Noughties Preppy Is Back And Kate Middleton Is Muse

How did we get here so soon, you might wonder? It seems like only yesterday that we were ashamed of the sartorial decisions we made in the Noughties, documented in nefariously named Facebook albums, now set to 'Only Me' privacy statuses and confined to a digital vault. We hope. But how quickly tides turn, influenced by a cyclical trend loop and cultural releases that rephrase those (for the Millennials amongst us) university days. Like it or not, our dabble with early 21st-century prep has found fresh appeal that is worth reconsidering.

Blame it on Saltburn. Emerald Fennell's latest film tells the story of silver spoon toffs at Oxford, whiling away summers at Saltburn — the stately home that lends the movie its title — wearing the best of the decade. Conversations With Friends' Alison Oliver returns to the screen as Venetia, the wistful sister of Jacob Elordi's lead. Her constant dreamy state is exemplified in a bohemian take on mid-Noughties treasures that anyone who ever as much as encountered a 'rah' will recognise — whether it's the Glasto-ready fringe jacket that forever populated Topshop in the Noughties or the bleach blonde hair and lashings of eyeliner that you cannot tell us were not inspired by Chelsea Davy, Prince Harry's girlfriend from 2004 to 2010.

Courtesy of Amazon Prime
Alison Oliver in Saltburn.

Then there's Elordi's Felix with his popped polo shirt collars and 'edgy' eyebrow piercing — he's a cool guy, FYI. Talking to the Evening Standard, the film's costume designer Sophie Canale said that Felix's look was inspired by the off-duty wardrobe of Princes William and Harry, explaining that they were sourced from resale sites eBay and Vinted before being washed and worn in for a '“borrowed off daddy” feel.'

Miu Miu isn't the only brand that has set up on campus for the season ahead. Celine also leaned into this very specific collegiate mood. It's less robes and an armful of books, more post-lecture Frappe and BBMs about the night ahead. It's not a concerted look to academia chic, but instead a re-interpretation of a real-life way of dressing we took on in the early Noughties.

And so Celine's spring/summer 2024 collection had all the markers of how we did it then. There were sheepskin boots, denim cut-offs and bootleg jeans, baseball caps and matching tracksuit sets. One look within the collection calls to mind a very specific look from the ultimate muse of this thoroughbred trend: a newly graduated Kate Middleton, returned to St Andrews to collect her Art History BA.

CELINE BY HEDI SLIMANE

Max Mumby/Indigo

Before the Princess of Wales became synonymous with LK Bennett nude court shoes, she was the poster girl for Sloaney student style. And it's this era that's pulled into focus as her likeness arrives in series six of The Crown — yet another cultural endeavour pushing forth with the return of this style. As the love affair of a generation finally plays out on screen, these not-quite-vintage styling tricks and pieces become a central tenet. Right now, it's cooler to dress like Kate back then than to attempt her contemporary princess wardrobe.

Where now she's all monochrome suiting and signature Gianvito Rossi pumps, Kate then was more likely to be seen, like most her age, in a pair of low-rise bootleg jeans and a 'nice going out top'. Just as Emma Corrin and Elizabeth Debicki's portrayals of Princess Diana have spurred imitations, either sit tight and observe of get involved with early Kate fashions. Who knows, maybe it'll lead you to your own prince?

Of course, it's left to be said that actively dressing like a pre-financial crash member of the aristocracy comes loaded when you place it in the climate of today, with the cost of living crisis and a general mood of austerity surrounding every decision we make. Do this trend with irony, please. If done right, it'll be the ultimate subversion.

Chanel Rectangle Sunglasses
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