In 2003, I was a good deal too young to see Thirteen in the cinema when it came out, but that didn’t mean I didn’t watch it. Wasn’t that the point of sleepovers after all? Starring Evan Rachel Wood (The Ides of March; Westworld) and Nikki Reed (Twilight) as brash, precocious teens with a wild streak and a taste for acid, everything about it was off-limits but its fashion. In fact, it perfectly encapsulates the state of style in 2003 in a way no other movie does justice. Telling the story of a troubled girl (Wood, or Tracy in the film) who goes from playing with dolls to dropping drugs and driving her mother bonkers, it’s like a disturbed Dawson’s Creek (on speed). While the movie may warn of harmful behaviour, it’s also a record of the dangerously questionable clothing of the era.
Debrief Thirteen Movie Flashback Friday
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Waistcoats As TopsI blame Kate Moss. It was all her fault for making us think this was a good idea. That said, I can imagine in some near future where Topshop once again tells us this is the one piece our wardrobes are missing. God. Help. Us.
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**Layered Vest Tops **Bella Hadid tried to bring this look back over the summer to no avail as it never made sense. If it's hot enough to wear a vest top then it's certainly too warm to wear two. Fact. But, while we're on the topic of ridiculous trends that the Hadid's have attempted to reintroduce, should we take a second for these sunglasses?
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Crucifix's For ShowIn the early Noughties, to wear a crucifix it really didn't seem to matter if you were a practising Christian or not. Something tells me that coke-loving Tracy hadn't been to church in a while.
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Front BitsThough ubiquitous at the time nobody could decide on a name for those over-teased whispy strands we all felt necessary to leave hanging over our faces.
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Low-Rise Jeans And Fashion BeltsThe enduring irony of the 2000s is that if you wore low-rise jeans, then you should try your best to accessorise them with a belt, albeit one that's entirely decorative. Preferably the belt would be a byproduct of the boho trend, ideally with tassels and a gigantic buckle. Since everyone has thankfully moved on from this dark era for denim, the world has seen significantly fewer bum cracks, and I for one think that's something we should all be thankful for.
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**Side Zipping Jeans **Question: flies and buttons have worked so well for so long, why try and reinvent the wheel? For anyone whoever yearned for, or was lucky enough to own Miss Sixty in the early 2000s the difficulty of wiggling in and out of side-zipping trews will be a tale you know well.
This article originally appeared on The Debrief.