Fashion right now is not about copying one specific trend. It’s more like a mix of everything. Some students lean into baggy clothes, others go for more fitted looks, and a lot of people switch between both depending on the day.
Bruce Leisten (11) sees that flexibility as part of the reason Y2K style is coming back in the first place.
“I think the early 2000s style is making a comeback because of how easily accessible it is,” he said. “Both baggy and skinny clothes were popular and those cover all body types, and most of the clothes are thriftable and do not require a lot of money to dress well.”
That accessibility shows. Instead of everyone dressing the same, students are pulling from similar trends and making them their own. For Liesten, that means not sticking to one look.
“I feel like I have a pretty versatile style,” he said. “I can pull off both baggier silhouettes and skinny ones, and I like mixing modern styles with early 2000s fashion to create something new and unique.”
At school, though, there is no single “popular” outfit. It is more layered than that.
Isabelle Taulbee (11) described it as a mix, where people have their own version of what is in.
“There are a lot of people who wear different types of early 2000s styles,” she said. “Most people wear more basic clothes, but they have a preferred type of clothing.”
That balance between basic and personal style shows up in how people put outfits together. Even when students follow trends, they usually add something that makes it theirs.
For Skylar Fulks (11), that means experimenting instead of repeating the same outfits.
“I do not always just wear baggy jeans,” said Fulks. “Sometimes skirts, sometimes shorts. I like things with different patterns or colors. I really like teal, and I love putting things together.”
She also leans into accessories and smaller details to stand out.
“I really like using hair clips and accessories,” she said. “I just like to experiment. I do not like wearing the same thing. I like to look in my closet and put different things together.”
Even pieces tied to specific styles, like Osiris shoes or baggy jeans, are not limited to one look anymore. Folks described her style as a mix rather than fitting into one category.
“It is kind of like a lot of different alternative styles into one,” she said. “It is kind of my own thing.”
In the end, the comeback of low rise jeans and cargo pants is not really about going back in time. It is about reusing what is already out there and reshaping it into something new.
