Men’s fashion
Early 2000s (2000–2003)
Y2K fashion
At the beginning of the decade, the excitement of entering the new millennium had become evident in fashion in the first couple of years and it was becoming a new era. However, this was only prominent in nightclubs and “going out” attire. Clothing was mostly made in black, though silver was also fashionable.[17] An example of this would be a tracksuit,[18] Rockport boots, a dress shirt, a pair of pants, a camp shirt, or a jacket in a fancy metallic pattern for going out; while also including of items such as leather coats and pants, puffy vests, jackets, ribbed sweaters, shirts, and chunky dress shoes, usually in futuristic colors such as black, silver, light gray, and white.[81][82] It lasted from late 1999[81] until late 2001.[17]
Leisurewear
After the events of 9/11, fashion became more conservative, forgoing the futuristic styles of before. Distressed denim made a comeback, with sandblasted highlights, frosted jeans, ripped jeans, and whiskering becoming commonplace. A lower rise jean had emerged during this part of the decade, effectively getting rid of the high-waisted styles of the 1990s.[27]
Asian fashions
From 2001 onwards, Astrakhan caps, kufis and the pakol[91] were fashionable among Muslim men in Afghanistan, Pakistan, France and Italy.[92] In India, traditional rustic male attire such as the dhoti and Lungi declined in popularity among the younger generation in favor of Westernised fashions such as Levi Strauss or Arvind Mills jeans,[93][94] cargo pants, shorts, tracksuits,[95] and sneakers.
Mid 2000s (2004–2006)
1960s revival
In the mid-2000s, retro fashions inspired by British indie pop, garage rock revivalist groups, and the 1960s mod culture gained mainstream popularity.[96] From 2003 to 2006, common items of clothing in the US and Europe included bootcut jeans with a light wash, wide-leg pants, cargo pants, cargo shorts, camp shirts with elaborate designs,[97] vintage Classic rock T-shirts, throwback uniforms, T-shirts bearing retro pre-1980 advertisements or street art,[98] army surplus dress uniforms, paisley shirts,[99] Mod-style velvet sportcoats, parkas, windbreakers[100] Harris tweed jackets, and fitted 1970s-style Western shirts[101] with pearl snaps[102] (popularized by blues-rock band the White Stripes).
Retro movie inspirations
In 2004, men’s fashion was inspired by movies from the 1960s and 1980s. Of particular inspiration were the movies Top Gun, Bullitt, and Midnight Cowboy. The clothes which were derived from these movies included Henley shirts, muscle shirts, hoodies, cargo pants,[103] American football shirts, aviator jackets, cable-knit sweaters, khakis, seersucker suits,[104] western shirts, blazers, and peacoats.[105]
Business suits
In the UK workplace, black, navy or charcoal pinstripe three-buttoned office suits remained common, but Nehru suits[109] or mandarin collar shirts[110] inspired by the Beatles, James Bond, and science fiction movies like the Matrix, were a popular alternative from 2003 to 2006. In the US, men favored the smart casual look, with striped purple dress shirts,[111] flat front charcoal chinos,[112] beige cardigans,[113] Argyll pullovers, black or brown leather blazers,[114] and houndstooth sportcoats.[115]
Late 2000s (2007–2009)
Throwback fashions
In the late 2000s, 1950s[116] and 1980s fashions became popular: Letterman jackets, black leather jackets[117] like the Perfecto, windbreakers,[118] dashiki[119] or Hawaiian shirts,[120] ski jackets,[121] slim and straight leg jeans,[122] wool topcoats,[123] Ed Hardy T-shirts with low necklines, neon colors inspired by the rave scene,[124] roll sleeve tartan flannel shirts worn with white T-shirts, cardigans and knitted V-neck sweaters.
Ed Hardy
Due to the mainstream acceptance of body modification, T-shirts, baseball caps and hoodies featuring vintage tattoo designs[130] were desirable items in the US, Britain and India, where they were worn with black leather jackets, oversized belt buckles, gold chains, and dark slim-fit jeans by celebrity trendsetters such as Jon Gosselin[131] or the cast of Jersey Shore.[132] V-neck T-shirts and graphic printed hoodies became popular among younger British men, in contrast to the designer brands with prominent logos previously worn by the chav subculture. Ed Hardy T-shirts, often embellished with rhinestones, were fashionable from late 2008 until the mid-2010s, when they fell out of favour due to their unintended popularity[133] among young clubgoers stereotyped for being thugs, jocks or guidos.[134]
Slim-fit suits
In the European workplace, the cut of suits changed, as the three buttoned jackets popular in the 1990s were replaced with 1950s inspired suits comprising a two-buttoned blazer and matching trousers[135] while in the US the power suit made a comeback.[136] Single-breasted European suits sometimes featured contrasting Edwardian style piping on the lapels and were often worn with slim ties and waistcoats.[137]