The year was 2006, Tony Blair was Prime Minister, and you’d regularly find yourself humming the tune to Smile. With dark, twisted lyrics and a wickedly catchy melody, Lily Allen sauntered into our world. The posh girl with a cockney accent. Cheeky and rude. Messy and relatable. Allen with her mighty Myspace following burst onto the scene in a sea of prom dresses and sneakers. And we were all enamoured. Our wardrobes during that era are a testament to the fact. They burst at the seams with vintage gowns and were stuffed full of trainers. Likewise, our jewellery boxes became goldmines for chunky pendant necklaces and oversized hoops. Sure, Lily wasn’t the first to wear such items, but she was the first to make the look mainstream. For all her faults – and the critics have spat many at her in the past – we will never be able to forget these items Lily Allen made us wear…
That Time We All Wore Prom Dresses And Sneakers Because Of Lily Allen
1 of 71. Training Day
Allen subscribed to a specific style algorithm: prom dress plus sneakers equals chic. Wait a second, didn't we all in 2006?
2 of 72. Got Gok’d
Once upon a time (not so long ago) fashion advice was found on TV. In-between talking about 'bangers' (boobs) and advising people to walk around shopping centres in their underwear, Gok Wan believed strongly in the power of the waist belt. We weren't the only ones to fall for it.
3 of 73. Gold Digger
Looking like she'd dunked her head in a jewellery trough down Portabello market, this is a quintessential Allen look: vintage-y dress, white Reeboks and lashings of chains.
4 of 74. Cap It Off
To finish Lily's ironic co-option of a working-class aesthetic her stylist added a side-leaning cap. Jury's out on this one.
5 of 75. Wig Out
There was a hot moment – around the time that Pixie Geldof and Alexa Chung became tabloid fodder – when celebs discovered ultra lurid wigs (see point 1). They wore them to Glasto, and then the style stuck
6 of 76. Corset It Is
Our girl's all grown up. Marking the end of her vintage experiment, Lily attended the 2007 British Fashion Awards dressed as a pink feather duster courtesy of Giles Deacon.
7 of 77. Stocking Up
While performing at a Chanel show in one of the grandest venues in Paris, which had was transformed into a hay-filled farmyard (because, why not), Lily wore faux-stockings. Like thigh-high socks with a low-denier neckline, we have a feeling they became House of Holland's bread and butter soon after this.
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This article originally appeared on The Debrief.