If you’re a millennial (like me), you’ve probably been experiencing a constant state of fashion déjà vu. Seemingly every week, a new celebrity is taking style inspiration from the 2010s, harkening to the decade’s most popular — not to mention most notorious — trends. While I still shudder at the hazy flashbacks of my clubbing days, where I styled peplum tops with pencil skirts and cage heels (you know, the works), modern-day takes on the long-buried styles look positively chic.
Peplums, for example, have received a ton of love from A-listers like Sydney Sweeney and Florence Pugh. Both have elevated the flared waist silhouette to high-fashion status in luxe, decadent textures and impeccable construction.
Meanwhile, the high-low hemline, which exposed countless sets of legs from that era, is also returning with a vengeance thanks to the likes of Emily Ratajkowski and Kylie Jenner. These days, however, the asymmetrical hem is no longer relegated to bottoms — tops and outerwear are in on the multi-level piece.
Excited? Tempted? Reeling from PTSD? These and the trends below are back en vouge, either way. Take that, Gen Z. Millennials are officially no longer cheugy.
Bandage Dresses
Back in the late 2000s and early 2010s, Hollywood’s brightest stars, including Lindsay Lohan, Hilary Duff, and Rihanna, had one uniform on red carpets: the bandage dress. It was even immortalized on TV as the It girl uniform on Gossip Girl.
Originally launched by Alaïa and popularized by Hervé Legér, the bodycon piece was named after its construction. Bandage strips — like a stylish mummy’s — were pieced together to form the stretchy, form-fitting style. Thanks to its cadre of A-list fans, it became the unofficial millennial going-out dress.
The tight relic is officially back. Hervé Legér’s new creative director, Michelle Ochs, is updating the classic look with graphic lines, longer lengths, and fun, modern details (like cutouts). And celebs like Kendall Jenner, Elsa Hosk, and Hailey Bieber, among others, have already cosigned its renaissance.
High-Low Hemlines
Back in the 2010s, the high-low hemline, a boho-chic fave, was omnipresent. I mean, why choose between a maxi and a mini when you could wear both? Unfortunately, the entire boho-chic aesthetic waned in popularity, up until two years ago, when Chemena Kamali took over Chloé and practically kick-started its renaissance.
Part of that buzzy revival is the cascading hem, as seen on Fall/Winter 2025 runways, like Chloé’s and Vivienne Westwood’s, and on fashion’s most adventurous icons. Emily Ratajkowski, for example, wore an LBD with a sheer waterfall hem, while Julia Fox wore one with an exaggerated waist, incorporating a more modern twist. Rihanna, too, rocked the style, though with a more subtle take. The 2025 iteration of the trend, however, isn’t limited to front-to-back asymmetry, nor is it relegated to just bottoms. Tops and outerwear are also given the high-low treatment. Peep: Kylie Jenner’s cascading trench coat for reference.
Peplums
If your waist didn’t have a flounce in the 2010s, what were you even doing? And millennials wore peplums everywhere — from the office to the bar. Trends that came after, however, ultimately unskirted waists, taking the silhouette from flared to extremely cinched (read: “snatched”).
For better or for worse, the peplum is cool again — at least according to the likes of Simone Ashley, Florence Pugh, and Sydney Sweeney, who’s particularly taken with the protruding silhouette, rocking it on red carpets, no less.
The modern take, of course, is elevated. Blazers are crafted with a bit of a flounce for a feminine touch, while some tops include peplum tiers. Rocking one in more uncommon fabrics, like denim or leather, can also help keep the look fresh. Meanwhile, if you want a spicier route, grab one with a navel-baring crop.
Long Pendant Necklaces
If you could peek at what I considered “treasures” in the 2010s, all you’d see are owl pendants that dangled low toward my navel, among other long necklaces. Largely popularized by Serena van der Woodsen (lengthy necklaces were to her what headbands were to Blair), the jewelry trend went by the wayside as Gossip Girl ended and interest in the accessory inevitably waned. It’s back, of course, with a grown-up, more elegant twist.
For a sophisticated take, consider sculptural pendants crafted in luxe metals or infused with precious stones and crystals. You can also go the kooky, more whimsical route. For instance, Dua Lipa replaced the 2010s go-to owl with conch shells, channeling “mermaidcore.”
Styling-wise, they’re utterly versatile. Daisy Edgar-Jones rocked hers with a frilly mini, Olivia Wilde used a gilded piece to accent her spicy, plunging LBD, and Jennifer Lawrence paired her pendant with a leopard print fur coat.
