7 Fashion Trends From 2004 That Should Make A Major Comeback In 2024 And 7 That Should Probably Stay In The Past

I don't care what anyone says. Uggs will never be out of style. Sadly, gone are the days of sporting Ugg boots with mini skirts, polo shirts, and a shoulder bag or even wearing them to a major event or red carpet! While Ugg is still going strong, it's not strong enough. Back in my day, if you weren't sporting a pair of Uggs, or at least Fuggs (fake Uggs), it was like the end of the world. I'll never forget my first pair. I'll love you forever, my little tall chocolate brown Ugg Australia's.

If you've seen the Von Dutch documentary on Hulu, you'll understand why it's not even worth it. For quite some time, you couldn't escape the oversaturation of Von Dutch. Hats, shirts, pants, events — you name it. Some of the biggest celebrities of all time were rocking this brand like their lives depended on it. The trucker hats with the classic Von Dutch logo slapped on the front took fashion icons by storm. I mean, Paris and Nicole almost exclusively wore Von Dutch during The Simple Life. As quickly as it came and took over, it literally just disappeared. It's one of the many brands that have gone for a redesign and rebirth, but I don't think it will ever be like it once was. While I am kind of in love with the Von Dutch looks of Y2K (like, just LOOK at Anna, stunning), I feel very honored that I'm not obligated to walk around in a trucker hat in 2024 at any and every occasion.

Yes, yes, yes. This is, for sure, the category I want to make this point in. It's time to finally give this woman her flowers. Many things that were trendy in the early 2000s wouldn't be trendy without the work of Paris Hilton. She was and still is the pinnacle of Y2K. Millions of girls were influenced by the stylings of this woman, and rightfully so. Mini skirts were everywhere, and no one wore them to their fullest potential quite like Paris. If someone was wearing a skirt back in the early 2000s, it was either the classic mini, denim, or flow, and back then you could even get one that fit all three of these descriptions. All I have to say is that our queens of the '60s did not go through giving us some of the best fashion basics for us to forget about them. Minis are an all-time classic and should definitely be worn by anyone who wants to bask in their greatness once Summer 2024 hits. 

No, no, and no. Dressy capri pants were a very wild moment in time, and I hope after this no one ever thinks of them again. J.Lo (the queen of the dressy capri pant) would probably be gagged that I'm saying this, but these absolutely need to stay in 2004. I'm not too fond of a capri pant; I never have been and never will be. I won't even put my Sims in capris. So, for anyone to have the nerve to pair it with a high heel or a boot, SENDS me.

I know, another thing that never went out of style, but even though they still exist, that doesn't mean they're still the same. Graphic tees were a staple, a window into the soul even. The feeling of walking into Hot Topic and picking out the greatest graphic tee to ever be made can never be recreated. Now, we get graphic tees with emojis on them or a bunch of kids buying graphic tees with artists they've never listened to or even heard of. It's a facade nowadays, and I miss when people were wearing graphics to rep what they actually loved.

Ruffles galore was INTENSE. There were ruffles everywhere: on shirts, on skirts, on shoes, on dresses, on BAGS — it was too much. I'm not too sure what it was about ruffles that had everyone in a chokehold, but the trend went on and off for years. I don't think ruffles will ever disappear, but I'm glad skirts like the one above aren't the norm anymore.

This is so incredibly specific and another thing that will probably never fully go out of style, but an empire waist to me is timeless, and I miss when everyone understood that. If you're unfamiliar, an empire waist is essentially a dress or blouse that is fitted and flows from under the bust line as opposed to the natural waistline. It's the perfect cut if you want to shift the focus of your frame from your waist to your bust. Not only that, but it also helps make you look more elongated. Both of these are great things for petite and plus-size clothing shoppers. Anything that's this versatile and can be worn in so many different forms, like dresses, blouses, long sleeves, and short sleeves, absolutely deserves its proper resurrection.

As someone who all but lost hope once they quit making the majority of shoes in both wide and medium widths, I knew an extra pointed-toe heel would never be for me. Of course, pointed-toe heels are a classic, but the length they were back then and how they were worn was a SIGHT. Not to mention when the wicked witch of the west-esque points were paired with bootcut jeans, and it took the nonsense to a whole new level. Thankfully, we as a society have drifted toward a more rounded shoe, which all of my toes thank you for.

While this trend can be seen throughout history in many different resurgences, it doesn't escape me that one of those huge comebacks was during the early 2000s. Nameplate jewelry was worn across demographics for years and still is. Back then, it was super prominent, and you probably couldn't turn on the TV or watch a red carpet and not see someone with nameplate jewelry. It also wasn't just Carrie necklaces! There were rings, bracelets, huge chains, etc. While there will probably always be a market for it, the hype has definitely died down, and I miss it! I loved the idea that everyone was so proud to rep their name and who they are. Your name is the main page of your identity; it's your first and go-to self-identifier. I'll always advocate for reppin' your name (especially when it's covered in gold and diamonds).

Nowadays, people see layers as throwing on a jean jacket over your shirt and a winter coat over that one. Back in 2004, layering meant wearing three different lace tank tops, a blouse, a jacket, and a ruffled mini-skirt with leggings underneath. The way layering was approached was completely out-of-pocket. Of course, we love the tank tops with the lace at the bottom that just had to be visible. Regardless, even if there was a resurgence of the lace tanks (which I would love), please do not put five different colors of them on at once.

"In my white tee (YEP), in my white tee (YEP)" If you had a pulse on anything hip-hop-related back in 2004, you would definitely know that when Dem Franchize Boyz released "White Tee," it caused a fashion MOVEMENT. Of course, we remember the plain white tee love of the '50s, but the resurgence and takeover by the Black and hip-hop communities gave it brand new life. I've never seen a more pressed and clean white T-shirt than the ones from the early 2000s. While they were often about three sizes too large for the people wearing them, I'll never hate a crisp white tee.

I can't. At least not in its original state. There are plenty of fashion icons that were avid supporters of the dress over jeans trend, but thankfully, many of them knew to leave it in the past. As for the recent resurgence, I don't hate it. The only reason, though, is that in 2023, it has been updated to steer away from dresses that clearly need to stand on their own and more toward long tunics or long shirt dresses that clearly couldn't stand on their own. 

Something the early 2000s definitely had on lock were all of the different accessories. Hats, scarves, belts, necklaces — you name it, they were wearing it (usually all at the same time). However, something that will ALWAYS sit well with me is the many hair accessories, specifically the bandana/scarf movement. During this time, there was a huge trend amongst teens and adults alike that I can only describe as the perfect summer camp hairstyle. Sometimes accompanied by a set of pigtails and iconically accompanied by the straight hair look by people like Lizzie McGuire, the bandana accessory was an all-time favorite of mine. Of course, it's great to throw in when you're having a bad hair day, but people were literally wearing them on the red carpet. That's how stylish it was. I miss the days when streetwear and comfort were like the pinnacles of fashion.

The need for a skinny scarf AND a skinny belt always seemed a little excessive to me. So don't even get me started when they would somehow also throw the skinny ties into the mix. So many of our favorite celebs and trendsetters fell victim to this accessory trend. Sometimes the skinny scarf could really give, but I feel like 90% of the time, it was a situation where it looked like the skinny scarf had been mauled by animals, stripped of its dignity, and reduced to an extra-long two-inch width of fabric.