Our Favorite Style Icons in Early 2000s Film

There's nothing like curing up with your laptop and a cup of tea to binge your favorite movies or TV series, especially when it comes to obsessing over your favorite style icons. Of course, we live in a world of constantly evolving trends and shifts in what's in and out, so reminiscing different eras of style doesn't always come with the pleasure of partaking in them- at least if you prefer to go with the grain of the industry. But there's one era of fashion in film that never seems to get old: the early 2000s.

Perhaps that can be credited to the creative color blocking or the frilly textiles- or maybe it's the layering, the corporate-meets-camp flair? Regardless of what you might decide makes the early 2000s such an iconic era for fashion, especially in film, we can't deny that the best part of it all is the characters who wore it. Take a look at some of our favorite style icons in early 2000s film:

Blair Waldorf, Gossip Girl

We're not sure if we'd rather steal her hair or her closet. Either way, Blair Waldorf (played by Leighton Marissa Meester) is one of the pillars of early 2000s fashion. From her coveted wardrobe to comfortable couture budget, what's not to love?

Andie Anderson, How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days

As magazine editors ourselves, we proudly claim Andie Anderson for her cute and collected looks- and not just for her famed yellow dress (though it's undoubtedly our favorite of her looks).

Elle Woods, Legally Blonde

Though 2023 was deemed The Year of the Girl, we think it's safe to say that a lot of how society has come to celebrate the power of femininity. And yes, iconic clothes.

“At that point I shopped everything myself, whether I thrifted it, whether I begged it from a showroom in New York, whether I just purchased it from the stores, whether it was vintage, whether I rented it from a possible house, every single piece of clothing in that movie passed through my hands to get on screen,” the film’s costume designer Sophie de Rakoff mused with Vogue in a July 2021 interview. 

Regina George, Mean Girls

So there's been a lot of controversy regarding the latest Mean Girls reboot, but regardless of your options on the film, we can all agree that the Y2K style in the 2004 rendition will always be the most iconic. And even though Regina George might insist that fetch isn't going to happen, we certainly think she could do it.

Andy Sachs, The Devil Wears Prada

Okay, so do you really qualify as a style icon if your wardrobe was curated by your magazine's design assistant? Maybe not. But we have to give Andy (Anne Hathaway) credit for something, even if it's just thanks to Nigel. After all, those are the Chanel boots.

And hey, Andy's style evolution proved to hold true even after she left Runway. So we say it paid off, after all.

By Mackenzie Ostrowski