If you follow fashion trends, you know the Barbiecore look that’s starting to pop up or the way you’re seeing enamel everywhere. But one of my favorite trends of late has been Y2K and seeing the way clothing and accessories my friends or I wore back in the day are having a moment.
So, whether you were obsessed with Britney and Justin in those matching denim outfits or loved a crop top, you likely have seen the same looks both on the runway and out on the street. It may be a throwback to simpler times or just a way to express a lighter side, but Y2K looks continue to influence designers, especially in jewelry.
Fashion-trend expert Beth Jones called it out during the JCK Las Vegas Trends panel: Statement jewelry, mixed metals, clubby pendants and earrings, and lots of hearts are in vogue.
“Paris Hilton, Britney Spears,” Jones told panel moderator, JCK contributing editor Amy Elliott. “The body chains are coming back. Euphoria [the hit HBO series] has played a big role here. The scrunchies, the claw clip, it’s really all back.”
Lisa “Lele” Sadoughi has seen it in her designs as well—her Lele Sadoughi headbands have been big since she launched them, but they’ve gone bolder and brighter along with her handbags in terms of color and embellishment. Her customers are pushing this look forward, Sadoughi says.
“They’re in a good mood to have fun,” Sadoughi says, and if that doesn’t define summertime fashion, I’m not sure what does.
Tessa Forrest called it with her watch design for Breda as well. Her Play with Subliming watch is made with recycled thermoplastic polyurethane and features see-through elements, sparkle, and eye-catching color. Its hour and minute hands read, “Timing Is Everything,” all in honor of her childhood, which the artist said was a “fun and magical time,” truly evoking that Y2K nostalgia.
Breda’s latest collection, Tethered, also taps into this jewelry aesthetic with a delicate, tapered woven mesh bracelet, available in all silver or gold with a champagne mother-of-pearl dial paired with a modern watch face.
You can see the Y2K influence everywhere, specially through playful jewelry from Studiocult, which goes big with all of its late 1990s/early 2000s nostalgia or designers who gracefully lived through that era and are now seeing the trends they originally set come back again.
Heather B. Moore has noticed this full-circle moment. Color has made a huge comeback, she says, giving her a throwback for sure. In 1997, Moore won the JCK Rising Star Award for her enamel collection, including a series of enamel rings. This year, she elevated her use of color with sapphires—showing how everything in fashion and jewelry is cyclical.
Pure Vida also sees how Gen Z is bringing these trends from the past forward. Its Wonderland collection is inspired by “color, youth, and kitsch,” the brand said, using bold colors and feel-good slogans in its rings, earrings, and bracelets. Who knew the 1990s or Y2K could inspire a new generation, but it sure looks good on them.
Loree Rodkin has been influencing pop culture for decades, whether it is through her jewelry—Madonna and Cher are huge fans—or through her relationships. (Can I just say that I’m immensely jealous of her impact on former beau Don Henley?)
“I’ve always marched to my own drum.… I had no formal training, just an intense point of view,” Rodkin says, working mostly by hand to create her jewelry in the same way “as an artist making a painting. I wouldn’t want to buy a machine-made painting.”
Rodkin has been making jewelry she since was 12, she says, even though her career in management brought her in close contact with major Y2K celebrities, including Madonna—who Rodkin describes as “just a girl”—and superstar actor Brad Pitt, who she says is “one of the nicest guys.”
Rodkin also worked with Elizabeth Taylor, who she says “influenced me through her passion for my jewelry. She gave me the confidence that I was on the right track and wanted to make jewelry.”
Top: Breda and artist Tessa Forrest created this Y2K-style watch called Play with Subliming ($110) to focus on the idea of reconnecting to your inner child, recalling that play and presence are the keys to strong mental health (photo courtesy of Breda).
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