If there was one thing I wanted more than any other in my early teens (aside from grape-scented gel pens and Marissa Cooper’s Malibu tan), it was Miss Sixty jeans. These weren’t your run-of-the-mill Noughties kickflares, these were pubic bone-grazing, thigh-squeezing flares, with hemlines that would perfectly puddle over your pointed kitten heels and an oversized square belt so distinctive it could be spotted from space. A little risqué for a 13 year old? Let’s be honest, what Noughties fashion trends weren’t? You should’ve seen the Punky Fish zip-slashed tank top I wore to my year six disco.
Instagram content
This content can also be viewed on the site it originates from.
To my utter consternation, Miss Sixty was not, as it transpired, within my pocket-money budget, so I had to settle for Tammy Girl rip-offs (rendered in white, with a very Groovy Chick fringed belt). They just weren’t the same. And while the sharp sting of disappointment has softened in the intervening years, I’ll never forget that first flush of desire I felt for an aspirational fashion brand and the clarity of the cool-girl sub-culture that had developed around it. Indeed, so strong was the Miss Sixty aesthetic, it became one of the defining brands of the Y2K decade, and was frequently shot on some of the biggest stars of the day, including Britney Spears, Christina Aguilera and Paris Hilton.
It was the 2008 financial crash that kickstarted a decade-long decline for the brand, during which it was bought by a Chinese company. The “Tom Ford for Gucci” brand of sexy that defined the Miss Sixty girl was gradually phased out for the more nondescript, normcore stylings of brands such as Vetements. But, as we all know, given enough time, most trends come back around, and Miss Sixty has become one of a number of Noughties fashion favourites – including Blumarine and Diesel – that have benefitted from the recent Y2K revival (a trend that has, inevitably, been led by Gen Z-ers who didn’t live through it the first time). Of course, it also helps that the brand hosted a successful relaunch in 2017, and released a viral campaign in 2021, fronted by Bella Hadid, who has long spoken of her love, and personal collection of, Miss Sixty vintage.
