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Fashion in the 1990s was characterized by minimalist styles, some of which were dubbed "anti-fashion". Nineties fashion was very casual and comfortable, and featured items such as flannel shirts and overalls. Retro clothing was popular in the 1990s, which led to minimalist takes on styles from previous decades, notably the 1920s, 1940s, 1950s, 1960s, and 1970s. Fashion inspired by sports clothing was also popular during the 1990s.
Following the minimalist trend, mens business wear in the 1990s moved back away from three piece suits towards simpler styles. Women's business and formal wear also became simpler over the course of the decade. Denim followed the minimalist trend, moving away from acid wash and other designer denim styles towards the simpler and more traditional stone washed jeans. The fancy women's hairstyles of the 1980s gave way to straighter styles parted in the middle, and men's hairstyles also became simpler.
The 1990s was the decade of the supermodel, when fashion models such as Kate Moss, Claudia Schiffer, Naomi Campbell, Cindy Crawford, and Linda Evangelista became international celebrities.
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Early 1990s
Fashions from the 1980s continued in 1990 and 1991. These included acid wash jeans, spandex tights, tie dye, fluorescent colors, and black leather biker jackets. American singer Madonna continued to be a fashion inspiration for girls and young women.
1920s and 1960s inspired styles
Retro styles inspired by the 1920s and 1960s were popular at the beginning of the 1990s. 1920s inspired styles included men's vests and clothing for older women. 1960s inspired styles included men's cardigan sweaters and colorless polo shirts for girls and women.
Bright colors
Fluorescent or neon clothing, which became popular in the late 1980s, remained popular at the beginning of the 1990s. Fluorescent clothing was associated with cool, summer themes like surfing and the beach. The five fluorescent colors were blue, green, orange, pink, and yellow. Fluorescent clothing was especially popular with teenage and pre-teen girls, although fluorescent t-shirts and shorts were also popular with boys. Fluorescent clothing included t-shirts, sweatshirts, socks, shoelaces, hair scrunchies, and fanny packs. Fluorescent clothing went out of style by the end of 1991.
Colors such as coral, hot pink and turquoise became popular among girls and young women in 1991. Hypercolor clothing, made of material which changes colors according to temperature, was briefly popular in 1992. The popularity of bright colors declined as the 1990s wore on. Hoop earrings were a popular accessory for girls and women in the first years of the 1990s.
Tube skirts
Tight lycra or black leather mini skirts, also known as tube skirts, which first became popular in the mid-1980s, continued to be popular through the early 1990s. These skirts were especially popular in Europe. They were often paired with long blazers, which continued to be worn throughout the decade. Tank tops, often of silk or synthetic silk, were in style. The cinch-belt was a trendy accessory. Mini dresses in Lycra were also worn, and these often featured built-in bra cups. Sequined and lace cocktail dresses were briefly popular in 1990-1991.
Catsuits
Inspired by Michelle Pfeiffer's performance as Catwoman in the 1992 film Batman Returns, the catsuit enjoyed popularity. British singer Victoria Beckham would later be seen wearing a black catsuit in several Spice Girls videos. These were usually made of latex, PVC or Spandex, and often worn with high-heeled boots.
Sports inspired clothing
Sports clothing enjoyed increased popularity as casual wear among teenagers in the early 1990s. Track suits with a loose nylon outer shell became popular, and replaced the older style of velour track suits. Baseball and Basketball team jerseys were both popular at various times through the early 1990s. Basketball jerseys were often worn with basketball shorts. Sneakers with a built in air pump became popular, as well as high top basketball shoes, especially Nike Air Jordans. Sports team jackets, such as Starter Jackets, were highly sought after items among many boys. Much of the sports clothing was associated with hip hop music.
Grunge
One of the most significant events in 1990s fashion was the rise of grunge fashion in 1992.[1] Grunge fashion consisted of both sexes wearing flannel shirts and other typical outdoor clothing, often bought in thrift shops. The general appearance was unkempt and androgynous. The rise of grunge fashion coincided with the rise to mainstream popularity of grunge music from Seattle. Popular colors in grunge fashion included white, black, red, forest green, indigo, and brown.
By 1993, other plaid inspired styles were popular. These included plaid vests, plaid sweatshirts, plaid babydoll dresses, and plaid boxer shorts. Although grunge and its related styles waned after 1994, flannel plaid shirts continued to enjoy a somewhat increased popularity though the end of the decade, especially for outdoor wilderness activities.
Hippy-inspired styles
Styles inspired by the late 1960s and early 1970s became popular in 1993. These included bell-bottom jeans for teenagers and young adults, and crochet vests for girls and young women. These were often worn with other grunge-inspired fashions.
Waffle patterns
Waffle patterned polo shirts and long sleeve t-shirts were popular from 1993 to 1995 among both men and women. These were sometimes worn under flannel shirts as part of the grunge look. White waffle patterned long underwear was also worn under baggy black shorts by some young men as a variation on the grunge look.
Body piercing
Belly button piercing became a hit in 1993 among teenage girls, young women, and even briefly among young men. This led to the popularity of midriff style shirts that expose the belly button. Other types of body piercing became popular later in the decade, and lasted into the 2000s.
Wide leg pants
Wide leg pants became popular among teenaged girls and women in 1994, inspired by the wide leg pants of the 1940s and 1970s. Wide leg jeans became popular with teenaged girls, and women's pantsuits with wide leg pants enjoyed popularity in colours such as light brown and violet.
Formal wear
Formal wear saw a rise in high collars with 3 button jackets for men being the norm and up to 4 or even five buttons single breasted jackets being touted by many top designers. Doublebreasted jackets also followed the pattern with high collar lines and up to 12 buttons in the front. The "mandarin" band collar was popular in the mid 1990s for both jackets as well as formal and casual shirt collars. The band collar ran its course by 1996.
Late 1990s
Mod-inspired styles
Mod-inspired styles became popular in 1995 among teenaged girls and young women. These included straight leg jeans, baby t-shirts, plaid miniskirts, and short jackets with oversized zippers. A variation on the chelsea boots of the 1960s, with chunky 1970's inspired platform heels, also became popular through the early 2000s. Other black shoes with chunky 1970s inspired platform heels were also popular.
In Europe, slinky, floor-length dresses, often made of Lycra, were worn in the daytime as well as the evening. The all-girl pop group the Spice Girls became a major influence on British fashion in 1996, and North American fashion in 1997.
Outdoor clothing
Following on the outdoor trend set by grunge clothing, other outdoor clothing enjoyed increased popularity in the late 1990s along with the increased popularity of wilderness recreation. Chief among these were jackets and shirts made of a material called polar fleece. Also popular for wildrness activities were military surplus items, notably olive green military sweaters and tan coloured military cargo pants.
1970's inspired styles
Styles inspired by the mid to late 1970s were popular from 1996 through the end of the decade. Orange and yellow, colours both popular in the 1970s, became popular in 1996 among both men and women, and later other citrus colours that were popular in the 1970s became popular among women. Women's spaghetti strap tank tops became more popular than when they were first popular in the late 1970s. Shiny men's buttoned shirts enjoyed moderate popularity. Flared pants and jeans also became popular. T-shirts with a happy face design were briefly popular.
Around 1996, cords became popular, initially in brown, and later in colours such as black tan, and grey. Corduroy continued as a trend through 2001.
Business clothing
Typical men's suits of this era featured long draped double-breasted jackets and pleated pants. Sweater vests became popular as men's business casual wear. Many men began wearing dress shirts without ties, a style that continues to be worn by many men to this day. Women began increasingly wearing pantsuits to the office. By the end of the decade, Casual Fridays became the norm in many offices, with both men and women wearing jeans to the office.
Punk/Goth
Punk and alternative styles were popular by 1996. These included spiky hair, black t-shirts, black work pants, wraparound sunglasses, and skater shoes. Many punk and alternative teenagers dyed their hair colours like blue, green, and fuchsia, and adorned body piercings such as eyebrow rings, lip rings and tongue studs. In 1997, the 1980s goth trend made a comeback, with black clothing and make-up (both females and males), long or back-combed black hair, studded bracelets and black boots. The Punk and goth styles survived into the mid 2000s in modified forms.
Preppy styles
A late 90s version of preppy clothing became popular in 1997. Shirts, sweatshirts, and jeans of the popular clothing brand Tommy Hilfiger were closely associated with the preppy look. Sweater vests were also part of the preppy look. By 1998, Khakis became a popular part of the preppy look for teenaged boys, due to the popularity of golfer Tiger Woods; and wool scarves became a part of the preppy look for teenaged girls.
Sporty styles
After a dip in popularity in the mid-90s, sporty styles became increasingly popular later in the 90s. The late 90s sporty look was dominated by tearaway track pants with buttons on the side that could be “torn” open. Teenaged guys wore these tearaway pants with t-shirts and sweatshirts. Teenaged girls also wore these with baby t-shirts, spaghetti strap tank-tops, and cropped tank tops. Tearaway pants were also worn as part of track suits in the late 90s.
Hip-hop fashion
In the late 90s, Hip-hop fashion dveloped into a style more distinct from other sporty styles. Baggy jeans, hooded sweatshirts, football jerseys, puffy jackets, and large gold chains became staples of the hip-hop look. African-American youth of both sexes braided their hair in immitation of hip-hop performers such as Snoop Dog and Lauryn Hill.
End of decade trends
Punk, goth, preppy, sporty and hip-hop styles continued to be popular at the close of the 1990s. Some of the more overt 70s influences waned in 1998, although other 70s influences continued to be felt at the close of the decade. In women's fashion, baby t-shirts and spaghetti strap tank tops continued to be popular, and long wraparound skirts were popular from 1998. Dark rinsewash denim beame fashionable for both men and women, and the low rise jeans phenomenon began in women's fashion.
In 1999, Aloha shirts (Hawaiian shirts), became a major fad. Capri pants, a tapered pant that ends mid calf, became popular with girls and women, and Kakhis became popular in womens as well as mens fashion. Pink became the dominant women's clothing color.
Image gallery
Below is a series of images relating to the styles of the 1990s.
 Olive green was a popular colour throughout most of the decade. |
 Kurt Cobain, lead singer of Nirvana, was an inspiration for the grunge look that made its entrance into mainstream fashion in the early 1990s. |
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 Singer Hope Sandoval in 1992 wearing boots and patterned tights. |
 The German Electro rock duo Das Ich, 1993. Their aspect shows the influence of the Goth look which returned in the 1990s. |
 Young woman in New York City, 1995 with her belly button exposed. |
 Heavy shoes with thick heels, such as this shoe seen in the photo, were worn from the mid-1990s until the end of the decade. |
 the Spice Girls, in 1996. Many young women in Britain copied the clothes worn by the all-girl pop group |
 Two women wearing bandanas, 1999. |
References
External links
See also
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to: 1990s fashion |
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