2005 Fashion craze: Tall Tees and Baby Phat for starters.

Ahhh, 2005 — the year when everyone smelled like Pink Sugar, carried a Sidekick 2, and believed their outfit wasn’t complete unless it matched their ringtone. Fashion wasn’t just clothes… it was a personality test. You were either “urban streetwear chic,” “mall glam princess,” or tragically stuck in that awkward Aeropostale phase nobody wants to discuss.

This was fashion before it began dissolving into the abyss of old MySpace photos.

🧢 MEN’S FASHION IN 2005 — The Era of XXL Everything

1. Tall Tees (3XL… even if you were 110 pounds)

Built like a parachute. And it had to be a 3XXL even if you were 110 pounds homeboy. Men in 2005 dressed like they were expecting a sudden growth spurt at any moment

Brands: Pro Club, Foot Locker Tall Tees, Hanes (but 10 sizes up)

Why It Hit: Hip-hop culture was at its peak, and artists like Dem Franchize Boyz, Nelly, and 50 Cent made long white tees the uniform of the decade.

Why We Loved It: Simple. Dramatic. Billowy. Great for hiding bad decisions, stomachs, or your friend’s speakers you “borrowed.”

End of Era: 2009-ish, when skinny jeans arrived and politely told everyone to calm down.

2. Durags + Fitted Hats (Color-coordinated, of course)

Wearing a durag was culture. Wearing a fitted over it was fashion. Wearing them color-coordinated was power.

Brands: New Era 59FIFTY hats

Why It Hit: The “hat-over-durag” combo was the crown of Black and Latino street fashion. It symbolized culture, swag, and the right to tilt your hat at a dangerously diagonal angle.

End of Era: Never fully died — it just matured. But the peak was 2002–2007.

3. Air Force 1s (Especially the crisp white-on-white)

Brand: Nike

Why It Hit: They matched EVERYTHING. Also Nelly literally dedicated an entire track to them.

End of Era: Still iconic, but the obsessive “don’t-crease-your-Forces” mania cooled around 2010 before resurging in the 2020s.

4. Baggy Girbaud Jeans (with the strap details)

These jeans had straps, pockets, panels, hoops — basically everything except practicality.

Brand: Marithé + François Girbaud

Why It Hit: This was luxury in the hood. Expensive. The straps made you feel elite. You couldn’t tell anyone wearing Girbauds that they weren’t royalty.

End of Era: 2010, when the strap obsession finally faded and tapered jeans took over.

5. Rocawear & Sean John Tracksuits

Jay-Z & Diddy walked so the men in your high school hallway could strut.

Brands: Rocawear (Jay-Z), Sean John (Diddy)

Why They Hit: Hip-hop moguls = fashion CEOs. These suits felt rich, coordinated, and perfect for music videos or mall food courts.

End of Era: By 2012, the “plush velour + rapper logo” look faded into nostalgia — though vintage lovers are sneaking it back today.

💄 WOMEN’S FASHION IN 2005 — Mall Glam Royalty

1. Baby Phat Fur-Trimmed Hoodies

Kimora Lee Simmons knew what she was doing.

These hoodies were everywhere.

School, church, the grocery store — didn’t matter.

Nothing screamed “2005 queen” like that shiny gold cat logo. These hoodies with faux-fur trim were the winter uniform

Brand: Baby Phat by Kimora Lee Simmons

Why It Hit: If the back of your jacket didn’t have a shiny gold cat logo, were you even a 2005 baddie? These jackets screamed, “I shop at the mall AND I’m fabulous.”

End of Era: Around 2011, but Baby Phat made a comeback in the 2020s.

2. Beaded Mesh Slippers (Colorful House Shoes Turned Streetwear)

Brand: No single brand — beauty supply stores ran the market.

These shoes completed every casual outfit (even though they shed beads like confetti).

Why It Hit: Affordable, glittery, and went perfectly with lip gloss and a Motorola Razr.

End of Era: Swift death around 2007 when girls realized the beads fell off faster than friendships in middle school.

3. Juicy Couture Velour Tracksuits

Juicy tracksuits were the uniform of mall glam royalty. Rhinestone writing across the butt was considered high fashion, and honestly? It was iconic.

Brand: Juicy Couture

Why It Hit: Paris Hilton. Nicole Richie. The Simple Life. Also the bedazzled “JUICY” on the butt was basically a status symbol.

End of Era: 2010 — though revived heavily in 2020 for the Y2K resurgence.

4. Low-Rise Jeans (Dangerously low.)

These jeans were so low you needed courage — and a long torso. Realistically, nobody was comfortable, but celebrities made them look magical.

Brands: Hollister, Abercrombie, Baby Phat, Apple Bottoms

Why It Hit: Pop stars like Britney, Ashanti, and Ciara made the “hip bones out, dignity gone” look the moment.

End of Era: Early 2010s (high-rise jeans swept in like the hero we didn’t know we needed).

5. Ed Hardy & Von Dutch Everything

This was glam mixed with danger — rhinestones, tattoo motifs, bold graphics, and trucker hats that cost more than rent. The nightlife uniform of the cool girls and club promoters.

Brand: Ed Hardy, Von Dutch

Why It Hit: Tattoo-inspired glam + trucker hats = 2005 nightlife uniform. If your outfit didn’t blind someone with rhinestones, was it even trying?

End of Era: 2009ish — the sparkle fatigue was real, and the recession made $100 trucker hats feel unserious.

🎤 Why 2005 Fashion Worked

Because it was:

Loud

Dramatic

Influenced by music videos

Affordable (or at least looked expensive)

A form of identity in a pre-Instagram world

Fashion wasn’t subtle — it yelled, “LOOK AT ME,” and honestly, we did.

⏳ Why It Eventually Died Out

Social media influenced cleaner aesthetics

Slimmer silhouettes became trendy(before the bbl took over)

Brands shifted to modern minimalism

Bling culture cooled

Teens realized matching your hat to your shoelaces was a lot of work

But the nostalgia? Never left.

And today, with Y2K fashion’s comeback, many of these classics are being pulled right out of storage boxes — hopefully washed first.