90s FASHION HISTORY

Christian Reid Miron

Professor Smith

Contemporary Fashion

November 7th, 2024

Fashion News Brief: 90s Fashion History

The 90s were catapulted into one of the most influential periods of recent fashion history from the jump. Prompted by the Black Friday Stock Market Crash of 1989, 1990 started in recession. This resulted in an abrupt end to the abundance and extravagance that summarized the high fashion trends of the 1980s - for the most part - and set the tone for the remainder of the decade. Designers such as Calvin Klein, Alexander McQueen, Thierry Mugler, Perry Elis, and Versace in particular played some of the most impactful roles, housing the minimalistic, fantastical, futuristic, and grunge super-modeled looks that most frequently come to mind when 90s fashion is thought of. Versace’s rise as the supermodel especially shaped how the fashion landscape looks today, as we continue to utilize and examine fashion on everyone but ourselves for inspiration and awe.

The main theme that fashion itself ran with in the 1990s, was that of escapism. As technology advanced, designers and people alike began to feel a sense of panic, both for what was to come and what was about to be lost. Designers like Klein, but also Jil Sander and Ribat Ozbek with his all-white collection played heavily into minimalism, verging on conformity but with a fashionable and stylistic twist, cementing 90s minimalism more along the lines of a chic elegance and sexiness that has yet to be successfully recreated. And from that glamourous lack of self-expression, came that complete antithesis; Grunge. Birthed from the stress of the recession, the dire need for individuality to stand out before anything else, and Seattle, grunge was everything fashion had yet to be. Purposefully messy, self-expressive, casual, and endlessly cool. Inspired by the musicians of the time, it wasn't long before the streetwear trend trickled its way onto the runway with Pery Elis, then later Ralph Lauren, and Ana Sui. 

Though on a streetwear level, minimalism and grunge encompassed the emotions of the everyday fashion enthusiast, those with more materials at their disposal had a louder voice to be heard. With the coming of a new millennium upon them, people were feeling a mix of anticipation for the age of tech to fully come to fruition and a sense of nostalgia for the art that had inspired us for centuries past. Designers like Vivienne Westwood, John Galliano, and Alexander McQueen looked into the past and pulled the large powdered wigs, slashed sleeves, and bum rolls out of the archives to create some of the most fantastical runway looks of their time, pulling as many inspiration from Baroque and Victorian eras as they did for Folkloric and North European mythology. On the contrary, Thierry Mugler was turning out looks resembling aesthetics never seen before, inspired by the fantastically futuristic HR Giger and traditionally robotic attire, and placing them before us as a glimpse into what fashion could become. 

Unlike the fashion we consume so frequently today, which found one solid theme that the masses were consuming, the 90s were helmed by a sense of fashionable unity. A shared mindset of fear and hope allowed the 90s to become as impactful and still influential as it remains today.