I Predict That in 2022 Everyone Will Dress Like It's 2002

Each season as fashion month begins, editors, influencers and fashion enthusiasts are bombarded with new-season styles. With four separate cities putting on events and several shows each day, there’s a veritable banquet of looks and designers to keep track of. And while newness is, of course, the name of the game, this season, I found myself experiencing a recurring sense of déjà vu.

In New York, Milan and Paris, several designers and brands sent looks down the runway which felt oddly familiar, immediately conjuring up nostalgia for the early 2000s. Miu Miu created barely-there miniskirts adorned with box pleats and thin belts, a look which Paris Hilton, Lindsay Lohan and every other Y2K It girl heavily invested in back in 2002. Cargo trousers (yes, cargo trousers!) were back on the agenda at Tom Ford, validating the questionable fashion choices I made as a pre-teen. Keyhole cut-outs were seen at LaQuan Smith, Stella McCartney and Victoria Beckham, harking back to the red carpet looks spotted on Beyoncé, Jennifer Aniston and Halle Berry in the early aughts, and exposed midriffs were seen left, right and centre, reminiscent of the looks pop stars used to sport in music videos and at events.

Don’t believe me? Keep scrolling to see for yourself. Below are nine examples to prove that in 2022 everyone will be dressing like it's 2002 all over again.

1. The Micro Miniskirt 

Thigh-grazing skirts were a trend we saw across the board for spring/summer 2022. Though, no brand created them quite as itsy-bitsy, teeny-weeny as Miu Miu. The Miuccia Prada–founded label sent models down the runway in low-rise micro minis adorned with thin belts, immediately casting the mind back to Hilton’s heyday, when the heiress was known for wearing almost the exact same look. 

2. The Tassle Crop Top

The moment I saw this Stella McCartney tassel crop top hit the runway, I knew there was something familiar about it. It only took a little bit of googling to discover Britney Spears wore something very similar back in 2002. Crops of all kinds were a wardrobe staple in the early aughts, often paired alongside low-rise jeans for the perfect "jeans and a nice top” look. It seems we’ll be bringing this back for summer 2022.

3. The Peakaboo Dress

The similarities between the two looks and how they are styled below is uncanny, right down to the fur-covered outwear. Is it possible LaQuan Smith had this 2003 Beyoncé look on his mood board? I wouldn’t blame him. We may never know, but you can guarantee we’re about to see a resurgence in this peekaboo cut-out silhouette.

4. Cargo Trousers

As a young girl deprived of the practicality of real pockets on jeans, I can distinctly remember myself living in cargo trousers throughout my pre-teen years. With endorsements from pop stars like Fergie, Spears and Christina Aguilera, they were a bona fide cool-girl investment. Tom Ford has now decided it’s time for the item’s revival, as the designer sent a pair of bright-green cargos down the runway for spring/summer 2022. Of course, the full Y2K-inspired look wouldn’t have been complete without a bare midriff, so Tom Ford styled the trousers alongside a bra top, reminiscent of a look Fergie wore in 2003.

5. The Interesting LBD

The early aughts weren’t all loud prints and miniature hemlines. The era had its own brand of minimalism, depicted so perfectly below by none other than Aniston. The actress wore a black column dress complete with keyhole cut-outs to the 2003 Screen Actors Guild Awards, which captures the feeling of a look Victoria Beckham recently debuted as a part of her S/S 22 collection.

6. Cut-Out Craze

On the topic of cut-outs, Stella McCartney utilised the trend throughout several styles in her latest collection. McCartney’s show featured shoulder and stomach cut-out dresses paraded down the runway in several colours and patterns, and I couldn’t help but notice how similar this felt to the looks Destiny’s Child wore in 2000.

7. The Tie-Up Top

From Christina Aguilera to Rihanna, every pop star of the early aughts had a tie-up-top moment of some description. The detail was often found on the front or side of belly-bearing tops and paired alongside—you guessed it—low-rise jeans. Charlotte Knowles tapped into the style for her S/S 22 show, going all-in on the Y2K vibes, which will no doubt appeal to her very Gen Z fan base.

8. The Red Carpet–Worthy Silhouette

Are you sensing a theme here? Interesting silhouettes and cut-outs were big news in 2003, as evidenced here by Berry’s red carpet gown. The trend will be headlining again in the not-too-distant future, solidified in part by Victoria Beckham’s S/S 22 collection.

9. The Power Suit

Power suits have taken centre stage on the runway for a few seasons now, but for summer 2022, the look will transcend office attire and move into the partywear category. At Fendi and Versace, we saw bold suits paired alongside bra tops, which is an outfit formula TLC championed in the late ’90s.

Next up, the biggest autumn/winter 2021 trends you need to know.