The Hottest '00 Styles at the “Back to 2000s” Party

On the first Saturday night of the decade, Level 4 Entertainment took it back 20 years and hosted a 2000s theme party in Brooklyn, New York. On an unusually warm night in Williamsburg, we paid tribute to the era that made us who we are. The memories of our childhood/teenage years have become the new nostalgic trend and now we can appropriately sing along to songs we had no business singing back then. Does that make us old? Her Neck of the Woods was in the building scoping out the flyest looks, because let’s be honest, the 2000s were a wild time for style and fashion. Between XXL white tees with air forces, and skinny jeans with the electronic name belt, what were they really wearing back then? We might’ve looked strange but hey, we were cool.

If the the windows and the walls could talk, they’d say that revisiting the 2000s is a good ass time. On the walk-in it felt like I was back in 2003, except I was an adult now. I was old enough to be the girl at the bar looking for the Bacardi like Jagged Edge said in ‘01. Every song had a dance to go with it and guests couldn’t wait to show off their old moves. When’s the last time you saw a dance battle go off in the club? Level 4 Entertaintment’s “You Got Served” dance battle brought the back the New York energy that I didn’t know I was craving! Shoulders were flailing back and forth, feet we cris-crossing, and there was plenty ego to go around with the jumping and shouting – just like old times. For each round of the dance battle, the crowd chose the winner. There was a round where the crowd couldn’t decide. I look to my left and Nigeria, 1/3 of Tier NYC was shouting “Red Hat got it! Red Hat!” so Red Hat went on to the next round. Period. Red Hat lost the dance battle to a girl rocking black velour whose fire Harlem Shake won the support of the crowd and she walked away with a bottle of Hennessy White.

Just like dressing for any themed event, you’re essentially in costume. While 2000s fashions weren’t mandatory, I saw plenty Nellys, Ashantis, Omarions and even ‘00 Beyoncé in the building. Without a doubt, jerseys were the staple item that defined the new millennium and they were all over the dance floor. There was a really fly one paying homage to Aaliyah and another even showed love to All That (which was more 90s but I’ll let him get away with it.)  

When it came to me dressing for the occasion, I had to do my research because there weren’t many people who looked like me front and center back then. 2000s were all about the dimes with bone straight bangs, or the Alicia Keys honeys rocking cornrows. I didn’t fit in either aesthetic with my afro and I also wanted to look like a woman in my 20s stepping out for the night. I used 2000s music video girls to point me in the right direction. I think I did well with a Guess logo crop, snakeskin print pants and a strappy shoe.

One of the unique characteristics of the ‘00 fashion era was the logo effect. Front facing clothes with logos became a staple in the 00s fashion. It was the main reason why many schools had a mandated uniform in NYC. If you weren’t in the latest Rocawear, Baby Phat, Phat Farm, Sean Jean, True Religion, or Juicy Couture, were you even poppin’? One brand I think was specific to New York City ‘00s culture was the now discontinued Ralph Lauren Rugby clothing line. A Rugby polo, True Religion Jeans, Asolos/Timbs and a Marmot “Biggie” coat was HarlemWorld uniform and a girl with a Polo Rugby co-ord set took me all the way back!

The secret to executing a great 2000s look? Keep your old clothes! When I asked where she found her outfit in 2020, she said “Girl I never threw it away! If you’re not a clothes hoarder like me and my Rugby friend, try your luck finding brands from ‘00s on Ebay, Poshmark and thrift stores.

I might be biased, but the 2000s will always go down as the best era to ever do it. We went from dial-up to wifi, BBM to DM,Toe-Wop to Milly Rock - that was all us! Even though I don’t want to go back to the era of XXL white tees, I did have a lot of fun going back for a moment in time. Shoutout to Branden, Marcel, Vincent, and Hakeem of Level 4 Entertainment for hosting a great “Back to 2000s” event and big shout out to everyone who showed out in their best looks!

Thanks for reading,

Eve