That period between 2002-2005 was probably the most dull time ever for fashion.

I heard that some parts of the 90's decade had some corny fashion too, not just 2002-2005, but I probably wasn't aware of that at the time, if I looked at some videos then maybe I'd notice a huge difference in the culture. For some reason I seem to notice an attitude change between 2002 and 2003 in terms of fashion and hair styles in the pictures I look at.

The 2000's in general were a pretty plain decade, with the exception of the first two years. People say the 1990's were plain and nonconformist, but really it was the 2000's. I have relatives who were young (teens/early 20's) back then. Jeans were totally in back then, as well as t-shirts and flip-flops and sneakers. The result is just very plain looks, no matter how expensive, that don't look dated today. Maybe some do, but if a man were to wear his clothes from 2005 in 2015 do you really think people would glare? Probably not.

@ArcticFox
It could be because '00s and the '10s are roughly the same era fashionwise, like the 60s and the 70s, they seem like sister decades so far. I'd honestly blame the '10s, it has been a lazy decade so far in terms of tech progression and fashion. The 00s atleast made the effort to look different from the 90s but the fact that my 10 year old sneakers can fly today is definitely the fault of today's stagnation.

The 00s atleast made the effort to look different from the 90s but the fact that my 10 year old sneakers can fly today is definitely the fault of today's stagnation.


Exactly. I mean think about it; If you were a 30 year old man in 2005 and decided to wear your baggy chinos and sweater from the Gap as well as a pair of Lugz shoes, all from 1995, could you get away with it? I'm not sure, but something tells me it wouldn't have been as acceptable.

http://www.uomoclassico.com/95fw/lg/gap95fw.jpg

I would say casual wear hasn't changed much over the past ten years. In 2005, if I were in no mood to dress up and just wanted to slip something on, I would probably wear a t-shirt, shorts, and sneakers or flip-flops. Ditto for today.

I saw a similar thread on another forum, but it was talking about 90s fashion. Most of the older people there, in their mid-40s or older, pretty much agreed that fashion barely changed at all from 1990 onwards. My mother would say the same thing. Maybe they were too old in the 90s to care about fashion trends so everything just looked the same to them.

A lot of things now wouldn't be common in 2005. Skinny jeans, plaid shirts, leather jackets, skinny joggers, Converse, v-neck tees. Never saw many people wearing those things back then, if any. 2001-type jeans would probably pass today, but there are definitely many fashion trends of the 2010s that were not evident in the earlier part of the 2000s.

I think people now are more fashion conscious in general, or at least dress better casually instead of going outside dressed like a slob. Young men today in particular are much more fashion conscious than their older counterparts IMO and take pride in their appearance (because taking care of yourself is no longer deemed 'girly', but just normal).

The 2000's in general were a pretty plain decade, with the exception of the first two years. People say the 1990's were plain and nonconformist, but really it was the 2000's. I have relatives who were young (teens/early 20's) back then. Jeans were totally in back then, as well as t-shirts and flip-flops and sneakers. The result is just very plain looks, no matter how expensive, that don't look dated today. Maybe some do, but if a man were to wear his clothes from 2005 in 2015 do you really think people would glare? Probably not.

This decade isn't so plain. Jeans today have embellishments on the back. Either fancy stitching or something shiny. T-shirts and jeans pass for casual wear in most modern eras. Baggy clothing isn't in today nor is obvious name brands printed across a shirt. Certain outfits you could get away with bringing out again now, but not as much others.


I saw a similar thread on another forum, but it was talking about 90s fashion. Most of the older people there, in their mid-40s or older, pretty much agreed that fashion barely changed at all from 1990 onwards. My mother would say the same thing. Maybe they were too old in the 90s to care about fashion trends so everything just looked the same to them.

A lot of things now wouldn't be common in 2005. Skinny jeans, plaid shirts, leather jackets, skinny joggers, Converse, v-neck tees. Never saw many people wearing those things back then, if any. 2001-type jeans would probably pass today, but there are definitely many fashion trends of the 2010s that were not evident in the earlier part of the 2000s.

I think people now are more fashion conscious in general, or at least dress better casually instead of going outside dressed like a slob. Young men today in particular are much more fashion conscious than their older counterparts IMO and take pride in their appearance (because taking care of yourself is no longer deemed 'girly', but just normal).

The trend is moving away from skinny jeans now, but they're still worn by young people. Name brands are not a priority now, and going out a little more dressed up is the thing. A woman may go out now wearing jeans, but would pair them with a patterned blouse and some costume jewelry. Maybe some comfortable flats that aren't athletic shoes. Younger guys are wearing clothing that fits better.

This decade isn't so plain. Jeans today have embellishments on the back. Either fancy stitching or something shiny.
Didn't women's jeans in the early-mid 00s have diamonds on the back? I remember that was an incredibly common, indicator of the era.


I saw a similar thread on another forum, but it was talking about 90s fashion. Most of the older people there, in their mid-40s or older, pretty much agreed that fashion barely changed at all from 1990 onwards. My mother would say the same thing. Maybe they were too old in the 90s to care about fashion trends so everything just looked the same to them.
Tbh, I can see what they're saying. 90s fashion looks like toned down 80s fashion with generic 21st century elements. Almost nothing in the 80s can fly today, but you can falsify the release date of Gozilla '98 and The Matrix to 2003 and people living under rocks would be none the wiser.

Tbh, I can see what they're saying. 90s fashion looks like toned down 80s fashion with generic 21st century elements.


1990-1993 does, but not the mid and late '90s. Look at this music video from 1994 and these pictures:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qs7f3ssuEjA

http://www.soulculture.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/Puff-and-Mary.jpg
http://images5.fanpop.com/image/photos/24900000/MARY-J-BLIGE-MY-LIFE-ALBUM-PHOTO-SHOOT-1994-mary-j-blige-24924330-737-1067.jpg
http://images5.fanpop.com/image/photos/30400000/Throwback-Monica-1995-Photo-Shoot-monica-30418855-812-969.jpg
http://origincache-prn.fbcdn.net/1170290_286803408147009_1824430940_n.jpg
http://40.media.tumblr.com/0ccab8ed81be8774695e808d78d2fcb6/tumblr_nna6w9gmKD1rcujc9o1_1280.jpg

All of those pictures are from the mid 1990's. The decades of the late 20th Century (1970's, 1980's, and 1990's) all have their own very distinct identities and are very different from each other. The 2000's, on the other hand, don't really even have an identity. And so far, the 2010's don't either. Jeans and T-shirts transcend fashion trends, and since that's the dominant style of the 2000's and 2010's (so far..), it really doesn't make sense to divide them or write them off as two totally different times.

Here is what I would consider "The Look of the 2000's" for both genders.

Women (Ashlee Simpson, Jun. '06, 21 y/o):
http://cdn04.cdn.justjared.com/wp-content/uploads/2006/10/ashlee_simpson_skechers/ashlee-simpson-skechers-07.jpg
Tousled, Messy Light Ombré Hair
Heavy Plaid Hoodie
Blue-Green Blouse
Gray Skinny Jeans
Converse Sneakers

Men (Jessie McCartney, Jul. '06, 19 y/o):
http://cdn02.cdn.justjared.com/wp-content/uploads/2006/08/jesse_mccartney_music_video/jesse-mccartney-right-where-you-want-me-music-video-05.jpg
Wings Haircut (called the "Bieber Hair" in the early 2010's)
Gray Shell Jacket
White Graphic T-Shirt
Black Skinny Jeans
White Converse Sneakers

Honestly, these outfits are not too different from today. You could walk around like this in 2015 and no one would bat an eye. Then again, people were taking to the same thing in 2005 regarding the '90s. Maybe there will be a big change in fashion in 2016 completely away from the aughts? I'd love to see 1990's hip-hop and preppy fashion come back (mid and late, not early!!).

How would you guys describe it in your home country? Perhaps it's different, but I'm going by what was big in America.

Comment I saw on another forum:

"Listing things which were in fashion or took place during a decade is not decade identification unless you can wrap all of it up into a singular summary. Like "The Roaring Twenties", the Depression '30's, the war '40's, rebellious '60's, self absorbed '70's, corporate greed '80's and so forth.

Neither the '90's nor the '00's has produced that singular summary. Perhaps this is due to the increasing fragmentation of the culture, we are no longer all doing the same things, watching the same shows, neither decade could be described as either liberal conservative dominated."

So I guess people will never agree.

1990-1993 does, but not the mid and late '90s. Look at this music video from 1994 and these pictures:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qs7f3ssuEjA

http://www.soulculture.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/Puff-and-Mary.jpg
http://images5.fanpop.com/image/photos/24900000/MARY-J-BLIGE-MY-LIFE-ALBUM-PHOTO-SHOOT-1994-mary-j-blige-24924330-737-1067.jpg
http://images5.fanpop.com/image/photos/30400000/Throwback-Monica-1995-Photo-Shoot-monica-30418855-812-969.jpg
http://origincache-prn.fbcdn.net/1170290_286803408147009_1824430940_n.jpg
http://40.media.tumblr.com/0ccab8ed81be8774695e808d78d2fcb6/tumblr_nna6w9gmKD1rcujc9o1_1280.jpg

All of those pictures are from the mid 1990's. The decades of the late 20th Century (1970's, 1980's, and 1990's) all have their own very distinct identities and are very different from each other. The 2000's, on the other hand, don't really even have an identity. And so far, the 2010's don't either. Jeans and T-shirts transcend fashion trends, and since that's the dominant style of the 2000's and 2010's (so far..), it really doesn't make sense to divide them or write them off as two totally different times.


The clothes looked a bit outrageous.

Also, 2000's fashion for women wasn't as feminine as the '90s. In the 2000's, all a girl had to wear was just low-rise skinny jeans, some flat shoes, a hoodie, ridiculous hoop earrings, loads of bracelets, and a graphic tee shirt from Aeropostale. It wasn't androgynous per se (although the emo and scene fashion was), but it was definitely tomboyish in comparison to the clean-cut and more gender partisan '90s clothing.

Also women wore far more makeup in the 2000's (and so far the 2010s) than they did in the '90s. Look at this picture of Christina Milian in 2006:

http://www2.pictures.gi.zimbio.com/Maxim+Magazine+Hosts+7th+Annual+Hot+100+Party+9rAF8vm7JLjl.jpg

Yuck!  8-P That's way too much! It makes you wonder what she really looked like underneath all of that!

Fashion is one thing I don't really keep up with. I still wear the same polo shirt from the GAP I bought in 2005, lol. I did notice however with women, at least American women, that the early 00's was the least sexy fashion. That time women seemed to have a frumpy, hippy-ish/bohemian look. Now, the classy dress up look is back in style.