While the ‘80s were all about aerobic wear and shoulder pads, the fashion in the ‘90s evolved into its own thing. No matter your personality, there was a fashion trend for you in the ‘90s. Were you all about that grunge life, or were you more into fanny packs and overalls? No matter what, you probably rocked at least one of the 15 ‘90s fashion trends we’ve featured below. And the good news is, a lot of these trends are coming back into style now! So take a look through our list to remember what fashion looks you rocked in the ‘90s, then dig through your closet and pull out that old tie-dye shirt, and you’ll fit right in all over again.
More into the ‘80s? We got you: 15 Tubular ‘80s Fashion Trends
Grunge
For one of the most ‘90s fashion trends of all, look no further than grunge. Made popular by the likes of Kurt Cobain, grunge usually consisted of some kind of semi-baggy pants, a flannel, and perhaps an oversized cardigan. Of course, there were all kinds of variations, as you can see in the picture above of Matt Dillon in the film Singles, sporting his own grunge look.
Overalls
If you didn’t own a pair of overalls, did you really grow up in the ‘90s? Men and women alike sported the overall look, whether they be long-legged or short. They didn’t have to be made of jeans material either, they could just as likely be a khaki or some other color. Above we have featured a few different samples, including Jennifer Aniston in Friends, Will Smith in The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, and the band TLC.
Bucket Hats
The appeal of the bucket hat is a little suspect — does it really look good on anyone? Along with the bucket hat, hats with a large flower were also popular, but not quite as ubiquitous with both men and women as the bucket hat. Above you can see Tyra Banks, LL Cool J, and Britney Spears all wearing a version of the bucket hat.
Knee Socks / Thigh Highs
While you might associate the classic knee sock or thigh high sock as something a more preppy girl might wear, as you can see in our example above, it wasn’t just for the straight-laced. While Dionne and Cher in Clueless both wore versions of these socks, the girls in The Craft also did as well, and they weren’t nearly as nice as Cher and Dionne. These were pretty much always paired with a skirt, and if you had some shiny brogues to go with them, you were seriously styling.
Fanny Packs
Everyone had fanny packs in the ‘90s. Kids, teenagers, grown-ups, you name it, they all were getting in on the fanny pack trend. But, as you can see in our photo above, even though they’re called fanny packs, no one actually wore them on their butts! While the photo above featuring Jason Alexander in Seinfeld, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, and Jason Bateman would have you believe that men were more into fanny packs, in truth they were just as popular with girls, especially if you were on a vacation to Disney World or something!
Flared / Ultra Baggy / Embellished Jeans
Denim has been popular for many decades, and the ‘90s was no exception. But those ’90s trends were kinda suspect, with three specific types of jeans becoming super popular: the flared look, the ultra baggy option, and jeans embellished with beads or fabric or something generally flashy. In the above photo, Christina Aguilera, Britney Spears, and Jamie Lynne Spears all demonstrate both the ultra-flared jeans as well as the embellished look. But the most terrible ’90s jean trend that we hope never comes back is reserved for that middle picture above — the super baggy look that a lot of guys wore with their butts hanging out. Why was this popular? It looked awful!
Spaghetti Straps
Pretty much every female celebrity during the ‘90s wore a version of the spaghetti strap, but celebrities weren’t the only ones wearing spaghetti straps — “regular” people were in on this trend too. Spaghetti straps were on both tank tops and dresses, and even though that skinny little strap didn’t cover a bra strap, it didn’t matter, because most girls would still wear a bra underneath anyway. In our above photo, we have Sandra Bullock sporting the tank top version, Gwyneth Paltrow going slightly more dressed up, and then an even fancier version from Posh Spice herself, Victoria Beckham.
Cargo Pants
Now what if you wanted a lot of pocket storage in your pants in the ‘90s? Not to worry, cargo pants were there for you. Big, kinda baggy, and with lots of the aforementioned pockets that quite honestly pretty much sat empty and were just there for looks, cargo pants were super popular. Destiny’s Child wore them, along with Aaliyah and even Jennifer Aniston and Brad Pitt. The cargos were inescapable!
Velvet
If being a little more sultry was your style in the ‘90s, then you may have turned to another trend: velvet. Usually reserved for more fancy occasions than the every day, velvet made a big statement in the ‘90s. Drew Barrymore was known to wear a velvet blazer or two, while Sarah Michelle Gellar wore more than one velvet dress to some awards shows, and Winona Ryder even joined in on the velvet trend with her purple version.
Skorts
Skorts were definitely more popular among the younger generation — we couldn’t find any pictures of celebrities actually wearing these out and about. But they were super coveted among the junior high crowd of the ‘90s. Shorts in the back, but a skirt in the front, skorts made you feel cute but also kinda sporty.
Baby Tees
If you were wearing that low-rise flared jean in the ‘90s, then you probably paired it with a baby tee. Of course, that was likely only if you felt good about showing off your stomach. A toned tummy was definitely in during this period, but some baby tees were a bit longer so you didn’t have to worry about it quite as much. In our photo above, Jennifer Love Hewitt, Naomi Campbell, and Liv Tyler all wear a version of the baby tee.
Chain Wallets
If you were a guy wearing baggy pants in the ‘90s, then you almost definitely were also sporting a chain wallet. Though the chain wallet was certainly at least somewhat functional if you actually used the wallet part, a lot of the appeal was just in the look of the chains dangling down your leg. Definitely reserved for the more “alternative” types out there, the chain wallet look was so very ‘90s.
Oakley Sunglasses
Plastic Oakley sunglasses were super popular during this time period, perhaps in part because some very popular basketball players were wearing them — including Michael Jordan and Dennis Rodman in our picture above. They weren’t the only ones, though, even Justin Timberlake was known to wear Oakleys from time to time.
Goth
If you weren’t preppy or into the grunge look, maybe you were more of the goth type. The goth look skyrocketed to popularity in the late ‘90s, thanks in a major way to Marilyn Manson (yes, that is a young Marilyn Manson in the middle picture above). But he wasn’t the only one going dark, Fairuza Balk also was pretty goth, especially in The Craft, and Angelina Jolie dabbled in the darker side as well.
Tie-Dye
These days, though tie-dye is definitely making a resurgence in popularity, it’s not quite the same as it was in the ‘90s. ‘90s tie-dye was all about multiple bright colors with a big spiral or two, whereas today’s tie-dye looks are more subdued and not quite as many colors. In the picture above, Sean O’Neal not only wears some tie-dye as Sam on Clarissa Explains it All, he also has on a neon green fanny pack! And, of course, you have Drew Barrymore as well, a true style icon of the ‘90s.
If you’re like, where are all the shoes? They’ve got their own post: 15 Shoes from the ‘90s That You Had at Least One of in Your Closet
What were your favorite ‘90s fashion trends? Did you rock all of the above? Let us know in the comments!
- Oakley was started in 1975 by James Jannard in California. Originally, he sold motorcycle grips at motocross events. Eventually, the company started producing ski goggles, which eventually led to sunglasses.
- It is likely that the art of velvet-weaving first originated in the Far East, at least as far back as 786. But, it’s not until the 1300s that there was any mention of the textile in written works.
- The Goth subculture originated in the United Kingdom in the 1980s — it was developed by fans of gothic rock, an offshoot of the post-punk music genre.
- Fanny Packs have different names around the world, including waist bag, belt bag, moon bag, belly bag, and bumbag. Bumbag is used in Britain as the term “fanny” is a derogatory slang term for certain female parts.
- Overalls were first mass-produced in the 1890s by Levi’s. Some of the other more recognizable brands include OshKosh B’gosh, which produced bib overalls for children starting in the late 1960s.
- Oakley was started in 1975 by James Jannard in California. Originally, he sold motorcycle grips at motocross events. Eventually, the company started producing ski goggles, which eventually led to sunglasses.
- It is likely that the art of velvet-weaving first originated in the Far East, at least as far back as 786. But, it’s not until the 1300s that there was any mention of the textile in written works.
- The Goth subculture originated in the United Kingdom in the 1980s — it was developed by fans of gothic rock, an offshoot of the post-punk music genre.
- Fanny Packs have different names around the world, including waist bag, belt bag, moon bag, belly bag, and bumbag. Bumbag is used in Britain as the term “fanny” is a derogatory slang term for certain female parts.
- Overalls were first mass-produced in the 1890s by Levi’s. Some of the other more recognizable brands include OshKosh B’gosh, which produced bib overalls for children starting in the late 1960s.
