Column: Is it fashion nostalgia or am I having an existential crisis?

I don’t care which celebrity tries it, I will never wear a dress with jeans.

I don’t understand the point. The dress looks strange. The jeans look strange. This is the one line I won’t cross, but I used to hate every part of Y2K fashion.

While I always cared about fashion, I only really started to follow and pay attention to trends around eighth grade, which was around the same time I thought everything I had seen as a kid was a little ridiculous (this was in the high-waisted skinny jeans era).

I thought the 2000s would be another era of fashion history enshrined in the same way we view the 50s and 60s. People wear stuff that’s inspired by it, but no one is pulling out a poodle skirt unless they’re going to a costume party. I thought it’d always be like that.

Occasionally, I am totally wrong. But this time I’m happy about it.

I might not have been able to appreciate the clothing as a young kid when it was popular, or during the 2010s when it was suddenly the ugliest clothing ever, but Y2K is back in my closet — maybe because I want it to be back in my life.

Why am I screaming when I hear "Dynamite" at Goodfellows? Why am I wearing low-rise jeans? Why do I suddenly want to visit my parents way more? I’d chalk it up to senior sadness, except it’s stylish to dress this way — is there no such thing as 2000 and late?

After asking around on campus, the answer might be maybe. 

“This kind of reminds of me of like Mean Girls, like Y2K, and everybody loves the Mean Girls movies so that’s a good example,” said sophomore Maddison Boxley, referring to her outfit. “It kind of gives you like that comforting feeling that you got when you were a child.”

Of course, that would mean that we’ll see skinny jeans and infinity scarves again in 10 years. However, senior Sophie Guo thinks trends have melded now.

“I think it’s definitely a hodgepodge, because there’s a greater emphasis on individuality, so everyone kind of dresses differently,” said Guo. “I also think that we have a lot of influence from past eras, which could make today’s fashion a little bit more jumbled and unique.”

Senior Townes Ellum agreed that fashion was more individual for him and wasn’t sure if Y2K was coming back for men.

“I’ll be honest, I don’t pay attention to fashion, really,” Ellum said. “The only fashion I’m into is like, I really like vintage cowboy western stuff, like cool button-ups and cool pants and stuff, so that’s like the only thing I really know anything about.” 

After a week spent (hopefully not creepily) staring at people’s outfits in Lenoir Dining Hall and online, trying to find a conclusion as to what is obviously the greatest problem college students are facing right now, I think I agree that individuality seems to be the most prevalent trend. 

Not to say that we aren’t being influenced by nostalgia, the 2000s cult class movie renaissance, or what’s on Instagram. For me, a part of the Y2K appeal is definitely the 'I’m growing up' existential crisis. But also, when have we ever been able to see so many styles at once?

“I think now that, since the world has become more open to everything, that everything is now kind of starting to reappear and show itself and it’s more mixed up rather than just limited to just one thing,” said Boxley. “We have a voice now, so we have free expression.”

With so many styles being trendy, it couldn’t be a better time to be me, writing a fashion column… until I see a dress and jeans. Then I’m out. 

@dthlifestyle | lifestyle@dailytarheel.com