Los Angeles is no stranger to clichés. And when it comes to the style that the city has cultivated, no era is more illustrative and busting at the seams with sartorial clichés than the early 2000s. Think Boot cut Frankie B jeans with a 7” (or less) rise, worn with a bandana top and peep toe platforms, or a personalized Juicy Couture velour tracksuit paired with Ugg boots and a Fendi Spy Bag, both looks probably punctuated by a Von Dutch trucker hat.

The decade was defined by the dearth of social media and the ubiquity of Us Weekly. The city’s style felt singular – a reflection of the unique confluence of Hollywood celebrity, consistently gorgeous weather, and an unwavering optimism that tends to gloss over any of the fashion “rules” that exist in New York or Paris.

The decade also ushered in the rise of the celebrity fashion icon and paved the way for a more polished street style that was voraciously snapped by paparazzi up and down Robertson Boulevard or at the valet of the Chateau Marmont hotel, and peppered every weekly magazine until it permeated the global trend cycle. This look, a more pulled together version of ultra-low-rise jeans and Uggs, was accessible Hollywood glamour seen through a relaxed LA-specific lens.

Suddenly, the city’s once frowned upon casual nature was reframed as “effortless,” a term still used today to positively describe one’s style. “Off duty” was just entering the fashion lexicon and LA residents from baristas to budding starlets had a head start on authentically embodying the aesthetic.

Along with stylists such as Jessica Paster, Cristina Erlich and Andrea Lieberman,  Rachel Zoe was instrumental in placing LA fashion on the global stage, eventually attracting the attention of major fashion houses from Gucci to Celine and Saint Laurent, who have all created a meaningful presence in Los Angeles since the mid-aughts.

Zoe moved to Los Angeles from New York in 2003 and began working with celebrities including Nicole Richie, Lindsay Lohan, Keira Knightly and Jennifer Garner.

“LA got a really bad rap in the fashion world,” says Zoe. “I felt this very deep passion to change that image and a desire to prove people wrong.”

The stylist tapped her love of vintage and pulled from stores like Decades, The Way We Wore, and Resurrection when dressing her pop icon clientele.

“I don’t even know if it was intentional. I just started pulling from all of my favorite vintage resources and subconsciously channeled my obsession with the 60s and 70s, whether it was for a red carpet or a sidewalk.”

Zoe never stopped at a client’s red carpet look; she would add paparazzi-friendly airport outfits and looks for a coffee run. “If I was hired for two looks, I did 20,” Zoe adds. “Style isn’t just what you wear to your event; it’s how you exist in your own body every day and present yourself to the world. It’s more about owning your identity and your confidence. Casual doesn’t have to mean horrifying.”

For Zoe, the fashion highlights of the time include Juicy Couture tracksuits, 7 For All Mankind jeans, and sweats by Free City, and Fendi spy bags and Chloe Paddington bags and boots.

“My favorite movement from the early 2000s was Phoebe Philo for Chloe’s gorgeous peasant tops and braided high waisted jeans and the Chloe riding boots and braided bags.”

She also recalls dressing Richie and Lohan in Seventies-inspired looks. “It was fun, we would do outfit after outfit, caftans from Halston and Missoni.”

“Rachel created a look,” says photographer Carlos Eric Lopez, who ran the New Faces and Celebrity division of Next Model Management, Los Angeles from 2002 to 2006 and signed Richie and Mischa Barton to the roster forging lucrative contracts with brands like Bongo and Keds, respectively. He became the west coast contributing editor of Teen Vogue from 2006 to 2011 in charge of booking the magazine’s coveted celebrity covers while also overseeing the buzzy Teen Vogue Young Hollywood party.

“It was shimmery, boho chic with big jewelry, bangles, necklaces and earrings. The hair was beachy waves. Nicole was obsessed with Pucci and Missoni scarves. All the girls put them on their heads. The look resonated globally, because it was accessible.”

And there was no shortage of places for celebrities to show off their style.  “Brent Bolthouse clubs were a thing. If (Bolthouse’s business partner) Jen Rosero didn’t know you, you weren’t getting in,” he adds, citing Joseph’s, Nationale, Spider Club, and Hyde as other sought-after hot spots  where Richie, Lohan, Barton, Rachel Bilson, Joy Bryant, Kate Hudson, Jessica and Ashlee Simpson, Kirsten Dunst, Kate Bosworth, Amanda Bines, and Mila Kunis could be spotted on a weekly basis.

Herve Leger bandage dresses and YSL Tribute pumps felt synonymous with Saturday nights on Sunset Boulevard, where LA “It” girls flocked to Il Solé, Chateau Marmont and Hyde.

“I pretty much lived at the Chateau,” says Zoe of the storied hotel. “It was like Cheers. Every fitting and dinner was there. You could really just go there and see all of your people.”

For Zoe, The Ivy, Les Deux and Mauro Cafe at Fred Segal were other highly frequented eateries of the time, and  Tracey Ross on Sunset Boulevard, Curve on Robertson Boulevard, Fred Segal and Maxfield on Melrose Avenue, and Fendi on Rodeo Drive were the go-to stores for her client’s wardrobes.

“Social media wasn’t a thing, so the recognition (for a client’s look) was in print in WWD or the cover of People. When it started to hit Harper’s Bazaar and Elle, that got the attention of a lot of designers. There are designers who clearly love pop culture and love to be a part of that world. Now we see that with Demna and Kim (Kardashian) and have really seen a merging of the worlds…. And [with the late] Virgil (Abloh), we’re seeing the brilliant designers of our time really connecting with celebrities or pop culture icons. That’s been a huge movement that isn’t stopping.”