironed hair. Throughout the years, her chunky highlights ranged from neon green to black to hot pink.
Nicole Richie
During The Simple Life years, Nicole Richie and her pal Paris Hilton became fashion icons and emblems of early 2000s pop culture. In the popular show on Fox, the two Hollywood heiresses were stripped of their money (but not their crotch-length mini skirts and VonDutch hats, thank god) and sent to work on a family farm in rural Arkansas. The girls' Louis Vuitton luggage, designer sunglasses, and Juicy Couture sweatsuits became the most in-demand styles of the 2000s.
Nicole Richie had some of the most enviable early 2000s style. Her pink dresses, micro-miniskirts, and overly glossed lips were soon copied by every 2000s teen who dreamt of being a ~rich girl~ one day too. Like most 2000s style icons, Richie loved to accessorize. Her looks were often topped with a funky hat, skinny scarf, or statement earrings.
She's also known for her undying love for Balenciaga bags. In the mid-2000s, Richie made Balenciaga's City Bag one of the biggest It-bags of the decade.
Christina Aguilera
Christina Aguilera's early 2000s fashion was iconic. Back then, Xtina was trying to break away from the good-girl image that most early 2000s popstars had. Her scandalous looks and sexy music videos were a huge risk at the time, but boy did they pay off. Aguilera's ass-less leather chaps, barely-there tops, and statement hats of the early aughts solidified her place in fashion history.
Christina Aguilera's hair and makeup were just as influential as her outfits. Throughout the late 90s and early 00s, she frequently wore brightly-colored clip-in extensions, face gems, and kerchief-style bandanas. Her crimped hair was recreated by every preteen ever (including yours truly). In 2003, she made major headlines when she dyed her platinum-blonde hair a grungy jet black.
Lindsay Lohan
Lindsay Lohan was one of the biggest It-Girls of the early 2000s. At the time, her personal style was often overlooked thanks to her highly-publicized personal life. Thanks to iconic movies like Mean Girls and Freaky Friday, her on-screen outfits have become eponymous with early 2000s style.
Lindsay Lohan never met an early 2000s fashion trend she didn't like. From babydoll dresses to denim miniskirts to oversized belts to low-rise bootcut jeans, Lohan tried them all. When it came to beauty, she always sported a spray tan and a healthy dose of glitter lip gloss.
Christina Milan
Actress and R&B singer Christina Milan was known in the early 2000s for her sexy red carpet style. She loved showing off her belly-button ring in low-rise bottoms and crop tops. The sexy silk robe and revealing red dress in her Dip It Low music video solidified her status as a 2000s sex symbol.
Christina Milan's early 2000s style has made a major comeback in recent years. Her low-rise jeans and exposed thongs, cropped white tanks, and leather mini skirts have been sources of inspiration for R&B stars like Normani, SZA, and Summer Walker.
Paris Hilton
Paris Hilton's early 2000s style was legendary. In the 20 years since her iconic looks have been copied by countless celebrity It-Girls and style bloggers. Hilton singlehandedly established many of the early 2000s fashion trends we know and love today: velour tracksuits, metallic Louis Vuitton bags, Von Dutch trucker hats, and rhinestone-embellished everything.
Some of Hilton's best looks came on her infamous nights out. She was known for her party-going lifestyle, mini-miniskirts, and graphic tees. In one of her most iconic looks, she paired a "Got Blow?" graphic tank top with low-rise khakis and a rhinestone belt. And who could forget Kendall Jenner's recreation of Paris Hilton's rhinestone party dress??
Lauren Conrad
Lauren Conrad was the definition of California girl style in the early 2000s. In 2004, 18-year-old Conrad became a household name thanks to her role on Laguna Beach, a reality show set at her high school. Two years later, she received her own spin-off show, The Hills, a reality show that followed Conrad's early fashion career. She would go on to found two clothing brands, LC Lauren Conrad and Paper Crown, and launch a fair-trade website called The Little Market.
She wore popular 2000s trends like babydoll tanks and dresses, oversized sunglasses, denim capris, and tube tops. When asked about her outfit choices, Conrad replied, "I definitely wasn’t a trendsetter. The early 2000s were an interesting period for fashion... It takes a very daring person to try a new trend when no one else is doing it. I think, if anything, I just had a more beachy, bohemian vibe."
