y2k soft blues are back — here's how to wear them all summer
including 25+ vintage finds to grab before they’re gone 🩵
Blue is a perfect color.
It has so many beautiful shades.
One blue will always match another 💙🩵
Some of the best things in life are blue: a clear sky, the Mediterranean Sea, and this banger from 1999.
And speaking of the late 90s: blue was everywhere.
But not just any.
Gen X Soft Club blues
What is Gen X Soft Club (you might be wondering)?
It’s the aesthetic trend from the late 90s and early 2000s that blends natural looks, like nude makeup and simple hairstyles, with futuristic and retro influences.
It also has its own signature shades of blue: soft blue, walkman frost, techno cyan.1
Now picture this: it’s 1998 and you’re listening to this music on your Sony walkman (playlist by my Gen X Soft Club aficionado brother, Sébastien):
Feeling nostalgic yet? 🥹
Soft blues on the runway
You just need to spend 3 minutes on Pinterest looking through runway photos from the turn of the century to notice these blues dominated the fashion scene too.
Metallic, sky and periwinkle blues—love all of them!
So, you’ve probably guessed it by now: this week’s trouvé is all about adding some Gen X Soft Club hues to our fits.
And lucky for you, I’ve found 20+ links to secondhand gems from this era. Let’s go!
Jackets
Leather, S/36, 30€ / Leather, L/40, 30€ / Leather, XL/42, 25€
Prada, XS/34, 160€ - Ok, I’d never spend this money on a secondhand windbreaker but I love the blue so I had to include it
Pants
Shirts
Here’s a sleeveless Kenzo option I also spotted, for just 15€!
Skirts
This Prada balloon skirt in sky blue is also lovely!
Dresses
Suits
Shoes, accessories & more
Here are a few more soft blue wonders that I couldn’t not share with you...
Foulard, Carven, 12€ - the perfect 42x42cm size to follow all styling tips here
Longchamp, 85€ - fits your laptop!
Halter knit top, Vintage, M/38, 10€ / Calvin Klein cute top, L/40, 8€
…And I know it’s basically summer but loving this ice blue cashmere and this cute Versace twinset.
I had so much fun with this one. Especially reminiscing with my brother on our favorite music from this era (Dido anyone?).
It also reminds me of what my friend Gaultier says: vintage pieces are a testimony of their time. Soft blues might be back in shops, but nothing beats the real deal.
Thanks so much for reading 🩵
Below Sébastien’s send-off playlist: more electronic, still 100% Gen X Soft Club
Other era posts, in case you missed them
Some of my fave to put together :)
credits to my brother for the perfect description of these shades of blue
God, to wear a blue raw silk suit while blasting “I’m Blue” by Eiffel 65? That’s heaven.
I just really, REALLY love blue. And you are SO right that it's having a moment! (gotta love y2k)
It’s basically become a neutral at this point! Navy? May as well be black. That sort of dusty faded blue? Works with everything. I also love that you can mix different shades - deep indigo with lighter tones - and it somehow never clashes.