Emily Ratajkowski is bringing a fresh elegance to the most obnoxious trend of the decade.
Katie Holmes wore a minidress over jeans to the iHeartRadio Jingle Ball in December 2022. The ensemble instantly brought back memories of the spaghetti-strapped cami dresses, denim pedal pushers, floss-thin scarves that scraped the knees, and strange newsie caps that Disney stars wore to the Teen Choice Awards in the early 2005. This look sparked morbid fascinations in those who were old enough to remember the original iteration of the trend. The tweet that went viral and received more than 165,000 likes said, “This is what true y2k is but y’all arent ready for that conversation.”
Actually, Holmes’ dress over jeans ensemble was an uncommon lapse of judgment. Her casual downtown style has been the subject of several articles on our page due to her ability to put together everyday pieces with ease. This is partially due to the fact that the style debuted too soon in the dress-over-pants renaissance and partially to the fact that it was very jump-scarey in the Noughties. In 2024, dresses and skirts are typically layered over pants; this can be seen in the most recent collections by Chopova Lowena, Luar, and Knwls. The look is generally less denim and more casual. (Unless you happen to be a Goldsmiths University student or a PinkPantheress.)
Examine Emily Ratajkowski’s ensemble from Adwoa Aboah’s Gurls Talk benefit as a triumphant development of this once-maligned style. Last night, she posed for pictures sporting a chainmail Rabanne purse, stiletto heels, and a long-line halter-neck dress and fitted pants made of silky fabric. I wonder whether EmRata was influenced by the custom Burberry ensemble that British Vogue’s head of editorial content, Chioma Nnadi, wore to the Met Gala this year? The ensemble consisted of a flaxen-hued, ruffled dress and matching tuxedo pants that nodded to the ’00s without crossing over into costume land. Resurrections of even the most divisive styles are inevitable, but few will be seen on the steps of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
