Oh the 90s! The “Dark Ages” of Fashion – literally. The 90s were the first time wearing all black was considered fashionable. The wall fell six months prior to the start of the decade, and in response to the bright, over-the-top fashions of the 80s, 90s fashion swung the opposite direction: from menswear-inspired minimalism all the way to anti-establishment grunge. In the early 90s, the soft feminine vibes carried over from the 80s gave way to body shape and style indifference. Women wore very little jewelry, sometimes a hat, and the popular handbags were backpack style. Thank you Jansport!
After eye-piercing neons and prints, the decade was primarily about the Fade to Black: romantic pastels for gals and guys, lighter shades as acid washed jeans and neutrals took over, then grunge with black, denim, and flannel, followed by dark greens, white, and black.
Take a trip down the anti-fashion lane with me as I round out Great Day Houston’s Retro Week with a look at the fashion of the 90s!
Bangs, bobs, goatees, frizzy hair, grunge flat hair… we covered it all! What we didn’t have time to show: Jelly shoes, G Shock watches, slap bracelets, JNCO jeans, mood rings, capri pants for men (maybe this was because I just couldn’t do that to someone). Overall it was a great lesson in why style evolves – we are in much better place wouldn’t you say? ;-) HUGE Thanks to my models for selling out to the anti-fashion cause. Speaking of the 90s, women then were just starting to break through the corporate glass ceiling. Fast-forward to today and all three of my female models are small business owners!
- Kathryn Wheat of Woman’s InSite
- Aisha Khan of Ama Photography, and
- Keli Chevalier of Trauma to Triumph
What did we miss? What are you so excited is back or hope to never see again?
Leave A Comment