Fashion trends for summer 2023: Colorful and cropped

This summer, young women are wearing tube tops and crop tops — anything, as long as it shows off your tummy. The look popularized 20 years ago by pop stars like Christina Aguilera and Britney Spears sparked debate in schools about dress codes. Now it's back, combined with low-rise baggy pants. "Y2K style" describes current fashions inspired by the noughties.

Justin Timberlake and Britney Spears took the jeans trend of the early 2000s to an extreme when they showed up to a 2001 event in head-to-toe denim. While they were mercilessly made fun of back then, it turns out they may have been ahead of their time. Denim is back in a big way this year, with Vogue magazine proclaiming the jeans skirt an absolute must-have.

An iconic accessory of the '90s and '00s was the bucket hat, a favorite of ravers and rappers. But for a while, the only people still sporting them were dads who couldn't quite let their wild youth go. Now their kids have rediscovered the polarizing head covering, and with it the knife-edge thrill of wearing a hat with the potential to be either devastatingly chic or ridiculously unflattering.

Sunglasses are a timeless accessory, but they're subject to shifting style trends, too. This summer, the motto is "more is more," with extravagant frames in demand. Oversized frames, tinted lenses, or frameless styles are among the trends observed by fashion magazines.

The pantsless look is one of this summer's biggest trends. Whether it's a pair of tiny shorts or an ensemble of opaque tights with panties worn over them, topped with a long coat or oversized sweatshirt, looking like you forgot your trousers is all the rage. The look, as worn by Kendall and Kylie Jenner as well as countless influencers, is meant to be cool and casual, rather than racy.

Once the footwear of choice for hippies and German dads, Birkenstock sandals have been gracing the feet of the young and trendy for several years now — and their combination of comfort and style is hot for this summer, too. The company has also introduced a line of platform styles for those who want to rise above the coolness competition.

But if showing off your toes in sandals isn't your thing, you can still opt for sneakers — just leave your white kicks at home and step out in gold or silver metallic ones. They glint nicely in the summer sun, and tell the world you've got your finger firmly on the pulse of the fashion heartbeat.

And speaking of sneakers, sandals and even shower shoes (the last of which have grown to be an essential summer accessory), wearing socks with those shoes — at least ones that were visible — was long considered a fashion fail. That's all changed. Which means that now Germans — infamous for their love of wearing socks with sandals — won't stick out like sore thumbs on vacation anymore.

What's always in style in summer? Ice cream, of course! The flavor of the year for 2023, as determined by the union of Italian ice cream manufacturers, is called "Tiziano," and is a strawberry-grape sorbet with pro secco. It's named after the Renaissance painter Titian, who came from the same region as the ingredients for the sorbet.