Get Ready—This Throwback Going-Out Top Is Coming Back

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(Image credit: @isabellecoheen; Styling: House of Sunny Old Town Handkerchief Top ($97))

Picture it: The year is 1999. You call up your besties on your landline phone and see who wants to go out. You get ready by picking out your highest platform sandals and accessorize with a multitude of snap hair clips, but your look really hinges on one of your many going-out tops, and tonight you reach for your favorite halter top because you just saw Gwyneth Paltrow wearing one. Life is good.

In all seriousness, halter tops are synonymous with the late '90s and early aughts, and although they have kind of died out since then, 2022 is the year we're seeing the top come back into style in a big way. We took note of the neckline when we saw a handful of designers present halters in their latest collections and have even shared the fashion girls who are getting on board to prove that this new wave of halters is definitely happening. To revisit the celebs who wore the look back in the day and then see (and shop) the modern-day iterations, simply keep scrolling.

Halter Tops in the Early Aughts

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(Image credit: Evan Agostini/ImageDirect)

Gwyneth Paltrow adored a halter top and was spotted here in 2000 donning one with another polarizing trend from that era: low-rise jeans.

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(Image credit: Dave Hogan/Getty Images)

None other than Posh Spice wore halters galore back in the day. From the choker necklace to her lip gloss–focused beauty look, this has the late '90s written all over it.

On the spring runways:

If you need further proof that halters are undeniably back, just look to the necklines that keep popping up on the S/S 22 runways with shoulder-baring silhouettes.

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(Image credit: Courtesy of Rejina Pyo)

Rejina Pyo S/S 2022

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(Image credit: ImaxTree)

Jacquemus S/S 2022

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(Image credit: Courtesy of Missoni)

Missoni S/S 2022

What to Add to Your Cart

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(Image credit: @annelauremais)

Style Tip: Double down on the top's '90s vibe by wearing it with a column skirt and heeled mules.

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(Image credit: @isabellecoheen)

Style Tip: Make a colorful halter top the centerpiece for your next night-out look with your favorite jeans.

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(Image credit: @kristenmarienichols)

Style Tip: Take a halterneck into the office by pairing it with trousers and knee-high boots.

Next: I Dialed Up Gen Z to Figure Out Which Y2K Trends Are Overrated and Which to Buy

Editor

Anna is an editor on the fashion team at Who What Wear and has been at the company for over five years, having begun her career in the Los Angeles office before relocating to New York, where she's currently based. Having always been passionate about pursuing a career in fashion, she built up her experience interning at the likes of Michael Kors, A.L.C., and College Fashionista before joining the team as a post-graduate assistant editor. Anna has penned a number of interviews with Who What Wear's cover stars over the years, including A-listers Megan Fox, Issa Rae, and Emma Chamberlain. She's earned a reputation for scouting new and emerging brands from across the globe and championing them to our audience of millions. While fashion is her main wheelhouse, Anna led the launch of WWW Travels last year, a new lifestyle vertical that highlights all things travel through a fashion-person lens. She is passionate about shopping vintage, whether it be at a favorite local outpost or an on-the-road discovery, and has amassed a wardrobe full of unique finds. When she's not writing, you can find her shooting street imagery on her film camera, attempting to learn a fourth or fifth language, or planning her next trip across the globe.