Hold the Granny Pants—Gen Z Are Loving this Y2K Styling Hack With Jeans and Skirts
Underwear as outerwear is officially one of this season's biggest trends. Scroll to see why the Y2K trend is back below.
And just like that, the butt is back. You may have spotted low-slung True Religion jeans with floss-like thongs peaking above the waistband, or backless maxis dresses sporting a healthy dose of Tom Ford-at-Gucci-era butt cleavage, either way, underwear as outerwear has become this season's biggest trend.
If you were around in the noughties or just a lover of archival fashion, I’m sure that you’re aware that showing off your thong is by no means new—I mean, Sisqó wrote one of the most iconic songs of all time about it. The 2000's were the decade that gave us Britney Spears' bedazzled G-string at the MTV Video Music Awards, Paris Hilton's fluorescent pink undies at the Lloyd Klein AW'01 presentation, and both came only a handful of years after Alexander McQueen introduced the "bumster" trouser that deliberately exposed the wearers crack. The "whale tale" wasn't just a trend; it was a cultural movement.
After falling out of favour amid the rise of quiet luxury, bearing ones backside is back. In an era of personality-driven maximalism, the trend feels tongue-in-cheek (pardon the pun). It's less Kim Kardashian circa 2018, and more a glorious celebration of all things anti-fashion. Style and sex appeal are no longer "polished", and take on a carefree nonchalance—one that feels instinctive rather than overly styled. Unsurprisingly, some of Gen Z's most eclectic dressers have embraced the look in droves, proving that showing your pants can be inherently cool and surprisingly subversive.
But the butt didn't just make a comeback this summer—it had been quietly re-entering the conversation for quite some time. Back in 2024, Susamusa's Meadow skirt became a hit amongst the fashion set. Yes, the polka-dot print tapped neatly into the trends of the time, but it was the skirt's almost-nude-but-not-quite fabrication that made it irresistible.
Simultaneously, the rise in popularity of Addison Rae, Charli XCX and Sabrina Carpenter, musicians who lean into lingerie to tell a story, made underwear as outwear this season’s hottest commodity. With fashion people matching their pants to their outfits and It girls like Bella Hadid and Alex Consani jumping onto the trend, it show sno signs of slowing down this summer. Scroll to shop statement making underwear below.
Shop the Underwear as Outerwear Trend:
