A Timeline Of NET-A-PORTER’s Most-Wanted Pieces From 2000 To Today
In honor of NET-A-PORTER’s 25th anniversary, we’ve recounted 25 years of sartorial highlights from 2000 to 2025 – from the most lusted-over items, guaranteed to induce Y2K nostalgia, to the sell-out pieces that many of us still treasure to this day. By GILLIAN BRETT
It’s the year 2000; the start of a new millennium. Britney Spears is topping the charts with Oops!… I Did It Again; Jennifer Lopez is wearing that green Versace dress for the first time around; and the It-bag era is really taking off. It’s also the year that NET-A-PORTER launches, marking a seismic shift in the luxury-fashion landscape. Post-dotcom-bubble-burst, there was scepticism around online businesses, and luxury brands were largely bought from boutiques on Fifth Avenue, Bond Street or the Champs-Élysées, so creating a virtual store for high-end designers was truly pioneering. Curating it through a compelling digital magazine was a game-changing move – and NET-A-PORTER proved to be exactly what busy, luxury-obsessed shoppers needed. To mark the occasion, here’s our compilation of memorable moments, fashion favorites and standout sell-outs from the last 25 years.
Loewe’s ‘Puzzle’ bag
Also celebrating an anniversary this year is Loewe’s ‘Puzzle’ bag, which turns ten. If that shocked you, consider that Clueless is 30 this year – okay, we couldn’t do a nostalgic fashion timeline without a couple of Clueless references. While there are now a plethora of fashion apps to rival Cher’s ahead-of-its-time outfit generator, there are few bags that can compare to the cult status, celebrity-adored and innovative ‘Puzzle’. Hand-pieced from precision-cut panels of leather by the brand’s highly skilled artisans, this is a bag that is both avant-garde and deeply classic.
The Row’s ‘Margaux’ bag
If the ‘quiet luxury’ trend were to be summed up in one bag, The Row’s ‘Margaux’ would be it. The ultra-luxe, logo-less, IYKYK design has been spotted on the arms of Zoë Kravitz, Taylor Russell, Rosie Huntington-Whiteley, Jennifer Lawrence and many more stylish A-listers. And while it now comes in several silhouettes, the original design can definitely be described as ‘capacious’.
Alaïa’s studded ballet flats
We couldn’t do a nostalgic fashion timeline without a Clueless reference, and Cher Horowitz’s proclamation that Alaïa is a “totally important designer” couldn’t have rung more true than in 2023, when the maison’s studded ballet flats became the shoe for fashion lovers. Putting a punkish spin on a prim silhouette, the leather and crystal-studded pair remain the classic style, while subsequent suede, mesh, metallic and raffia finishes have made us want to invest in multiple pairs.
Toteme’s scarf jacket
Toteme’s scarf jacket became an unofficial NET-A-PORTER uniform back in 2022, with staffers eagerly snapping up the sophisticated silhouette in one of its elegant neutral hues. With no logo, the tell-tale signs that it was by the cult Stockholm-based brand came to be the blanket-stitched trims, oversized pockets and chunky tasseled scarf. It is shorthand for Scandi chic, while still being deeply practical – textbook Toteme.
Alexander McQueen’s sneakers
In line with the rise of athleisure in 2021, we ditched our heels in favour of sleek trainers for socially distanced strolls. The chicest were Alexander McQueen’s instantly recognizable chunky-soled pair, with a suede logoed trim. Comfortable yet elevated, they worked with everything from 2021’s ubiquitous trackpants, to midi skirts and tailored pants once lockdowns lifted.
Bottega Veneta’s ‘Cassette’ bag
Daniel Lee’s #NewBottega era ushered in a whole host of covetable arm candy. Chief among them was the ’90s-inspired ‘Cassette’. Distinguished by its boxy shape and inflated intrecciato weave, this Bottega Veneta bag became a front-row regular in a range of colors, from classic black to the brand’s signature green.
Loewe’s raffia tote
As one of the most influential creatives of his generation, Jonathan Anderson is renowned for elevating the everyday. Taking the humble basket bag and adding it to Loewe’s impressive roster of It-bags during his time at the Spanish house is just one example. In 2019, Anderson adorned a classic raffia shoulder bag with the house’s anagram logo, and it became a summer staple for fashion lovers that is now available in a vast array of colors and silhouettes, and is reimagined each year via the brand’s Paula’s Ibiza collaboration.
Self-Portrait’s ‘Azaelea’ midi dress
Anyone who attended a wedding in the twenty-teens will have no doubt seen, if not worn, Self-Portrait’s ‘Azaelea’ midi dress. The pretty lace design was spotted on Gigi Hadid, Jourdan Dunn and Miranda Kerr at the time, and quickly became one of Malaysian-born designer Han Chong’s bestselling designs.
Gucci’s logo T-shirt
Of Alessandro Michele’s many greatest hits at the house of Gucci, one of the most strikingly simple was the logo tee. With its classic cut, archival interlocking Gs and faded gold lettering, it has a vintage feel that nods to the designer’s penchant for the past, allowing fans of the brand to indulge in its nostalgia, but with a modern slant.
JW Anderson’s ‘Pierce’ bag
Jonathan Anderson has become a revered purveyor of ultra-desirable handbags, both at his namesake label JW Anderson and during his tenure at the Spanish house of Loewe. His ‘Pierce’ bag first appeared in his pre-fall 2016 collection and became a regular on the fashion week street-style circuit from then on. It perfectly encapsulates the Irishman’s quietly rebellious nature: the seemingly ladylike shoulder bag is offset by punkish, oversized bar-bell hardware, inspired by a pierced septum.
Balmain’s double-breasted piqué blazer
You can always bank on Balmain to deliver precision tailoring and power shoulders. Fans of the brand will no doubt have at least one of its signature double-breasted, medallion-button blazers in their wardrobes. In 2015, the brand’s popularity had reached fever pitch, and the high street joined creative director Olivier Rousteing’s beautiful ‘Balmain army’ with a much-hyped H&M collaboration that reportedly sold out globally within minutes.
Valantino Garavani’s neon ‘Rockstudʼ pumps
When Maria Grazia Chiuri and Pierpaolo Piccioli were co-creative directors at Valentino Garavani, they conjured a shoe so covetable, it’s been worn by veritable Hollywood royalty and actual royalty. The meticulously hand-applied pyramid studs are said to represent the ‘bugnatos’ seen on palazzo-style buildings that surround the brand’s Rome HQ, making this striking design a cultural emblem as well as a piece of the house’s history.
Isabel Marant’s ‘Bekett’ wedge sneakers
During the height of the Isabel Marant wedge-sneaker era, they popped up everywhere, from Beyoncé’s Love On Top music video to the front rows of fashion week. With a chunky, concealed-heel silhouette, they achieve the leg-lengthening effect of a heel with the cool-girl comfort of a sneaker, which Marant had mimicked as a teen by hiding pieces of cork in her trainers. Like most iconic Y2K trends, the shoe has had a recent resurgence in popularity and was reissued by the brand last year. The only difference this time round is that the styling inspiration is coming from TikTok over Tumblr.
Acne Studios’ ‘Pistol’ boots
Timeless, understated and cool, Acne Studios’ ‘Pistol’ boots lent a touch of Scandi simplicity to Y2K style and became a pervasive fashion-editor favorite. Unadorned but discreetly identifiable, they marked a step towards utilitarian minimalism.
Saint Laurent’s ‘Arty’ ring
Saint Laurent’s ‘Arty’ ring was the ultimate piece of statement jewelry in the early 2010s. Crafted from molten gold, with a large oval stone of varying colors, it was a unique piece of costume jewelry, created during Stefano Pilati’s tenure at the French maison.
J Brand’s ‘Houlihanʼ cargo pants
J Brand’s ‘Houlihanʼ cargo pants marked the cool evolution of skinny jeans, with everyone from Gwen Stefani and Rihanna to NET-A-PORTER’s fashion director Kay Barron sporting the style. “Houlihans were low-rise, with skinny legs and patch pockets placed on the mid-thigh, and an ankle zip that reached the knee; they should never have worked, and yet every celebrity, and every woman I knew, either had a pair or craved a pair,” says Barron. “There was something about them that made your legs look longer, though that might have been the platform shoes we often wore with them. I lived in mine with incredibly high Balenciaga heels and loose jersey T-shirts. They deserve to be in the fashion hall of fame, and I bet they will return in the not-too-distant future…”
Proenza Schouler’s ‘PS1’ bag
Created by Proenza Schouler’s founders Jack McCollough and Lazaro Hernandez (who have since left the brand to take over the creative direction of Loewe), the New York design duo’s ‘PS1’ bag blended preppy Upper East Side polish with a touch of Downtown cool. With its pared-back design, the sleek satchel signified a shift towards a low-key, un-logoed era for It-bags, and has remained a house signature to this day.
Christian Louboutin’s ‘Decollete’ pumps
While some of Christian Louboutin’s most well-known shoes include the pin-heeled ‘Pigalle’ stilettos and bestselling ‘So Kate’ pumps (named after 2000s icon Kate Moss, naturally), a defining style of the decade was the ‘Decollete’. Alluding to low necklines, the long, slim shape was designed for maximum leg-lengthening effect.
Citizens of Humanity’s black skinny ‘Avedon’ jeans
Denim was inescapable in the 2000s, when the skinny jean reigned supreme. As millennials came of age, a uniform of second-skin denim, skyscraper pumps and peplum tops became a defining look of the decade. Thanks to Hedi Slimane’s influence at Dior Homme, darker colors also shaped the ‘indie sleaze’ aesthetic, which saw them paired with oversized tees, ballet flats and tickets to an Arctic Monkeys gig.
Roland Mouret’s ‘Galaxy’ dress
French designer Roland Mouret debuted his now-iconic ‘Galaxy’ dress in 2005. Its sexy, sculpting hourglass silhouette was an instant red-carpet hit, garnering Mouret a sizable celebrity fan base that included Beyoncé, Rachel Weisz and Meghan Markle – and sealing his reputation as the master of drape and shape.
Chloé’s ‘Paddington’ bag
One of Phoebe Philo’s most influential moments at Chloé was her creation of the ‘Paddington’ bag, and few accessories are quite as deserving of the ‘It’ prefix as this slouchy leather number, with its signature chunky gold padlock. Famously, every one of the 8,000 versions were spoken for following its unveiling on the SS05 runway. The bag has served as inspiration to many of the house’s creative directors since, with Chemena Kamali reviving it for the upcoming fall/winter 2025 season – complete with a leather-wrapped padlock and golden key – for those who missed it first time around and the new generation of Chloé fans, eager to embrace the brand’s boho-inflected nostalgia.
Chloé’s banana-print top
As well as her career-defining stint at Celine, Phoebe Philo’s legacy includes helming Chloé as creative director from 2001 to 2006. While her tenure at the maison is most often associated with her ultra-covetable Chloé It-bags (more on that later), she also infused the ready-to-wear with a cool, ultra-feminine flair, as this playful banana-print scoop-neck top epitomizes. The seminal motif caught current creative director Chemena Kamali’s eye in the maison’s archive, and she added banana-shaped bag charms, necklaces and prints to her summer collection.
Alexander McQueen’s skull scarf
Lee McQueen’s storied archive is overflowing with iconic pieces, from Shalom Harlow’s spray-painted dress to his 12-inch ‘Armadillo’ boots. One of his more accessible pieces, however, is the skull scarf. First appearing on his SS03 runway, where it was tied nonchalantly around chunky leather belts, its popularity has endured to this day.
Diane von Furstenberg’s wrap dress
Belgian-born fashion designer Diane von Furstenberg’s legacy proves that, sometimes, the most uncomplicated ideas are the best. She launched her eponymous brand in 1970 and, four years later, created her famed wrap-dress silhouette – the style has endured for more than five decades, thanks to its ultra-flattering shape and one-and-done simplicity. It was this iconic piece that kick-started her journey on NET-A-PORTER, when the team met von Furstenberg at a fair in Paris and picked up one of her wrap dresses. “It’s difficult to explain timelessness,” she says. “Sometimes, just as you think it feels old, it feels right again. That’s the mystery of fashion.”
Anya Hindmarch’s ‘Nevis’ tote bag
According to fashion lore, British designer Anya Hindmarch was the first brand to sell on NET-A-PORTER. “When something goes from nothing to 100, in kind of three minutes, it’s incredibly exciting to witness,” Hindmarch has said of NET-A-PORTER’s rapid ascent. Her irreverent yet vastly useful tote bags – with labeled compartments for daily essentials, from water bottles to books, and inspired by Hindmarch’s obsession with organization – continue to be a mainstay for the brand as part of its Labelled Collection. The ‘Nevis’ tote, which launched in 2001, was originally designed to carry your shoes in the front pocket when commuting to the office in your sneakers (which had recently become commonplace). It has since evolved through many iterations – with different compartments and in varying finishes, from cotton canvas and leather to recycled nylon.
Luella’s ‘Daddy I Want a Pony’ tank top
Journalist, designer and all-round British fashion legend Luella Bartley launched her eponymous label in 1999. Inspired by English culture, from punks to the Pony Club, she rose to fame in the Cool Britannia era, and her irreverent logo tees became signifiers of effortless chic. Her first ever collection, presented in September 1999, was entitled Daddy I Want a Pony, and when the label shuttered 10 years later, this iconic tank top became an important piece of fashion history.