Y2K Fashion Trends Are Dominating the Streets of Paris—Yes, Really

I always think of Paris Fashion Week's street style scene as offering two distinct things as standard. First, it's a great big chance for escapism because for A-list invitees, slipping into the latest couture extravaganza from a French fashion house is the norm. Then, there is a well-documented flip side: Super-casual effortlessness will always win out for everyone else attending, and it results in iterations on the archetypal French-girl uniform of jeans, blazers, mid-height shoes, tousled hair and so on and so forth. Even if you're not a native, you find yourself shifting into this gear when you're there, so it took me by surprise to see that this week's menswear presentations in the fashion capital provided a different array of editor, stylist, model and other insider looks.

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The photographed outfits were, much to my amazement, absolutely dripping in Y2K flashbacks. While we're more than aware of this decade's omnipresence among Gen Z and their social and shopping platforms of choice—TikTok, Depop—no one could have guessed that the streets of Paris would act as the backdrop to this retro trend in all its colourful and controversial glory. 

From low-rise trousers worn with tummy-baring tops to mesh fabrics, headscarves and cargo pants, there was very little on offer by way of more traditional French minimalism. Below, we chart the street style trends that lean heavily into the noughties and now have a very high fashion stamp of approval.

1. BARBIE PINK

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2. HIGH TOPS, LOW WAISTS

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3. HEADSCARVES AND '00S HATS

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4. OLD-SCHOOL MONOGRAMS

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5. CARGO-PANT VIBES

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6. SEE-THROUGH TOPS

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Hannah Almassi
Editor in Chief

Hannah Almassi is the editor in chief of Who What Wear UK. Hannah has been part of the the Who What Wear brand since 2015, when she was hired to launch a UK sister site and social channels, localise content strategy and build out the editorial team. She joined following a seven-year tenure at Grazia magazine, where she led front-of-book news, fashion features and shopping specials as fashion news and features editor. With experience in both print and digital across fashion and beauty, Hannah has over 15 years in the field as a journalist, editor, content strategist and brand consultant. Hannah has interviewed industry heavyweights such as designers including Marc Jacobs and Jonathan Anderson through to arbiters of taste including Katie Grand and Anna Dello Russo. A skilled moderator and lecturer specialising in the shift to digital media and e-commerce, Hannah’s opinion and work has been sought by the likes of CNBC, BBC, The Sunday Times Style, The Times and MatchesFashion.com, among many others.

Hannah currently resides in Eastbourne with her photographer husband, incredibly busy toddler and highly Instagrammable cat.