One of the first signs you’re reaching an age of increasing maturity is that you begin offering wise, hyperbolic prose to any ingenue making a foray into fashion. And it happens nine times out of ten when there’s a burgeoning new trend. Because, while for them it might be a style du jour with just a tinge of irony, for you it’s a ghost of fashion’s past.

It only takes a hint of a redux for you to begin reclining in your chair, stroking your chin and recounting your wealth of sartorial experience. And, although your wardrobe retrospection may only go back some 16 years, such personal wizardry warrants you a kind of Yoda or Confucius nobility. You flash a condescending smile to the energetic toddlers embarking on their first cargo pant. You wink knowing your own version (vintage Dotti couture bought for $39 in 2004) is still stuffed at the back of your closet.

As a child of the 90s and a young adult of the mid-2000s you came of fashionable age when Sienna Miller influenced everything, when The Simple Life was on E! Channel and when Since You’ve Been Gone was everyone’s secret driving anthem. There was a time when you felt you’d been ripped off that you lived through a period of such tech limitation, however. You had no wifi, no data, no camera in your phone and Instagram didn’t exist. You spout #theyllneverknowthestruggle on the regular with your comrades, all getting drunk on flashback cocktails.

The mid-2000s was your time. Perhaps it’s how Cher feels about the 70s or Bananarama about the 80s. They owned it. They lived it before any of it was a throwback. So now, as 2020 serves up a 16-year cycle, we’re yelling “but will you wear a skirt over your jeans?” from our porches. As Lanvin, Dior and Marant deliver traces of millennial culture, Motorola revives and thrives the brand new Motorola Razr 5G flip phone (see below) and celebrities like Dua Lipa, Bella Hadid and Hailey Baldwin order one of everything. We’re seeing the return of the velour tracksuit and the visible g-string (yes, really), boots prepping their way back over jeans and thick belts back to fasten …well, nothing really.

 

THE REVIVAL LIST

PARIS VS. PARIS – To be fair, Paris has been hedging her bets on the return of velour tracksuits since she first started repping them around Kitson stores on Robertson Boulevard back in 2002. She’s never not worn them. Back then, she accessorised with huge Louis Vuitton bags, tiny little dogs and her luggage-carrying, tracksuit-sympathising hype-girl Kim Kardashian. In September, Mrs. West paid homage to how it all started by releasing a range of velour tracksuits for her label SKIMS…co-starring the OG BFF.

 

HOT GIRL TECH – The flick and snap motion of the original Motorola razr back in the early 2000s was lost to the wind when phones evolved to smart-tech flat styles. We mourned the loss of the power that came from physically opening its lid to answer it…and the satisfaction you got from slamming it shut. When you held a razr you were really…on. the. phone. So, when Motorola released the new-gen Motorola Razr in January of this year, we were like, that’s hot. Now, come November, the next instalment will continue the journey. The Motorola Razr 5G will marry its iconic style with even faster, even better, unsurpassed technology. Think 5G speeds, an enhanced external Quick View display and the most advanced selfie camera ever. Dear Motorola Razr 5G, where were you when I was stuck on a 12-hour train ride in Italy in 2005? Snap one up, literally, on November 10.

 

STREETS AHEAD – Adidas Originals was a uniform for the great papped of 2004/2005. And Gwen Stefani opting for a sheeny green circa Hollaback Girl was yet another reason we worshipped her wardrobe. Now, Beyoncé has released the latest collection for her track-chic label Ivy Park partnered with Adidas. Once again, the three-stripe tracksuit is ripe for a whole new generation.

 

 

BUCKLING – The mid-2000s was a purple patch for wide belts. Belts on hips, belts on your middle, belts that cinched a dress and belts that did absolutely nothing but wrap around your t-shirt. As long they were thick and had a large loopy buckle, they were IT. We binned them by 2010 but they’ve slithered their way back out of Mandy Moore’s attic and are pitching their case for a fall-winter full superfluous fastening.

 

THE TUCK  – The feeling of zipping your leather knee-highs over your denim skinnies was one the best fashion feelings of 2004. But the resulting squashed legs and dire-sweat situation were some of the worst. Luckily 2020’s iteration of cowgirl is equipped with a suitably slouchy, pirate style thanks to labels like Celine and Dior. Hailey Bieber’s rendition is about as good as it gets. No offence, Lindsay.

 

SINGLETS AND CARGOS – The Lavignes and Aguileras of the early 2000s gifted us not only some of the most iconic tough-girl anthems, but also the grunge-meets-pop uniform. Chesty Bonds singlets worn with fatigue-y cargos. Stompy, kicky, messy outfits that all our parents hated. The look is back to knock track pants off their current ironic pedestal via Bella Hadid.

 

THE O.M.G-STRING – Undoubtably one of the strangest trends ever. At all. Ever. However, the visible T-string is on the rise again, quite literally. Britney, Christina, Paris and even a fresh-faced Christina Milan fledged the peekaboo look some decade-and-a-half ago but now Bella Hadid is here to prove it’s back. Wedgie-couture might have some ways to go before it becomes as popular as it once was, especially given sensible full briefs don’t look quite as hot winched above your waistband.

 

MOULIN ROUGING – A boned camisole, a pair of cat-whisker-crease bootleg jeans and a high heel was all that was required for a cute Saturday night during the beginnings of the new millennia. We all got really in to Moulin Rouge, especially the film clip with Pink and Christina Aguilera and Mya and Little Kim. It was a corset circus that spilled right on in to our high street get ups. However, for its return, the ante has been upped. Chic, minimalist versions that work as well with a tailored suit as a belted jean. Dion Lee’s covetable lace version has become something of a poster child for the look.

So, while we may never get back the time we spent looking for internet cafés on the island of Ios or the time spent playing Snake on our phones during internet-less work commutes, we can summon back the super-styling vibe that came with the era. And it’s worth the revival. Tech and fashion in the vein of a cherished time, adequately mod-conned.

The question is, in 16 years, will anyone want to revive 2020? Tracksuits, ear pods and face masks? Doubtful, but we’re stashing them anyway.

If you’re feeling the flip, get your new Motorola Razr 5G now.