The 95-like look (of which I think the 2K variant is best) does have a bit of an edge in terms of usability, but it also looks considerably more dated. A similarly legible theme from that era that I think time has been more kind to is Platinum, the theme used by Mac OS from System 7.6.1 through Mac OS 9.2.1.
Any new UI design looking to incorporate Aero’s good bits would be smart to tone the look down a little.
The default theme from QTCurve and a good color scheme.
On flat themes, I like Zukitre, which I modded the highlighting color to black instead of blue. It's the only usable theme I found not being either blinding light nor often unreadable dark. It has a grey neutral tone, something Apple understood for platinum if you worked on graphic design, video and photo editing, or as a journalist (the 99% of the Apple users in late 90's).
> It has a grey neutral tone, something Apple understood for platinum if you worked on graphic design, video and photo editing, or as a journalist (the 99% of the Apple users in late 90's).
Modern day “light mode” would benefit from taking notes. The surge in demand for dark mode lines up pretty cleanly with the advent of the stark white themes that the flat UI epidemic ushered in.
Any new UI design looking to incorporate Aero’s good bits would be smart to tone the look down a little.