#mid-aughts

We all have a few skeletons in the closet from our past, sometimes taking the form of shameful clothing. Each week WeAreTheMarket will profile a few fashion superstars on their personal style from a bygone era. Whether horrific or awesome, let’s just hope that we all look better now.

ERIN MAGEE

First up we have Erin Magee. We’ll let the designer of MadeMe, which produces traditionally masculine clothes with a feminine twist, do the talking.

“When I look back, I’m still impressed by my aptitude at flyyyness. I had more sophisticated taste as a 7yr old than I do now.” Can’t argue with that sweater.

Erin doesn’t think anything necessarily prompted her to start dressing like a chic badass. Always staying true to her roots, Erin believes that she has “more or less stuck with the same vibe since elementary school,” which she describes as “Lez-a-saurus-rex with a twist!” In related news, “lez-a-saurus-rex” has entered WeAreTheMarket’s collective vernacular.

ISAAC HINDIN MILLER

The next person kind enough to reveal past blunders of theirs is New Zealand’s most popular fashion blogger who is currently making a splash in NYC. Besides maintaining Isaac Likes, the Kiwi has been styling, photographing, and being a general gadabout with the best of ‘em.

Maybe we can excuse this to Isaac being from a strange country where, I’ve been told, people wear hats on their feet and hamburgers eat people. But maybe not, since this photo is from his first trip to America, where he proceeded to “buck wild with Nike dunks, raw denim jeans, and ironic hot pink belts.”

I guess people CAN change. Asked if he’d look back at this photo in 20 year’s time and cringe, Isaac replied, “Hell no I won’t cringe – look at that full head of hair!” Now whip it! [Message to 20 years from now: Yes, Willow Smith's "Whip My Hair" did exist]

STEVE DOOL

Our final brave soul of the week is WeAreTheMarket’s own Steve Dool. A man who works behind the scenes getting brands a huge amount of attention is certain to have a mysterious, and in this case, hilarious past. Mr. Dool decided to focus on his accessory game of the mid-aughts, a devastating time for many of us.

After breaking out of the confines of New Jersey and Boston, Steve “definitely thought the ridiculous Gucci belt was cool and European after I studied abroad.  I was also probably reacting against the signature look of 85% of my classmates in college, which was ‘semi-retired high school lacrosse player from the Commonwealth.’  I can’t explain the two-finger boombox ring, though.  Sorry about that.” [Not pictured: Popped Collar]

Never one to brag about his contemporary sartorial stardom, Steve describes his current style as “a homeless person with access to a particularly well-stocked Salvation Army.” Very-near-future Steve would agree — when asked about looking back 20 years from now Steve snorted and replied, “I think in 20 minutes time I’ll look back at a photo of myself right now and cringe (see also: my hair).”