Sofia Richie, the daughter of Lionel Richie, is known for her fashion-forward style. She’s not one to shy away from trends, and recently she’s been making a bold statement by embracing a trend that most millennials would consider a fashion faux pas from the early 2000s: the dress-over-trousers combination.
Richie was spotted in Los Angeles wearing a draped dress and coordinating trousers from the Swedish designer Jade Cropper’s spring/summer 2025 collection. This outfit choice sparked a conversation about the comeback of this once maligned style.
While Gen Z is discovering trends like Ugg boots and Alexander McQueen’s skull scarves for the first time, Richie, born in 1998, was around when the dress-over-trousers trend first emerged. She even participated in it twice, once at ASCAP’s pop music awards in 2008 and later at the Myzos launch party at Fred Segal in 2009.
However, the trend has evolved since then. Today, when celebrities like Kendall Jenner and EmRata layer dresses and skirts over trousers, it tends to be more elevated and less casual, often featuring luxury brands like Chopova Lowena, Luar, and Knwls. The denim-heavy looks of the early 2000s have largely been replaced by more refined fabrics and styling.
The resurgence of this trend has sparked a debate about its potential for success. Some argue that it’s a welcome revival of a classic look, while others fear that it might be a misstep back to the fashion faux pas of the past.
Katie Holmes’s appearance at the 2022 iHeartRadio Jingle Ball served as a stark reminder of the early 2000s dress-over-trousers trend. Her outfit, featuring a spaghetti-strapped cami dress, floss-thin scarf, and a newsboy cap, was considered a fashion faux pas by many, reminding them of the questionable style choices of Disney starlets from that era.
Ultimately, the success of the dress-over-trousers trend will depend on its execution. It needs to be executed with a modern twist and a refined approach to avoid appearing outdated or overly casual. Whether this trend can truly make a comeback remains to be seen, but it’s certainly a topic of conversation in the fashion world.
