Y2K DRESSING

Let’s see what the Generation Z and Millennials have to say about the return of the day and age of low rise denim, bling and flip phones!

 

‘I hardly see Gen Z adapting to a flip phone,’ my friend echoed his sentiment as we were discussing the hard wave of Y2K and 2000s hitting the scene of fashion, media and graphics.‘What do you mean? They pretty much obsess over it,’ I responded. ‘So, you really think they will give up their smartphones for the flip phones? They love their technology too much,’ he continued to say. And that sent me in a spiral of the time and age of flip phones, they were everywhere! Growing up in the 2000s certainly makes me want to cuddle my television and be stuck to the pop culture there. But now when I am in my early 20s, I see the generations behind me obsessed with the 2000s. The shows that I watch, the fashion that I see on social media (hello, Pinterest and Instagram), the influence of the 2000s pop culture is quite evident. I immediately get pulled back to the plethora of mini skirts, remixes and Nokia days.

To understand this wave more evidently, we decided to interview a few 2000s growing and loving folks about their style growing up and whether they feel inspired from the same era as they are dressing now. Most of our participants from the different cities around India, mention celebrities that had a hold on their media growing up. Aspiring wardrobe from Taylor Swift is a new wave of contentment that the songwriter was able to draw parallel with our participants who grew up listening to her. From influential representations of Euphoria characters, Rob from M.A.D to the Barbie movies that were dubbed in Indian languages, the idea of personal style is certainly binded by the Y2K craze https://www.vice.com/en/article/m7vbma/the-year-in-aesthetics-from-dark-academia-to-mcbling that is letting us re-embrace our childhood style fantasies in a very broad perspective.

Aren’t we all dressing a bit Euphoria-esque?
Ritvik, 23, Fashion Designer

When I was a child, I wanted my style to reflect Poo (Kareena Kapoor’s character) from Kabhi Khushi Kabhi Gham https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0248126/characters/nm0004626 . Quite an icon. Madonna and Lady Gaga prominently shaped my love for creativity and fashion. And now that I have grown up, I would love to channelize them into my style somehow. Right now, there is something about the Euphoria characters that is so strong and powerful. I get inspired by them. I want my style to reflect the same sentiment- confident, fierce and powerful.That’s so Fetch! But is it?

Smrithi Alex, 23, Fashion Analyst

It’s funny actually since I was very much into That’s so Raven and her passion for fashion. 2000s were a wild time for fashion alike and Raven does have an influence over the fashion quite right. Another movie that held my attention was Mean Girls. The whole idea of groupism was depicted so well in their style and outfits. Now when I look back at it, I don’t think I relate to the style as much as I want it to be. My style, trends and practicality are all different now. The purpose of dressing up now bends towards my life right now. Since social media is what I access often, styles that I come across on the platform are something to go after. I envision my wardrobe to be fiercelyfeminine and not too experimental. Practicality is the keyword for me.

Dressing more like effortless Millennials:Sambodhi, 27, Marketing Entrepreneur

I always wanted to dress up like Lizzie McQuire. I think everyone who watched Disney shows at that age would agree with me on this- she had this “real-self” vibe going on. Lizzie felt real and somehow motivated me to be authentic as well. Now, I think I still carry that easy vibe from Lizzie’s style in my wardrobe. Looking now, I feel Anushka Sharma and Deepika Padukone to some extent, give me that direction to dress like effortless millennials. I think it is very important for Millennial dressing to be unique on their own and not imitate the younger generations style. For example, Anushka Sharma’s daily style gives off that effortless millennial vibe, even with her maternity style. So, I think the cool, easy factor is definitely a priority in my wardrobe.

A bit of experimental Menswear:Laksh*, 26, MBA

Ranbir Kapoor had a great style in the late 2000s and early 2010s, he did inspire but I don’t think it had anything to do with my style back then. To be honest, I would wear anything that would fit me, that was my teenage style. But I aspire to a style that is more experimental. Something that even tells me to experiment with silhouettes and colour, male fashion has to go beyond what the traditions have imposed. Overall, I aspire to achieve at least 1/10th of Harry Styles’ style in my wardrobe, I guess it would help me experiment.

 

 

 

 

 

Lil’ style-istic:Satyaki Roy, 19, currently pursuing Bachelors in Science

I saw the entire experimental menswear journey of Ranveer Singh making rounds in the media and somehow aspired to be as courageous as he is. I learnt that style is a way of self expression. His outfits on and off screen were really very attractive. And yes, I do hope to dress like him till now. Another personality that inspires me is Lil Nas X. He is bold and owns up to his own narrative. So like him, I want my wardrobe to reflect meaningfulness. It may stem from Catriona Gray (Miss Universe 2018 from Philippines) and her meaningful wardrobe at the pageant in 2018. Her wardrobe cemented a conversation and space for the local Filipino textile artisans and designers.

 

A love letter to Rachel Green:Anagha, 24, Small business owner/graphic designer

Growing up, Rachel Green from Friends https://www.wikiwand.com/en/Rachel_Green seemed to have a hold over me. I envisioned dressing like her for a long time now and maybe I can channel her into my wardrobe. However, it is quite important to understand that I pick and choose my style now, whereas Rachel gives a good thought into dressing. Presently, I envision my wardrobe to be cosy and feminine. I love wearing big cotton shirts, tennis skirts, oversized cardigans, anything with milkmaid sleeves, tote bags and midi skirts. That’s my aspirational wardrobe, think more on the lines of Taylor Swift’s Evermore and Folklore songs and lyrics. It’s cosy and owns up to femininity. “I think I resonate with Rachel Green’s style a lot, especially the casual style. I am aiming for a more casual approach in my style,” Rashi Khanna, 23, a corporate associate mentioned.

Oh, I have a list of styles that have inspired my style back then. There was Prateek Sethi from this well known kids show called F.A.Q https://www.imdb.com/name/nm3843980/ , Rob from M.A.D https://www.wikiwand.com/en/Harun_Robert , Vanessa from Phineas and Ferb, Misty and James from Pokemon, Kai from Beyblade- all these impressed me with their styles somehow. I would like to point out James from Pokemon had a very gender neutral approach since he would wear styles that women would typically wear in some scenes, I appreciate that sentiment. When I look at my style now, I do think my childhood has certain influences on my style. I gravitate towards shorts that are 3/4th length or even baggy trousers- they all do reflect the personalities I have mentioned and the 2000s. I think some elements from Skateboarding culture, maybe Nathan Drake https://www.wikiwand.com/en/Nathan_Drake_(Uncharted) (from the video game ‘Uncharted’ played by Tom Holland in the movie adaptation) himself or Tommy Vercetti from GTA Vice City would be a great influence on my aspirational wardrobe. But given this, I try to balance it out with the weather that my location would experience. Conversing with these diverse youth about their personal styles have opened a lot of gates for conversation. While the influence of pop culture is evident on the youth, they love having a spin of self expression on their aspirational wardrobe. The Indian celebrity culture is certainly being eyed by the youth as the conversation starters. Influential fictional characters like Rachel Green and Taylor Swift provide a sense of stability to the youth in terms of style decisions. Green (played by Jennifer Anniston) famous for her posh and lively style cements an idea that she knows where she is going. Rachel’s style and skill of knowing what to wear and when, is the point of desirability among the masses. This certainly reflects Millennial dressing, a bit effortless and unique in its own way. Millennials view their style free from the shackles of trends. Many want to view their wardrobe confident, strong and meaningful along with being cosy and casual (this may be the aftermath of the lockdown loungewear) Menswear seems to have touched the self expression note a bit higher and we love that! Menswear has been uniform for centuries but with more expressive, inspirational iconslike Ranveer Singh, Harry Styles and Lil Nas X, they have sent in the message of “wear what youlike”. This sends out a strong indication to the male youth about being more expressive via their personal style.

Words by Prasheel (@prsh.journal), Intern at VisioNxt.
The Team - Dr. Kaustav Sengupta, Director - Insights, Dr. Shalini Sood Seghal, Director - Creative, Ms.
Poornima S, Trendspotting Coordinator, VisioNxt.
For more information, email us at visionxt@nift.ac.in