>>4245470early 00's it was definitely mostly medium format slide film, lots of experimental cross processing going on there too (645 typically, but not unheard of for 6x7-6x9 formats to be used)
about 2006-2007 it started switching over to digital as the main workhorses
lighting was floor-pack strobes, scrims and C-stands. huge bulky, ugly things. We got it super easy now, even the cheap chinese lithium based stuff is amazing compared to the gear they had back then
if you're serious, get a bunch of old lads mags from online archives and deconstruct the lighting as a start
then go thrift shopping (ideally with a friend as a clothes model) and line up a makeup artist. show them some of your ideas and they can make it work
fuck, after the hellscape of the last few years trying to find models to work with, this actually sounds like fun.
