20 Lively 1998 Style Trends That Are Making a Comeback

The Y2K fashions are back and 1998 style is bigger today than it feels like it was twenty years ago! I recently attended the Pitchfork music festival in Chicago and over the three days of the fest, I thought I had been transported back in time to the fifth grade when cowl-necked dresses, strappy heels, and tight, symmetrical sunglasses were all the rage. As this was truly my first foray into something this public since the pandemic started, I was genuinely overwhelmed with the nineties trends that had returned!

Chalk it up to nostalgia for a simpler time or simply the cyclical nature of the fashion industry, 1998 style is back, baby! Yes, that excessively Tommy Hilfiger apparel that you begged mom and dad for has made a return along with all sorts of other styles you’d thought you’d seen the last of. I wanted to get a better idea about these trends so I decided to talk a gander at the styles from the decade that are making waves on social media. Let’s take a look at what the influencers are doing with their 1998 style!

Like a Blast from the Past, These 1998 Style Trends Are Everywhere Today!

Micro Bags

Yes, those teeny-tiny bags are back. Long gone are the days when you could carry enough for a weekend vacation in your purse. Today, it’s all about going small to make a big statement.

The Miniskirt Suit

Another thing to return from 1998 style trends is the miniskirt suit. Part party part business these suits were all the rage among young professionals in the 1990s as they were seen as the perfect outfit to transition from a day at work to a night out.

Excessively Flowy White Tops

The top+jeans=win formula still holds sway on casual fashion today. Big and billowy blouses are back as the favored top to pair with those jeans. I’m not the least bit mad about this 1998 style trend’s return.

Some Feathered Trim on That LBD

Feathered trim was all the rage in the nineties after Kate Moss famously wore a dress with the embellishment and then, made it a signature look. I love a little feather detail and the influencers on Insta do too. Take a look at those shows as well. That brings us to the next 1998 style trend that’s returned.

Strappy Heels

Excessively strappy heels and sandals are everywhere, proving that the strap is back! Jennifer Aniston made strappy sandals with a modest, chunky, platform heel a 1998 style trend that’s come back in a huge way today.

Learn to Love the Logo

Yes, you too can feel like a walking billboard for the brand you’re wearing with the ridiculously huge logos on clothes these days. I thought it would be a style trend that died in the hay day of Tommy Hilfiger but, here we all are… This is definitely a 1998 style trend I did not foresee returning.

MicroFloral Dresses Are Everywhere

I had a babysitter in 1998 who lived in microfloral dresses which were a godsend in the sweltering Georgia summers. They always remind me of her and the Babysitter’s Club! These floral prints are literally everywhere today and I consider them to be one of the biggest 1998 style trends to stage a comeback today.

Small Sunglasses

I described the sunglasses as “tight” in the intro when I mentioned this 1998 style trend earlier. By tight, I simply mean they are small and fit tight to the face. I miss those giant sunglasses of yore that covered the entire face. Now, they’ve been replaced by baby glasses and I suppose that’s okay too.

Tiny Minidresses

Mariah Carey was the queen of the tiny minidress in the 1990s. In fact, Mariah Carey STILL IS. These minidresses have come back and if they’ve got a cowl neck that’s a two-in-one as far as 1998 style trends are concerned.

Cowl-Neck Everything

As I mentioned, a minidress with a cowl neck was something I only thought I’d get to live through once in life but this 1998 style trend is huge again today. In addition to the dress, tops, especially halter tops, are now coming out with the cowl neck as well.

Trucker Hats

The kids have brought back the trucker hat. It’s a 1998 style trend that I was not crazy about in the 90s and am not sure I’ve warmed much to the plastic monstrosities. Alas, they’re back and you can find them sold just about everywhere again.

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Bucket Hats

Long live the bucket hat! It keeps you shaded and cool in the summer and is the perfect way to hide dirty hair. Hip-hip-hooray that the bucket has returned!

Scarf Tops

Midriff-baring scarf tops are back with this style being the most popular but other types of ties also coming back. It’s a sexy yet comfortable look that I think people are going to continue wearing next summer.

Low-Rise Jeans

Just when you thought you were rid of them, the low-rise jeans are back! This 1998 style trend was huge at the end of the 90s and early aughts. Will you be in a pair in the next month or two?

Baggy Jeans

Baggy jeans are back in such a big way that the aggressively baggy jean brand company, JNCO has also mounted a return. If you’d like to feel like you’re wearing a floor-length denim skirt once more, hop on this returning 1998 style trend.

Chunky Belts & Buckles

Those cartoonishly large belts with bedazzled buckles that you used to wear with your low-rise jeans and skirts are back as well. They’re even being worn like the 1998 style by not being looped through the belt loops. Brands like Blumarine have taken the look and ran with it in their Fall 2021 collection.

Puffy Accessories

Puffy hats (preferably bucket ones), as well as cuffs and other accessories, are also making a return from the 1998 styles you remember the party kids wearing. You might feel like you’re wearing a teddy bear on your head, but you’ll look cute!

Bring On the Baby Tees

Along with your scarf tops, you can also show some skin with baby tees which have also been a 1998 style trend to return. They are cropped above the belly button but widen at the chest. They’re cute.

Doubling Down on Denim

Denim is everywhere today and it was also a huge 1998 style trend to wear it with everything. Although it predates the infamous Canadian tuxedos that Britney Spears and Justin Timberlake infamously wore in 2001, the table was set and dressed in denim for years before they took the denim look to a whole new level.

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Ribbed Cardigans

After the release of Clueless in 1995, people really stepped up their cardigan game to match Cher Horowitz’s own chic knits. To stay true to the 1998 style, the cardigan should be ribbed and form-fitting even falling above the belly button.

There you go! I hope you feel inspired by these amazing fashion trends that exemplify 1998 style. It’s kind of wild that so many of the looks that were hot two decades ago are already back with us today. The cyclical nature of the fashion world is not lost on me but it does feel like more trends from the Y2K era are back and bigger than ever before.