mood board: y2k yuppie

not found within: low-rise jeans, khakis, ties as belts

mood board is an exploration of personal style through trends - today we’re meshing two campy* eras of fashion : yuppie & y2k.

When my TikTok fyp made it clear that Gen-Z was dead-set on reviving Y2K trends, I steeled myself - after all, this era lovingly provided my peers & me with, but not limited to, the following: a lifelong complex about one’s abdomen, if not full-out disordered eating; orange matte-mousse makeup; a visceral aversion to rhinestones, velour, and whiskered jeans; hair damage from our BFF’s CHI; eyebrows that have just recently recovered; and the atrocity that were same-color-as-your-face nude lips.

What I forgot to consider is the way in which these things come back to us - warped by nostalgia & current culture, combined with things we’ve picked up along the way. Fashion isn’t a cycle, it’s a Möbius strip. 😵‍💫 For most millennials, the 2000’s were our adolescent foray into actively thinking about and participating in trends, so of course we cringe at decisions we made out of our desires to fit in/stand out/disappear/etc. (See: the year I wore mostly grey, the flag of “please don’t perceive me” nationals.)

Revisiting Y2K through the agency of adulthood made me completely change the way I address trends: if you don’t like it, leave it. You don’t have to be beholden to one style, you get to pick and choose what is for you. I think that might be my new definition of personal style: all the different pieces you’ve pulled from trends, the pieces that are “for you” - and nothing you don’t like.

*campy, whether they knew it or not!

The Y2K Yuppie

Lady Di meets Lizzie McGuire meets Alexa Chung. (Yep, we’re flirting with Indie Sleaze territory!) Best executed with a pinch of camp or a dash of weird. When in doubt, do too much.

(starting from top left and tbh…just doing my best from there on)

• I had never seen this photo of Diana before a couple weeks ago?! The color palette is flawlessly executed and that knit polo is better than a million sheep sweaters.

• Between the Givenchy eyeshadow palette & Barrie ad, you’ve got my 1999-2002 color scheme. Consider my pastel obsession reignited. (During this season of color obsession, my mother once *gently* suggested I buy something *not* baby blue. So I chose baby pink.)

• Chrissy Rutherford for J.Crew in an aF ensemble that is reminiscent of 00s Calvin Klein: 👩🏼‍🍳💋

• The Mini Tortoise Clip - the mature older sister of the butterfly clip, for eldest daughters everywhere. (was anyone else obsessed with #oldjcrew’s wide array of french tortoiseshell hair accoutrement?)

• This fun cocktail ring, aptly named the Lizzie McGuire, adds playfulness to help you avoid the staid side of preppy.

• Y’all know I love a rugby shirt - lucky for me, they’re popping up everywhere in various iterations - cropped, oversized, knit, etc. This H&M “long sleeved polo” is my new favorite - the polo knit keeps it lightweight and lets the oversized cut drape nicely. I will be wearing it with bike shorts all spring/summer!

• I have really enjoyed the fun, colorful necklace trend over the past few years but y’all, I am never going to pay designer prices for pony beads from Michael’s!!! This pearl & evil-eye necklace brings in multi-matching color and interest at a reasonable price. (and if you’d rather go buy a pack of beads and make necklaces with your besties…you absolutely should.)

• The youths have brought back the one thing I never thought i’d see again: the Steve Madden black elastic platform slide. I can still hear the thwack clomp thwack clomp sound of the cool girls in the hallway between classes. (ed. note: I am now doubly shook because I just looked up the Dr. Scholl’s wooden slides AND THEY ARE ALSO BACK) Anyway…they can keep it. I’ll be wearing their visual and spiritual opposite: white platform Birks.

• This Chloe ad is the 2010 take on yuppie - complete with a perfect bouncy blowout - but were it today, the suit would come in brights and pastels. See: Chloe SS22 in pale yellow, Zara in royal blue, and Mango in baby pink. (Special shoutout to this lime green tweed that is truly heinous but 100% understood the assignment.)

• For years, the big claw clip of my youth has been relegated to the bathroom or vanity, only seeing the light of day while I wash my face or do my makeup. It wasn’t until recently that I even had to buy a claw clip, having held onto the same one for years until it gave up the ghost. Tortoiseshell is my forever choice - it goes with everything. (ed. note to my mom: sorry for commandeering all your claw clips.)

• My Work Scorpio™️ recently saw me in the pictured outfit @ lower right, and told me I looked like “the male antagonist in a 90’s rom-com,” to which I replied, “thank you.” A sweater vest, a classic blue & white stripe (so cheap to thrift!), and chunky loafers will get you there, should you also want to be roasted for looking like Hugh Grant. (once again…thank you.)

• A Diana-inspired look that sparked an idea. I do not currently own riding boots, having long discarded the pair I ran into the ground between 2010-2014, but that needs to change before the fall. I am having visions of tall boots under a midi dress/skirt à la Claire Standish.

• Retro collegiate/varsity pieces can add a casual touch to a stuffy outfit just as well as they can “make” a simple outfit. (See: one of my style icons, Ailecia, in the Notre Dame sweatshirt) I love shopping secondhand to find already-broken-in items, but if searching for treasure isn’t your thing, don’t fret, the internet is here:

  • Nike Daybreaks are my current favorite sneaker, and I’m slowly building a collection. They are extremely comfy and Nike almost always nails the color scheme!

  • Gonna go ahead and give Taylor Swift credit for bringing the cricket sweater back into our lives. If you didn’t snag the merch version, Gap has both cardigan and pullover options! (once again, noting the high-top chucks 😍)

  • Weejuns are a preppy classic - add a chunky sole inspired by 90s/00s clunkers and these will create balance with oversized silhouettes, or add weight to something girly.

  • Signet rings always look fabulous. I am forever in search of a vintage intaglio signet, but this lapis ring that can be customized…👀

  • Adding a casual element like a beanie & a non-traditional chunky loafer to a classic suit helps loosen it up. Credit to the statement rings & color palette for the assist!

• the gal in the middle: a J.Crew ad that I immediately saved. It’s not anything revolutionary, but a simple outfit should never be discounted - they’re great to fall back on when you’re feeling uninspired. A classic pair of well-fitting jeans (these are amazing and a steal!), an oxford (or my choice, a Baird-McNutt linen shirt), a cheery colorful sweater for those in-between times (or a freezing office), and FUN. SHOES.

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Thoughts on this format? To me, the mood board is the perfect vehicle for talking about trends I’m liking - but I want it to be a good experience for you, too! (Would you rather have all the ID/links in the photo caption? Is the board too detailed? Am I just offering up my insecurities for you to comment on? 😅)

A little housekeeping: When I started this newsletter I was very adamant that I wasn’t going to put myself on a schedule because I wanted to allow it to take shape organically while avoiding creating “content for the sake of content.” I write/design in my free time, because I love the things I am writing about, and I have fun doing it!

However, I have ADHD - as you can probably tell from my sporadic archive - so sometimes inspiration outweighs motivation. There are multiple ideas that I have let fade away, and I always regret missing my moment when that happens. So, I am going to try holding myself to a loose schedule of publishing every 2 weeks and see how that bit of structure helps!

Lastly, with this issue I have begun including affiliate links where possible/reasonable as a small form of compensation for my work. (Like…literally cents.) I am not beholden to anyone so be assured that I won’t just start linking shit for the hell of it. 😆 Maybe one day I will add a paid subscription, but in the meantime, please grant me these peanuts. 🥜

until next time,
jess
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