Find Your Fashion Time Capsule

What’s old is new again. If you were missing the era of unapologetic maximalism, bold colors, and chunky shoes, now is the time to dig into the back of your closet (or your parents) and unearth the items of fashion past.

By Jonaira South

The resurgence of Y2K fashion has made its way into modernday trends. From celebrities, influencers, and regular ole’ people revisiting past trends, they’ve repopularized. We’ve seen Uggs on Gigi Hadid, Rihanna in trucker hats, and Kendall Jenner in low-rise jeans. Whether or not you revisit these trends yourself, you can’t deny they are having a comeback.

Fashion can mean so many things, but one thing that’s for certain is that re-visiting trends can be nostalgic. During the pandemic, the need for nostalgia increased and we saw people leaning into the things that made them happy as children, from fashion to childhood movies.

In order to bring back that child within ourselves and make our younger selves happy, we try to re-create the

experiences we had as kids. But, with Y2K fashion you may be asking, “How can I truly heal my inner child with clothes or accessories?”

You can heal your inner child by taking pieces from your childhood wardrobe (I’m sure your mom has kept them) and wearing them now. Here is a list of items you should look for so you can turn them into something you can wear today:

1. t-shirts

As children, we wore cute little t-shirts that are now called baby tees. If you’re able to find them in your closet, try seeing if it fits today. If it doesn’t fit fully you can wear it as a crop top and rock it with a pair of baggy jeans and Nike air-force 1s to really lean into nostalgia.

2. hair accesories

I’m sure our hair was all done up as children with scrunchies, butterfly clips, barrettes, and more. Try incorporating these accessories into your hairstyles today. You can wear pigtails and tie them with scrunchies and finish the look off with barrettes on either side of your head.

3. your parent’s wordrobe

If you want to recreate your parent’s outfits because they remind you of your childhood then go for it!

Look through their closets and find a piece that you distinctly remember them wearing and recreate it as your own. From varsity jackets and sports jerseys to slip dresses, you can work about any piece of their clothing into your current wardrobe and style.

4. converse shoes and mary jane’s

To really lean into nostalgia, bring back your converse and black mary jane shoes and wear them today. You can work converse into almost every outfit, especially casual ones. Take your black converse, pair them with bootcut or flare jeans and add an oversized sweatshirt. You’ll be feeling like you went back in time. As for black mary jane shoes, it’s time to pair them with the iconic ruffle-trim white socks. You know the ones I’m talking about, the socks your mom made you wear for every single fancy occasion. Pair these mary jane shoes with a mini skirt, some tights, and your choice of top and you’re ready to go!

There are so many ways we can heal our inner child but it’s way more fun through fashion. Try these tips out with your next outfit and I promise you, your younger self will thank you.