A Guide to the Biggest Y2K Shoe Trends, From Platforms to Thongs

by Yusra Siddiqui

You may have noticed that we talk about the 2000s quite a bit here on Who What Wear. Can you blame us, though? It was an era of great music, a boom of pop culture, and fashion was most certainly controversial but eye-catching. While we may have not completely gone back to our Mean Girls roots, there are many trends we've updated and brought into our current wardrobes. We've already created a robust roundup of overall trends from that decade (58 slides of trends, to be exact), but today we're honing on shoe styles of Y2K that we're seeing become more popular than ever. The era's shoes work the best for the summertime in my opinion, so consider this a shopping guide to get your season's shoe game on.

Below, I've rounded up the best shoe trends from the '2000s and shopped out multiple products so you can find your choice. Whether it's a sandal for under $50 or an investment shoe going for $400, there's plenty of options to choose from.

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@alyssainthecity

Whenever I think of platforms, I think of the Steve Maddens I bought simply because of Lizzie McGuire. I've got good news if you agree—Steve Madden is selling the shoe once again, and many brands have released their own platform versions with fashionable twists.

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@aimeesong

This is probably the most "controversial" of the bunch, but so many girls are sporting the style it seems normal to me at this point. Why not join in on the fun?

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@thatgirlyusra

Out of all the "updates" in fashion, the one on ballet flats has to be my favorite. With suede and leather pairs, square-toe details, and a variety of fun colors to choose from it's hard not to get in on the ballerina style. I may not have opted for this shoe style in the '2000s but I certainly am now.

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@emmanuellek

I'm not sure if it's all the time we spend wearing slippers and socks last year, but brands have taken note that we may not be jumping to stilettos right away and are producing more low-heeld styles. I'm not complaining, especially when they incorporate Y2K details like fun prints and bright colorways.

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@mariaalia

While the '2000s red carpet was filled with strappy high heels, it seems like they've become a wardrobe classic for the modern day fashion set. Dare I say even more than a pump?

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@laurenegg

Converse and Vans should thank the skater and grunge aesthetic of the 2000s for their height in sales. I remember buying a brand new pair of high top Converse for my first day of middle school and the obsession still runs deep.

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@alyssainthecity

Heeled loafers have gone through multiple transformations. While I thought the thick heeled loafer was gone and replaced by chunky platforms, I was proven wrong when everyone was raving over the heeled loafers worn by one of the new characters in Gossip Girl 2.0. There's certainly room for both amongst the fashion set, so take your pick.

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@anna__laplaca

These aren't the average flip flops you wore to the beach in high school, they're so much more elevated. You might have seen The Row's pair all throughout your Instagram feed—leave it to Mary Kate and Ashley to bring a part of their stardom era to their fashion brand.