A Guide to the Biggest Y2K Shoe Trends, From Platforms to Thongs

You may have noticed that we talk about the 2000s quite a bit here on Who What Wear. Can you blame us, though? It was an era of great music, a boom of pop culture, and fashion was most certainly controversial but eye-catching. While we may have not completely gone back to our Mean Girls roots, there are many trends we've updated and brought into our current wardrobes. We've already created a robust roundup of overall trends from that decade (58 slides of trends, to be exact), but today we're honing on shoe styles of Y2K that we're seeing become more popular than ever. The era's shoes work the best for the summertime in my opinion, so consider this a shopping guide to get your season's shoe game on. 

Below, I've rounded up the best shoe trends from the '2000s and shopped out multiple products so you can find your choice. Whether it's a sandal for under $50 or an investment shoe going for $400, there's plenty of options to choose from. 

Platforms

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(Image credit: @alyssainthecity)

Whenever I think of platforms, I think of the Steve Maddens I bought simply because of Lizzie McGuire. I've got good news if you agree—Steve Madden is selling the shoe once again, and many brands have released their own platform versions with fashionable twists.

Thong Heels

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(Image credit: @aimeesong)

This is probably the most "controversial" of the bunch, but so many girls are sporting the style it seems normal to me at this point. Why not join in on the fun?

Ballet Flats

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(Image credit: @thatgirlyusra)

Out of all the "updates" in fashion, the one on ballet flats has to be my favorite. With suede and leather pairs, square-toe details, and a variety of fun colors to choose from it's hard not to get in on the ballerina style. I may not have opted for this shoe style in the '2000s but I certainly am now. 

Kitten Heels

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(Image credit: @emmanuellek)

I'm not sure if it's all the time we spend wearing slippers and socks last year, but brands have taken note that we may not be jumping to stilettos right away and are producing more low-heeld styles. I'm not complaining, especially when they incorporate Y2K details like fun prints and bright colorways. 

Strappy Heels

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(Image credit: @mariaalia)

While the '2000s red carpet was filled with strappy high heels, it seems like they've become a wardrobe classic for the modern day fashion set. Dare I say even more than a pump?

High Top Sneakers

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(Image credit: @laurenegg)

Converse and Vans should thank the skater and grunge aesthetic of the 2000s for their height in sales. I remember buying a brand new pair of high top Converse for my first day of middle school and the obsession still runs deep.

Chunky Loafers

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(Image credit: @alyssainthecity)

Heeled loafers have gone through multiple transformations. While I thought the thick heeled loafer was gone and replaced by chunky platforms, I was proven wrong when everyone was raving over the heeled loafers worn by one of the new characters in Gossip Girl 2.0. There's certainly room for both amongst the fashion set, so take your pick.

Flip Flops

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(Image credit: @anna__laplaca )

These aren't the average flip flops you wore to the beach in high school, they're so much more elevated. You might have seen The Row's pair all throughout your Instagram feed—leave it to Mary Kate and Ashley to bring a part of their stardom era to their fashion brand. 

Next, 6 It Girls I Always Turn to for the Best 2000s-Inspired Outfits

Associate Fashion Editor
Yusra Siddiqui is an editor who resides in New Jersey but bounces between the suburbs and NYC. (She's a Jersey girl at heart.) After interning at Who What Wear in 2019, she found her way to the team after graduating from LIM College in 2022 with a fashion media degree. She's also spent time writing and working for publications such as Fashionista, Coveteur, and Nylon, but she always knew that Who What Wear was where she was meant to be. When she's on the job, she's perusing runway shows, analyzing the latest thing fellow Gen Zers are up to on the internet, and sharing what she can about the modest-fashion market. You can also catch her dabbling in entertainment, talking about the costume choices of the latest Netflix series or diving deeper into how the plotline affects the viewers in a myriad of ways. Lastly, she likes to create content for Who What Wear's TikTok. Her personal time is spent doing similar but also different things—deep diving into almost every new TV show (Bridgerton, Gilmore Girls, and Stranger Things are favorites), planning her next local getaway (whenever that may be), and reading the latest Emily Henry or Sally Rooney novel in one sitting.