By now, anyone keeping tabs on fashion is well aware that we are in the midst of a Y2K fashion revival, and the comeback continues to expand from a nostalgia trip to an era-defining fashion movement for our current decade. As we go further into the ’20s, it’s likely that the nostalgic trend will continue to grow even more, with Gen Z delving further into the archives to pull out more than just the crop tops, low-rise jeans, butterfly motifs and thong sandals that we’ve already seen over the past few years.
On the runways, too, designers were eager to put their own spin on Y2K fashion, reinterpreting the era through a new lens. From LaQuan Smith’s sexed-up, slinky silhouettes to Miu Miu’s ultra-low mini skirts and Versace’s neon colors and scarf prints, it’s clear that hindsight is exceptionally optimistic — and especially ripe for post-pandemic “revenge fashion.”
The Y2K revival has also brought with it actual brand revivals. 2021 saw the revival of the Juicy Couture velour tracksuit (the look also received a nod more recently at Balenciaga’s celeb-packed runway show in Los Angeles for its pre-fall ’24 collection, which leaned heavily on the city’s celebrity culture, particularly in its chaotic Y2K days). Under the direction of creative director Glenn Martens, Diesel has once again risen to the top of the fashion pile in the past few seasons, with the designer’s skillfully updated remixes of the most shocking and salient Y2K denim trends. In 2023, Baby Phat relaunched, with founder Kimora Lee Simmons enlisting Gen Z daughters Aoki and Ming for an updated point of view on the brand’s Y2K influence. Still other brands are looking to cash in on the nostalgia, with the likes of Abercrombie & Fitch, Von Dutch, Ed Hardy and True Religion all looking to capture the new Y2K audience.
But what exactly were the shoe trends of aughts — and how are they influencing fashion today? There are a few obvious options, such as the prevailing influence of the Steve Madden slinky sandal on both the ’90s and the early years of the 2000s. And the aughts were the decade when flip-flops became an actual footwear choice for locales other than the beach or the pool. It was also the definitive decade that establisehd the Ugg boot as one of the greatest shoes of all time.
But a closer look back at the decade’s footwear shows that there were plenty of other trends to choose from. Below, a look at the top 12 shoe trends of the 2000s, how they defined the decade and will continue to influence in the coming years.
1. Square toe sandals
Most 2000s-era teens lived in platforms and chunky shoes of some sort, but anyone with a job during that time likely wore some sort of square toed sandal, often paired with a kitten heel for a more delicate look. Worn with day and evening outfits alike, the silhouette was likely a mashup of the era’s own nostalgic trip — much of fashion in the mid-to-late ’90s explored retro looks derived from the ’70s. By the time the late ’90s to early 2000’s (Y2K’s prime years) had arrived, heels had morphed from the working woman power pumps of the late ’80s and early ’90s to silhouettes that were a bit quirkier. The square toe provided just the right retro flair to convey that — as it has more recently, too.
Sarah Michelle Gellar at the David Letterman Show, 2002, in square toed heels.
2. Ugg, Ugg and more Ugg
When it comes to aughts-era footwear, there was Ugg and then there was everything else. Australian surfer Brian Smith may have brought the sheepskin boot to California in the ’80s, but it wasn’t until 2000 when the footwear really hit critical mass in the U.S. — especially when Oprah introduced them as one of her Oprah’s Favorite Things on her TV talk show. By 2003, the company had yearly sales of nearly $40 million. While it never really went away, the Ugg boot is once again the must-have shoe, thanks in large part to the continuing fascination with all things Y2K.
Nick Carter and Paris Hilton at the Miami airport, 2004. Ugg were a staple of the heiress’s uniform during the early aughts.
3. Clear shoes
Back in the aughts, clear heels gained the very un-PC moniker of “stripper heels.” But many were actually very wearable for everyday, done in lower platforms and slide silhouettes and — much like we see now — with clear PVC accents only here and there (see Britney Spears’s lace-up heels on the red carpet at the 2000 Teen Choice Awards). More popular in the early years of the decade, they were made by the likes of LEI, Mudd and Mootsie’s Tootsies. Now, the accents are regularly seen on statement heels from the high end to the low and everywhere in between.
Britney Spears at the 2000 Teen Choice Awards wearing a pair of wood-soled lace-up heels with clear PVC toe straps.
4. Super-pointy pumps
What Uggs were to denim miniskirts, pointy pumps were to bootcut jeans. The classic pump was a staple in dressing up all of those “going out” tops. Pumps and boots came with super-elongated toes that were meant to poke out from underneath the also-ubiquitous low-rise bootcut denim that dominated the aughts. After a few seasons of square-toed sandals dominating the runways, the super-pointy pump finally made its comeback in 2023, from brands such as Prada, Saint Laurent and Balenciaga. And the denim update? Now, the pointed toe pokes out of a pair of baggy denim cargos.
Juliette Lewis at the L.A. premiere of “Adaptation” wearing a then-familiar combination of low-rise jeans and pointy-toed heels.
5. Thongs
Thong platforms crossed over from the late ’90s into the early 2000s as means of taking a casual look and adding a bit of a statement. But as the aughts went on, the classic flat thong sandal (better known in the U.S. as the flip flop, as another “thong” trend was simultaneously taking off) reigned supreme, on both celebs and the masses. It was most glaringly apparent in the celebrity scene of the early aughts, where L.A. enfant terribles such Britney Spears and Lindsay Lohan proudly displayed them on Starbucks runs and Kitson shopping trips on Robertson Blvd . The trend is has been making a fast comeback lately, too, with elevated, novelty takes on the style, often done in leather.
Lindsay Lohan shopping at Ron Herman in L.A. in 2005 wearing denim shorts and flip flops.
6. The T-strap
It’s been a little while since this retro shoe style resonated, but a look back at mid-2000s TV shows (“Gossip Girl”) and red carpets (see Mischa Barton and co.) shows that they were a consistent footwear style for any ambitious ingenue of the era. The silhouette is ripe for a revival in 2024 as the decade enters its middle years.
Mischa Barton at the season finale party for “The OC” in 2004, wearing a pair of T-strap, ankle-wrap heels.
7. Ballet flats
In 2006, Tory Burch introduced her Reva, a flexible ballet-inspired flat that came in a host of hues and was topped with a gigantic circular logo hardware piece on the toe, which became a little like the shoe status equivalent of the Mercedes-Benz hood logo. Plenty of knock-off ballet flats followed, but there remained only one Reva. In 2023, the ballet flat finally experience its long-awaited comeback, with pricey mesh versions from the likes of The Row and Alaïa regularly selling out.
Blake Lively with then-boyfriend Penn Badgley in 2008, wearing a pair of then-ubiquitous ballet flats.
8. Platform pumps
Somewhere around 2007, fashion brands like Yves Saint Laurent, Gucci, Prada and even Chanel began to affix a tiered platform to the bottom of their leather pumps. Some of the platforms were hidden in the sole, while others look like they were hammered on as an attachment (see YSL’s Tribute, a holy grail platform that the brand is now selling again). Many of the platforms also featured a peep toe — another 2000s detail ready for its comeback any day now.
Nicole Richie attending a Marc Jacobs fashion show in 2007 wearing platform pumps.
9. Strappy sandals
There isn’t really a decade in the modern history of women’s fashion that does not include a strappy sandal — how could one resist the universally flattering end result? The early aughts had plenty of the strappy sandals, with kitten heels dominating the earlier years. The the shoe became progressively chunkier — in heel, platform and thickness of straps — as the decade progressed.
Beyoncé at the 2004 MTV VMAs wearing strappy gold sandals to match her all-gold look. The decade began with more delicate versions of the perennial shoe style and became chunkier, with thicker straps and heels, as the decade progressed.
10. The riding boot
Brown leather knee-high boots in sensible heels were a staple of the decade — and we’re still seeing its effects today, particularly with the enduring fashion influence of Kate Middleton. It may have even secretly influenced the rise of the skinny jean and the legging, as women found it difficult to tuck their bootcut and flared jeans into the boots, even when they were slouchy.
Rachel Bilson at LAX in 2007 in a cognac riding boot.
11. Converse All-Stars
The perennial sneaker dips in and out of the trend cycle but halfway through the decade, they were firmly placed back in the footwear zeitgeist. Teens and tweens — including Selena Gomez and Ashlee Simpson — rocked them with gray-black skinny jeans, tank tops and vests for a very late-2000s emo look.
Ashlee Simpson shopping in Beverly Hills in 2009 wearing skinny jeans and black Converse All Stars
12. Gladiator and cutout bootie-sandals
The 2000s was the decade of the hybrid heel and it evolved from beginning to end. Straps on sandals grew thicker to become more of a cutout and caged look, encompassing the idea of both the spine-like gladiator sandal and the silhouette of a high-heeled ankle bootie. Flat styles went all-in on the gladiator reference, decked out fringed suede, beads and more. It’s only a matter of time before this hybrid style comes back around.
Lauren Conrad at the MTV Movie Awards in 2009 wearing the cutout sandal booties that dominated the end of the decade.
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