These photos take us inside one girl’s Y2K-coded world

Photographer Rebecca Zephyr Thomas was at the afters of Mayfair Gallery’s private view-cum-booklaunch in 2022 when she first set eyes upon her future muse, Iris Owen. “I wasn’t technically invited, I went as a friend’s plus one which is usually the recipe for the best nights out,” recalls the New Zealand-born, London-based photographer. “At the time, I’d just started shooting on 35mm again and was inspired to take pictures at any event.” Thomas shot a few rolls of film that night, but one image that stood out from among the rest featured a pair of tanned legs in powder blue rhinestone knee-high boots with a glimpse of matching powder blue miniskirt in shot. 

Owen – she of the powder blue ensemble, who was attending the event “purely for the free booze” – remembers, “I wore huge blue sparkly boots from ASOS and when a stylish lady asked where they were from, I replied, ‘Prada’. She snapped a pic of them and the rest is history. Well, the rest is that I hunted down the photo on Instagram and commented ‘These are my feet’.”

It was an encounter which would lead Thomas to shoot many more portraits of Owen over the following two years. “I love photographing characters who are unapologetically themselves and who live their daily lives to the hilt,” Thomas tells Dazed. “Iris reminded me a teeny bit of LA icon Angelyne who rose to fame in the 80s for her love of pink and because she erected a billboard of herself which helped turn her into someone famous for being famous. I’ve photographed her in her studio in Hollywood and Iris’s bedroom reminded me of that experience!”

Resplendent in velour tracksuits, Ugg boots and Burberry co-ords, bedecked with phone charms and hoop earrings, Owen is a high-octane vision of Y2K fashion augmented to new levels of Paris Hilton So-Cal style. Yet while Hilton’s image always appears to be informed by a desire to display wealth and status, Owen’s carefully created looks convey something more joyful and life-affirming. The It-bags on Owen’s arm are conspicuously bootleg and she’s likely to accessorise with a Gregg’s sausage roll and a packet of Walkers while watching Loose Women.

Like her heroine Paris Hilton, Owen is also an heiress of sorts. Her parents founded the cult bookshop and publisher IDEA so she’s heir to a wealth of credibility and irrefutable coolness. But her own tastes veer unapologetically towards the mainstream and it’s impossible not to find her totally charming for it. 

Now, the pair have compiled Thomas’ photographs of Owen in a new zine called Nectarine Girl (Owen’s social media pseudonym). “The zine has captions by Iris and was designed by Cat Duncan, it’s over 80 pages printed on recycled paper and has silver foil designs on the cover,” says Thomas. Owen explains, “Nectarine is pretty much just me as a zine. It’s super colourful, happy and fun with lots of tacky tat thrown in. I think the zine captures me and my life perfectly because Rebecca and I didn’t stage any of the photos – well, maybe some props here or there – but they are all genuine events with friends and outfits I love!”

In her Instagram bio, Owen describes herself as “the most famous not-famous person”. Reminiscent of the Japanese culture of fandom, particularly the phenomenon of “icon books” – photo collections dedicated to a particular individual, ranging from mainstream pop culture idols to deeply obscure figures – Nectarine Girl immortalises the life of Owen with the kind of special reverence we’d usually bestow on a celebrity. For what is fame, really, other than a fairly arbitrary construct? Owen’s world is caricatured and curated, but it’s also about finding joy and humour in the small things. It’s not about being elite or superior or self-conscious – Nectarine Girl stands for the opposite of all that. Thomas describes spending time with Owen as “good for the soul” and, looking through the pages of their zine, you can’t help but feel a bit of that radiating from the pages. 

Below, we chat to Rebecca Zephyr Thomas and Iris Owen about living, laughing and loving, the allure of 00s style, and their reciprocal relationship as muse and artist.

Iris, as the muse of this zine, please can you introduce yourself? Who is Nectarine Girl and why is she London’s self-confessed ‘most famous not-famous person’?

Iris Owen: Firstly, I love being called a muse. God, that makes me feel cool. Nectarine Girl is all about making the mundane boring things in life really fun. I have never, ever taken myself too seriously but about two years ago I got the word ‘Lol’ tattooed on my ankle and, from then on, I decided I just wanted to find everything I can in life funny.

I’ve also had a burning desire to be famous since the age of three. This may explain why I refer to myself as ‘London’s most famous not-famous person’. I’ll take what I can get, basically. I have a passion for going on British daytime television. For example, my appearance on Eggheads wearing a pink leopard Jane Norman cami top. My dream is either to be a Loose Woman – as in the TV show, not just in general – or maybe a QVC presenter.

Rebecca, what drew you to Iris as a subject? 

Rebecca Zephyr Thomas: I love that Iris takes her Y2K style to the max. She dresses like that every day, she collects the memorabilia and this is authentically who she is. I also love Iris’s sunny outlook – I can veer to the dark side myself, so being around her while doing this project was good for the soul. Iris finds the fun, humour and joy in the mundanity of the everyday and that is a really great quality to have.

Iris, do you identify totally with Nectarine Girl? Or to what extent is she a kind of alter ego/superhero figure?

Iris Owen: Wow, I genuinely have never thought of this before! I am 1000 per cent Nectarine Girl. She is me! I write a newsletter called Nectarine News which I send out to subscribers every Friday. It details my week – what I’ve eaten and listened to and all the juicy details you could wish for. I like to write about every aspect of my life because, I hate to say this but, I am an open book. That’s why I’d be such an interesting celeb – I’d just tell the truth all the time.

“About two years ago I got the word ‘Lol’ tattooed on my ankle and, from then on, I decided I just wanted to find everything I can in life funny” – Iris Owen

What appeals to you both about Y2K fashion? What are quintessential Y2K garments and accessories? What does this look signify for you? 

Rebecca Zephyr Thomas: For me, it’s a walk down memory lane. It’s not how I dressed back in the 00s by any stretch of the imagination but I’ve always been a fan of campy, trashy fashion. I’d say the rhinestone studded trend is quintessentially Y2K, it’s glamour that’s also a bit down on its luck. I’m also a sucker for a slogan tee and this is a big part of both Iris’s look and the Y2K fashion revival.

Iris Owen: I grew up watching music videos of Britney, Christina, Avril, etc, and just idolised them and all their clothes. However, I think I also have some strong influences from the later 00s because of my obsession with the Disney Channel. Tiny thin string scarves, jeans under dresses, mahoosive belts, low-rise jeans with a studded tank top. I think style was just so much more laid back in the tackiest of ways, and that really aligns with my personality.

Rebecca, how would you describe Iris’s image and why did you want to document her world?

Rebecca Zephyr Thomas: I like that Iris’ looks make her and everyone else seem in on the joke. It’s not IFYKYK fashion insider jokes, they are entertaining and accessible for everyone. They’re sort of everyday drag. Part of the reason I wanted to document her world is that she loves the cheap, the everyday. She has framed Walker’s limited edition Spice Girls crisp packets on her wall, for example.

Right from the beginning, this was something we focused on with the photos – our second shoot was us going to the Stockwell branch of Greggs and getting vegan sausage rolls and coffee. In London, it’s easy to feel completely overwhelmed by the sheer weight of capitalism and the need to ‘make it in a big city’ and Iris is really good at savouring the fun things you can do in London that don’t cost loads of money. I wanted the images to document having fun on a lemonade, not champagne, budget. It sounds a bit odd but she was almost my maximalist-styled zen master in a way – she helped me focus on little moments instead of being overwhelmed by the stress of living in London. A mindfulness master dressed in Juicy Couture.

“I’m obliged to call my style Y2K or 2000s but there’s a small worry that makes me sound like I am trying to list myself on Depop” – Iris Owen

Rebecca, as a millennial, you experienced these fashions the first time around – why do you think Gen X is fascinated with turn-of-the-century fashion? Why are we nostalgic for those days?

Rebecca Zephyr Thomas: Fashion seems to always work on a 20-year cycle, whatever seemed naff ten minutes ago will probably be cool in the next five. I’ve been watching lots of 2000s reality TV shows recently and the fashion corresponds with some of Iris’s style. I think part of it is about how toxic those days were to women in the public eye – especially the likes of Britney and Lindsey, women we now recognise as being abused by systems of power. I think part of the revival is subconsciously saying, ‘These women were great, we were wrong to take the piss out of their mental and emotional struggles’. That’s what I hope, anyway. I love seeing the styles of the 2000s reinterpreted in new and often better and more inclusive ways.

“I hope the zine communicates that life is tough, but you’ve got to hold on to the good times no matter how small or large they might be. And don’t take things too seriously if you can” – Rebecca Zephyr Thomas

What would you both say are the recurring themes and obsessions documented in the pages of this zine? And what kind of atmosphere does it conjure up? 

Rebecca Zephyr Thomas: Looks, friends, silliness, chips, pubs with carpet, being obsessed with pop culture and ephemera.

Iris Owen: I think the word ‘tat’ comes to mind, mainly because my Nan would always describe the gift shops on holiday as ‘a load of tat’, which to me is heaven. I love niche collectable items that fit my brand and aesthetic – anything colourful and shiny with a scent of Katie Price.

What do you hope people take away from encountering the zine? What do you hope it communicates? 

Rebecca Zephyr Thomas: That you can live your life with unapologetic individuality. Whatever your passions are, go all out, celebrate them, and don’t hold back. That’s what I hope the zine communicates: that life is tough, but you’ve got to hold on to the good times no matter how small or large they might be. And don’t take things too seriously if you can. As the saying goes, ‘Enjoy yourself, it’s later than you think. Enjoy yourself, while you’re still in the pink’ – or wearing pink in Iris’s case.

Iris Owen: Basically what Rebecca said. I hope it conveys the joy you can find in loving the things you love. My belongings, style and people around me uplift me and I do my best in life to focus on that. In one word, I hope the zine communicates ‘Lol’.

Nectarine Girl is available from September 5, 2024, from IDEA.