“The early ‘90s were an especially marvelous period for fashion because it was the peak of glamour and there were no limits as to what you could do.” Those were the words from famous fashion designer, Donatella Versace. As a fashion lover myself, the 90s influence my style constantly. According to DSN English, “the average amount of time it takes for a certain system to come back into fashion is around 20-30 years.” After almost 30 years, 90s trends are making a comeback into today’s fashion. Fashion is constantly evolving but that still includes taking old trends and making them new again.
Entering the 1990s, supermodels were becoming a prevalent factor in 90s fashion. With supermodels Cindy Crawford, Christy Turlington, and Naomi Campbell walking for fashion shows, like Versace’s 1991 Autumn/Winter show, it was a given that they would become fashion icons. Not only did supermodels become icons but so did musicians. According to Women’s Wear Daily’s article, “Remembering the Nineties”, “More than ever, music and fashion were intertwined and both worlds were mesmerized by the king and queen of grunge, Kurt Cobain and Courtney Love.” From grunge to hip-hop musicians, their fashion sense was influencing everyday people. More celebrities such as Madonna, Winona Ryder, and Janet Jackson were impacting how women style their clothes. Even to this day, celebrities’ influence has created an idea as to what is stylish to what is outdated.
Some of the most notable clothing pieces that were frequently worn were “mom jeans”, crop tops, blazers, long skirts, slip dresses, doc martens, and lots of denim. As stated in Top Trends Guide, “ These styles ranged from preppy to bohemian and urban to grunge and were based on a rebellious approach to fashion. Using different materials, unique prints patterns, and dazzling metallics, ‘90s outfits offered bold looks that fit perfectly with the cultural aesthetic of the times.” Popular brands like GAP, Doc Martens, Calvin Klein, and Guess helped infiltrate these fashionable looks and had people running to the stores to buy their apparel. Fashion has become less glamorous and more casual making it easier to keep up with the trends. Women dressed for themselves by wearing whatever that they wanted (period) becoming fashionable and rebellious during this time.
Today’s fashion is not solely based on new trends being created but rather on reinventing old ones. Similar to how much Y2K fashion has grown within the past years, so has 90s fashion. In my opinion, 90s fashion has always lingered around throughout the years but it has become extremely prominent within this decade. With the help of influencers, celebrities, and social media, 90s fashion has made a comeback. The online website for the magazine Cosmopolitan set out an article that listed 35 fashion trends from the 90s that are back in today’s society. Those trends included slip dresses, knee-high socks, combat boots, claw clips, and many more. With social media being a huge aspect of society, the youth is always being influenced. Many teenagers follow “90s inspired” or “90s related” Instagram accounts which is where they are often exposed to that decade’s fashion. Many influencers such as Emma Chamberlain have impacted the way fashion is worn which in turn makes the youth want to dress in a specific way and that way happens to be the 90s look. Along with the 1990s fashion comes thrifting. In order to get the 90s to look many go to their local thrift stores to shop as many of the pieces come directly from that decade. Wanting this look has encouraged people to thrift more than ever.
Here’s a few 90s inspired Instagrams:
The 1990s was a prevailing time for fashion which in turn came back to today’s trends. From supermodels, musicians, and celebrities, fashion had been influenced heavily by those people during that time. Trends that were once used during the 90s were being used again during the 2020s. Trends are constantly evolving but they are also being recycled.