‘That’s [still] Hot’: 8 Paris Hilton Looks that We’d Wear in 2020

Article by Gabriella Sotiriou

2020 has been a year of a couple of ups and some (major) downs but the most surprising part of it all has been Paris Hilton’s return to the social media spotlight. Paris was the 2000’s ‘It girl’ and was essentially the blueprint for every young socialite at the time, having practically invented being famous for the sake of being famous. ‘Paris’ school for girls’ went on to produce alumni such as Nicole Richie and Kim Kardashian who, much like Paris herself, have made a career out of the fact that many of us cannot help but love to hate them. Personally I have great admiration for Paris Hilton and Kim K respectively - having both been the subject of a leaked sex tape and the manipulative men that recorded them (can you recall their names because I certainly cannot), they’ve gone on to make a money mountain out of pretty crappy molehill. And they both wear some fabulous clothes. 

That brings me back to the subject at hand - Paris Hilton’s time capsule wardrobe. We may look back at Paris’ fashion choices with upturned noses, giggling as we mock the rhinestoned phrases emblazoned across the chest/backside, sending up silent prayers of thanks that we no longer engage in such abysmal trends. But I’m here to show all those people quite how wrong they’ve got it and prove that not only was Paris at the forefront of fashion in 2002 but that she’s still leading the charge in 2020. Let’s jump straight into this lesson in, as Paris would say, ‘[w]hat’s hot’. 

The Silk Scarf 

Here we see Paris in a silk scarf that she (her assistant) has creatively fashioned into a halter neck dress. It’s very French Riviera, just spent the day on the yacht and need something to wear for a casual seafood dinner, but oh no all I have is this silk scarf from Louis Vuitton! Sling that wet bikini over the side of the boat, tie those silky strands around your neck and hey presto - you’re ready for your lobster linguini. 

Combining both Euro-chic with ease, it’s no surprise that the silk scarf has returned to our wardrobes. It’s a piece with almost endless potential - wrap it around your ponytail, use it as a prairie style headband, twist it into a crop top, use it to tie around the waistband of your jeans, wrap it around the handle of your bag, even tie it around your neck - Boy Scout style, even wear it as a face-mask these days. I’ve seen it all this summer season and in every colour too. Though this is more of a spring/summer item, swap out the pastel/bright colours for something more warm toned and you’re ready for autumn. Paris’ innovation here certainly had a huge impact on twenty-first century fashion and I reckon we’ll be seeing flashes of silk (use some body tape to avoid flashes of any other kind) for the next few summers to come. 

The Gradient Sunglasses 

Something else that exploded over the warmer months of 2020 was the gradient sunglasses. Now these are one of those accessories that are almost entirely pointless in terms of practicality. The lenses are essentially clear, there is no shading from the sun and I assume no UV protection! But - like Paris did long ago, practicality has been abandoned in the name of fashion and like the old phrase goes, ‘no pain of sunlight searing into your retinas, no gain’. This summer saw everyone digging through their mum’s wardrobe looking for ‘those old sunglasses that you used to wear on holiday’. The gradient has been seen in any and every colour but pastel shades seem to have reigned supreme this year. The true Cool Girls have managed to get themselves a vintage pair of Chanel or Gucci sunnies all for the very important detail of the tiny rhinestone logo stuck onto the side of each arm. 

The Tailored Suit

Now let’s be clear - Paris Hilton did not invent the tailored suit. We all know that Madonna did in 1989 when her Express Yourself music video was shown on MTV. However, looking at this image, the look was something that Paris took and made her own. It’s a bit of a change up for the 2000’s super socialite but it’s great to see her switch up the graphic tank tops and low rise shorts for a more sophisticated pale pink (of course) suit. This is power dressing done well and frankly we see an early glimpse of the business mogul that Miss (yes, despite a few accepted marriage proposals, she does remain a ‘Miss’) Hilton would go on to become only a few years later. 

The suited and booted look has never not been crazy, sexy, cool (wait...that’s TLC isn’t it...but the point still stands) and so it’s no surprise that this look has stood the test of time. Tailoring is something that can be done to match everyone’s needs - fitted, cinched and über feminine or oversized, shoulder-padded and more androgynous. Or do a mix of both like Paris who keeps it feminine in pink but adds a silk pocket square which is a fabulous masculine touch. Take your pick and say ‘thank you Miss Hilton’.

The Kitten Heeled Slingback 

The kitten heel probably received the toughest mockery out of every trend on this list. I can’t recall any time since the early 2000s that anyone has exclaimed their love of that tiny one inch heel. Reserved exclusively for English teachers, your nan, and Margaret Thatcher, the kitten heel hadn’t seen the soles of a fashionista for a long while. But like Paris has proved, she knew that they would return bursting from the depths of the obscurity of your wardrobe to once again see the sticky floor of a bar in Soho. We all claimed that they were ‘so difficult to walk in! I honestly find a six inch heel sooo much easier, no seriously I swear!’ But here we are, in 2020 strutting around in shoes barely raised off the floor and realising that actually *kitten heels are so much easier*. And here we see Hilton predicting that they would be worn covered in rhinestones and with the smallest scrap of fabric keeping them on your foot...just about. 

The Dress That’s More Jewelry Than Clothing 

We all saw this look, well really this actual dress, come storming back through the doors of fashion when supermodel to the stars Kendall Jenner wore a replica for her 21st birthday. This cued millions of girls across the globe (well, across instagram) to attempt to arrange themselves into a sheet metal cowl neck top without anything important falling out. A tough task I assure you. However this season we see the ‘more jewelry than dress’ dress coming back in a more sophisticated and frankly wearable way. This ‘dress’ from Zara can be worn over a simple black dress as shown or even over jeans for the ‘jeans and a nice top’ vibe that you and your friends settled upon for what to wear to Friday night drinks (until 10 pm that is. Thanks Boris). 

There are so many parts to this look that make it so appealing even today in 2020 that it almost looks like Paris wore it yesterday. The almost falling off vibe is effortlessly sexy and always will be, that thick diamond choker makes it impossible to ignore how long and graceful her neck looks and the strappy shoes are majorly in right now too. The only thing that proves this photo was taken in a different decade is the fact that she has a lit cigarette inside and hasn’t been ushered into an ugly puffer jacket and out into the smoking area in the drizzle. 

The Mini Shoulder Bag 

Another impractical item returns! Bags have been shrinking lately and I’m blaming Paris Hilton! Tiny shoulder bags made sense for Paris Hilton back in the day. All she needed was a flip phone, a hot pink lip gloss and a catchphrase and she was prepared for any battle that would come her way. Also her security carried anything and everything else. Now as someone who always has something bulky on her person - a book, a water bottle, a laptop, you name it - these little bags are absolutely no good. But they are everywhere right now and in every colour, texture and shape you can think of. I mean I’ve literally seen about 7 since I sat down in Pret to write this. 

It also should be pointed out that through these tiny bags we see a huge testament to to how far fashion has come since the early 2000s. Paris is often seen as the poster girl for the ‘type’ of woman that fashion catered to and a lot of the clothes she wore flaunted the very body that there has been a considerable movement to reconsider as the standard in recent years. Lizzo’s sporting of a teeny, and I really do mean minuscule Jacquemus purse at the 2019 American Music Awards shows that nowadays, these trends are for everybody and every body. We embrace, celebrate and now expect a whole lot more since since the reign of Paris. Though we've still a got a way to go, we can’t ignore how far we’ve come. 

In the name of legitimacy, people have flocked to vintage and pre-loved websites in search of the OG shoulder bags, the Fendi baguette and the Louis Vuitton mini pochette amongst them. Dupes have also been plastered across fast fashion brands for a fraction of the price. However as Paris appeared to predict, sometimes it may be better to invest in something that will last longer than a piece of croc pleather because history does appear to repeat itself and you may be reaching for a shoulder bag again and again for decades to come. 

The Satin Slip Dress

This is probably one of the looks that is least surprising in its return. Paris wears it in her staple hot pink but recently we’ve seen it more often in neutral and pastel tones, bringing it out of the 2000s and into the 2020s. 

Paris shows us how flattering this style of dress can be - it puts the shoulders and neck on full display whilst loosely flowing down the rest of the body. It’s great for every body type and because of its simple silhouette, you can really easily make it your own with accessories and makeup choices. 

As Paris Hilton predicted, the simple elegance and ease of the satin slip dress makes it timeless and I bet that Paris even invested in a few more this year for this very reason. 

The Tracksuit 

We’ve reached the final piece on the list and that closing spot is reserved for the good ol’ tracksuit. Now seeing as we are currently living in the time of Corona, the loungewear industry has been booming for the last few months. And I’m not saying that Paris predicted a pandemic but she certainly knew something that we didn’t when she spent years curating her Juicy tracksuit collection. However, that ‘something’ may have been simply how blooming comfy loungewear is. Now early career Paris wore tracksuits that had a specific set of requirements -  low rise, velour, and with a matching hood and a slogan emblazoned across at least one body part. As much as this calls out to my Juicy tracksuit wearing twelve year old self, the recent documentary ‘This is Paris’ that premiered last month on Youtube shows a more grown up version of Paris’ iconic tracksuit. 

We see the socialite/businesswoman/international DJ around her house mostly wearing an oversized graphic tee with loose fitting tracksuit bottoms, usually in black, white or grey. Now that’s a bit more wearable for the average girl these days. It’s nice to see a more sophisticated (can you even say that about tracksuits) version of the party girl whilst she also remains true to herself. Paris will always be Paris - and that pleases me to no end. 

So it’s safe to say that Paris Hilton really has earned her reputation (good or bad) as the ultimate ‘It Girl’ and the truly original trend setter. We all have a little bit of Paris hidden deep, or not so deep, within us and 2020 was the year that we fully embraced it. Paris’ documentary mirrors her advancement into womanhood and focuses on reconnecting with women that she met whilst attending a horrendously abusive school during her teenage years, examining her past abusive boyfriends, and the pressure that was placed upon her more or less from birth and the traumatic effects this all had upon her.  The message that Paris shares is incredibly important and the documentary can be watched on Youtube for free, so please, please, go and give it a watch. It’s great seeing the ‘real Paris’ behind the heiress persona and you never know, it might push you to buy the silk scarf/gradient sunglasses/two-piece suit/kitten heels/mini bag/slip dress/loungewear set/all of the above that’s been sitting in your ASOS wish-list for the last couple of weeks. Go on and order it - you know Paris would find it totally hot.