The Trendiest Y2K Phone Cases

Fashion is cyclical, and so since we’ve seen leggings from the ’80s come back and soft scrunchies from the ’90s return, it’s only natural that we’re starting to see things like crochet and tie-dye from the late ’90s and early-to-mid 2000s reemerging. Before we dive into our list of trendy phone cases in honor of the Y2K style coming back in vogue, let’s take a look at what exactly the Y2K style is.

What Is the Y2K Style?

It’s official. Cowl-neck tops, stonewash denim skirts and chokers are back. Maybe you were at a New Year’s Eve party back in 1999, wondering what would happen when the clock struck midnight. Maybe you weren’t even born yet and didn’t remember a time when dial-up internet existed. Whether you were there during Y2K and are going with this nostalgic trend or you’re interested in learning more about why Y2K is coming back into fashion, here’s how you can hone into your Y2K style.

• Fabrics — There are certain fabrics that scream Y2K. One of them being crochet. Crochet bags, crochet pants, those little crochet tops, you name it. People also went bold with their colors, like a Kelly green satin top mixed with wide-legged trousers. When it came to really glamming up your look, you’d see details like feathers, gems and rhinestones.
• Accessories — J.Lo rocked body chains during the early 2000s, and we’re seeing body chains coming back today. Show off your midriff with a gold belly chain. We all remember Carrie Bradshaw and her collection of brightly colored baguette bags. Finish off your look with a black tattoo choker and rimless rose-colored sunglasses.
• Back to Basics — If we’re being honest, the fashion during Y2K was an interesting time. You’d see celebrities confidently walk the red carpet with a nice top and jeans. Now is the time to start rocking some basic white t-shirts. Can’t we all use a staple spaghetti strap top?
• Loose Fits — Strings and laces are also back in style. You’ll see more lace-up jumpsuits and skirts designed with extra strings. Casual chic means loosely tailored outfits from head to toe. It also meant baggy denim jeans.
• Animal Prints and Pinstripes— Snakeskin was rampant during the Y2K years. During the late ’90s, we saw pinstripe suits worn by A-listers on the red carpet. Besides animal prints, you were also likely to see funky prints, including tie-dye.
• OMG, Shoes — We can’t forget about shoes from this era. Ah, simpler times when celebrities could confidently wear a white t-shirt, pencil skirt and strappy sandals in public. You may have heard of platform shoes, but we’re going back to the days of flatforms. Platforms have a raised heel and thick sole, whereas flatforms have a level platform over the entire sole. You’ve probably seen espadrille suede flatforms being worn again.

Shop All Phone Cases and Find Your Y2K Style

Live That Y2K Lifestyle

To really make your look authentic, you need to do more than just wear the clothing and matching Y2K iPhone 13 cases. It’s up to you to understand the attitude and lifestyle of Y2K to seriously rock this style. Look behind the glittery eyeshadow and painfully thin eyebrows and learn more about the lifestyle behind the eclectic aesthetic.

• Cultural Turning Point — The early 2000s were a cultural turning point for all things art and culture. There were major fashion moments as the general public saw technological and cultural advances move forward in this new era. While the earlier 1990s were defined by the grittier grunge era, Y2K’s electronic music, like bubblegum Eurodance, helped ring in and bring in an aesthetic that was much shinier and bubblier than the years before. R&B and hip-hop also transitioned into the shiny suit, bling era, as seen with the unforgettable shiny suits that TLC had in their music video, “No Scrubs.”
• Unleashing Gen Z — Today’s youth, AKA Gen Z, is helping revive Y2K fashion. It’s all over TikTok and fashion sites like Depop. With girls wearing mini-skirts and the reboot of SATC, it’s no wonder that anyone born between 1997 and the early 2010s can’t get enough of Y2K fashion and trends filled with butterfly clips and tinted sunglasses. Memories of Y2K bring back bright and colorful palettes.
• Generational Patterns — The truth is that any generation and any era tends to repeat patterns of the last generation. The same way people look back on the ’80s and ’70s for inspiration, today’s generations are looking back at Y2K fashion as vintage fashion. They’re taking what’s old and making it into something new. As for Y2K, we see a dichotomy between comfort, like plush tracksuits, and playful hemlines and gaudy logos, like those same tracksuits that were worn low and with obvious branding on the backside, for confidence.
• Streets Meet Suburbs — Street fashion became a luxurious and accessible style for anyone and everyone. The fashionable and urban style became widely accepted by a suburban audience to buy at the nearest store at the mall. Whereas the clothing you’d find at stores during the later ’90s had looser fits, the body-con trend of skin-tight jeans and dresses marked the early-to-mid 2000s part of Y2K.
• Experimentation and Accessorizing — The Y2K era was a time for accessories and experimenting with different fabrics, silhouettes and layering. People wore skirts and dresses over jeans. It was common to wear a crop top and a long cardigan with low-rise jeans. Bright colors like pastels were everywhere. Women loved to accessorize with statement hats, belts, bags and boots, all in the same outfit. Add on feathers and rhinestones and you’ve got a typical Y2K look.

Our List of Seriously Trendy Y2K Phone Cases

The year 2000 marked the start of an exciting new era and a time of prosperity. Others thought it meant the world was going to end. Luxurious consumerism ran rampant, and the style back then reflected this attitude. Think bling and tons of designer logos. Now that you have a better idea of what exactly the Y2K style is, here’s our list of Y2K phone cases you’ll love, full of that classic Y2K visual aesthetic: bold minimalism, thick lines and iconography. You’ll also see early 2000s color palettes coming through like pink, purple and plenty of sweet pastels. From a Samsung Galaxy S22 case with yellow flowers to a blue powder iPhone case with penguins, here’s our list of 14 must-have Y2K phone cases.

Featured: London Fog Woodland Critters iPhone 13 Pro Max Case

• Woodland Critters — We’re all about animal prints. The more whimsical, the better. Get a funky case that easily pairs with a beaded choker.
• Black and White Cow  — Just like the cow that jumped over the moon, you’ll be over the moooooooon about this black and white cow case. Wear this phone case with a matching cow print saddlebag.
• Magical Forest — Have a bit of everyday magic with this black magical forest case. To keep up with this magical forest look, try a floral bucket hat with this case.
• Shrooms and Blooms — We’re loving the aesthetic of mushrooms and florals on this playful case. To be just as playful, rock some chunky boots and a mini-skirt with your blooming case.
• Pressed Petals — This case has that quintessential pressed petals look. Accessorize with petal hair clips.
• Green with Envy —  If you love the look of the lavender flowers, check out these bright sage green daisies on this case. You can go with a matching sage green ribbed cardigan to wear with this phone case.
• Monarch Butterfly — A case fit for royalty, thanks to these monarch butterflies fluttering along. Rock wide-leg denim jeans and a butterfly top with this phone case.

• Meow-mazing — This London Fog Y2K-esque case is truly cat-tastic. Embrace your inner cat and wear anything oversized and fuzzy when you use this phone case.
• Soft Aesthetic — Pretty pastel lavender and blue mix together on this beautifully designed phone case. This phone case pairs well with velour monochrome tracksuits.
• Abstract Seashells — This seashell terrazzo phone case will make you feel like you’ve stepped into a Wes Anderson film. Wear a color palette to match this fun little case, like deep blue-greens, mustard yellow and gray.

• Shooting Stars — If you’ve ever pretended that airplanes in the night sky are like shooting stars, get this black cosmos phone case. Wear chunky sneakers with your shooting star phone case.
• Tie-Dye — Bring back the joy of making your own tie-dye shirts by getting a tie-dye phone case. As you can imagine, you can easily wear tie-dye anything with your tie-dye phone case.
• Little Yellow Flowers — The little yellow flowers on this phone case will have you feeling some type of way. Pair this phone case with a crop top and matching biker shorts with daisies.

Just like Y2K, the best part about these phone cases is that they are versatile and timeless. Because the Y2K era was so eclectic, these phone cases will age well and won’t be an eyesore to look at a year from now once we move on to the next trend. After all, comfy footwear shouldn’t just be associated with the early 2000s alone. 

Get an iPhone 13 Case for Your New Device

Tips for Pairing Phone Cases with Your Fashion

When it comes to that Y2K look, you can go beyond just the phone case. You can go beyond using just one phone case and get a couple to match different outfits and looks for the day. To better mix and match your phone cases, learn how to take off a phone case the easy way. You can elevate your whole attire, or at least whatever you’re wearing that day, to match your phone case. Here’s how you can play around with your wardrobe and pair your phone case with your fashion sense.

• Hot Pink — Y2K was all about that hot pink everything. Rock any of our hot pink phone cases and other tech accessories like AirPods cases with an outfit in hot pink from head to toe.
• Tiny Bags — Those small bags, like baguette bags, were the “it” bag to have during this time. Use a slim phone case to put into your tiny bag. The Y2K era spans the late ’90s and early-to-mid 2000s — AKA “the Aughts” — so fanny packs were quite in style then, too, and we’re seeing them coming back today in the form of designer crossbody fanny packs.
• Denim on Denim — Denim dresses with denim jackets. Try classic denim jeans and pair them with denim-inspired flats or heels. To achieve the full-on denim on denim look, get a matching blue phone case.
• Bedazzle It — Y2K was a very sparkly time with bedazzled just-about-everything. Bedazzled shirts and bags were extremely popular during these years. You may decide to bedazzle your phone case with additional gems, or you can just get a sparkly phone case to go with your shiny new look.

Buy a Samsung Galaxy S22 Case

Congratulations — you’re officially a Y2K aesthetic master. You know the perfect crochet pants to pair with your tie-dye phone case. Besides helping you become “That Girl” or an “It” Boy with any of these trendy phone cases, you’ll rest easy knowing that our phone cases care about the planet just as much as you do. A Pela phone case uses 30 percent fewer carbon emissions, 34 percent less water and 80 percent less waste production than the average phone case brand. Now you’ll be a real Y2K baddie.

Image Credits

Mimi E/Shutterstock.com