Early 1990s (1990–1992) wearing semi-transparent black dress, curled hair and smoky eye makeup, 1990.
Supermodels and high fashion • Throughout the 1990s,
supermodels dominated the fashion industry. The top models of the 1990s were
Nadja Auermann,
Tyra Banks,
Christie Brinkley,
Carla Bruni,
Naomi Campbell,
Helena Christensen,
Cindy Crawford,
Karen Elson,
Linda Evangelista,
Yasmeen Ghauri,
Bridget Hall,
Shalom Harlow,
Eva Herzigova,
Michele Hicks,
Kirsty Hume,
Milla Jovovich,
Yasmin Le Bon,
Audrey Marnay,
Kristen McMenamy,
Kate Moss,
Karen Mulder,
Carolyn Murphy,
Nadège,
Erin O'Connor,
Kirsten Owen,
Tatjana Patitz,
Maggie Rizer,
Claudia Schiffer,
Stephanie Seymour,
Tatiana Sorokko,
Stella Tennant,
Christy Turlington,
Amber Valletta,
Guinevere Van Seenus,
Alek Wek, and
Amy Wesson. • Later in the decade, the rise of
Kate Moss shifted the world of fashion when her entrance onto the scene turned the Big Five into the Big Six. Kate Moss became one of the Nineties' biggest phenomena when, at 14 years of age, she was discovered at
JFK Airport. Her waif-like figure set a new fashion standard that became known as "
heroin chic". This was a pale and ghostly look that called for a stick-thin stature and size zero body. Due to Kate's extremely skinny frame, she was often criticized for allegedly promoting
eating disorders as apparently evidenced by her shots for
Calvin Klein. Reportedly, posters of Kate Moss were often defaced with graffiti that read "feed me". • For the 1994 Autumn/Winter issue of
Arena Homme +, a spin-off of the bi-monthly
Arena (magazine), master fashion photographer
Albert Watson photographed a new generation of top male models of the era, including
Tyson Beckford,
Tim Boyce and
Marcus Schenkenberg for the two-page fold-out cover proclaiming "High Five the New Supermodel Army - Malcom Tim, Marcus, In 1995, Gregg and Larry photographed by Albert Watson".
Neon colors • In the US,
USSR,
South Africa, Egypt, and Japan popular trends included bold geometric-print clothing in
electric blue, orange, fluorescent pink, purple, turquoise and the acid green exercise wear popularized by
Lisa Lopes of
TLC. Typical patterns included triangles,
zigzag lightning bolts, diamonds, lozenges, rectangles, overlapping free-form shapes, simulated explosions inspired by comic book illustrations or
pop art, intricate grids, and clusters of thin parallel lines in contrasting colors (for example, white, black and yellow on a cyan background). Many women wore denim button-down
Western shirts, colored
jeans in medium and dark green, red, and purple, metallic
Spandex leggings, halterneck
crop tops,
drainpipe jeans, colored tights, bike shorts, black
leather jackets with shoulder pads, high waisted ankle length jeans (aka mom jeans) and pants both styled plain or pleated, baby-doll dresses over bike shorts or capri leggings, and skater dresses. Neon colored tops and
leg warmers were popular, together with leopard print skirts shiny satin or rayon blouses, embroidered jeans covered in rhinestones,
Grunge • In mid-1992,
grunge fashion broke into the mainstream for both sexes. For younger American, Australian and Latina women, it consisted of flannel shirts, ripped jeans, hip hugger bell bottoms, wide leg jeans,
shortalls,
Doc Martens, combat boots, band
t-shirts, small fitted
sweaters, cap sleeved shirts, long and droopy skirts, ripped tights,
Birkenstocks, hiking boots, and
eco-friendly clothing made from recycled textiles or
fair trade organic cotton. A prominent example of the popularity of grunge fashion is the teen drama television series "
My So Called Life". Grunge fashion peaked in late 1993 and early 1994.
Mid-1990s (1993–1996) Glamour wear es first became widely worn in the mid-1990s, as part of the
underwear-as-outerwear trend. (
Jane Leeves, 1995) • In 1994, grunge clothing rapidly declined as fashion became more feminine and form-fitting. Young women in the UK and America wore tailored skirt and trouser suits,
short skirts and dresses, baby doll dresses, skater dresses, animal prints,
hot pants,
slim pants, low waisted bell bottoms, wide leg jeans and pants,
long and
short skirts, and high heels. High-shine fabrics, such as
satin,
metallics,
sequins,
microfiber,
vinyl, and
silk became very prominent on both
clubwear and
work wear. large
T-shirts, oversized
sweatshirts,
turtlenecks, and baggy
sweaters, slouch socks, Keds, white Sperry sneakers or athletic sneakers and hair in bangs and a ponytail with a scrunchie while at home running errands, at kids sporting events or other clubs and activities or relaxing during the weekends. The sexy school girl look was prominently portrayed in films with female leads such as
Clueless,
Empire Records, and
The Craft. • Among women over 30, 1950s ladylike fashions made a comeback in the United States. This included
pencil skirts,
cardigans,
girdles,
petticoats, satin or lace
Wonderbra lingerie, and fitted suits. Popular accessories that went hand-in-hand with this revival included
brooches, white gloves, sheer
stockings,
diamonds, sequins, and red lipstick. • Popular shoes and accessories during the mid-1990s in Europe and North America included
loafers,
Mary Janes,
knee high boots, navy blue, grey or pastel colored skirt suits with
shoulder pads,
pussy bow blouses, silk scarves, pointed shoes, stretchy
miniskirts,
polka dot blouses, and brightly colored short dresses worn with a dark
brocade blazer,
bare legs and metallic open toed shoes. Other
1980s fashions such as chunky jewelry, gold
hoop earrings with horn of life pendants, smoky eye make-up, hairspray,
Alice bands, and brightly painted nails remained common. Shorts suits were also very popular. They consisted of a regular suit top and jacket and dress shorts in short or bermuda length with tights underneath worn with
ballet flats. Also seen were stirrup pants worn over tights or pantyhose with flats and an oversized top. • By 1996, professional women in Britain, Australia and America wore more relaxed styles and muted colors, such as black floral print dresses, plain
kaftan style blouses,
Mary Janes, maxi skirts, knee length dresses, boots, smart jeans, big floppy hats,
culottes,
capri pants and chunky
platform shoes.
Trouser suits began to replace skirts, black or white tights and nude
pantyhose made a comeback.
Late 1990s (1997–1999) Asian influences • Beginning in 1997 and continuing into the mid-2000s, Southeast Asian and
Indian fashion began to influence and gain greater recognition from the global media due to the establishment of the
Fashion Design Council of India, and the hosting of
India Fashion Week in Delhi. Inspired by
Bollywood cinema and a resurgence of interest in
1970s fashion, designers in India adapted and repurposed the
saree,
churidar and
kurta into the Anarkali
ballgown from the early 1990s onwards. By the late 1990s,
kurta tunics were turned into short dresses, and
Manish Arora designed garish Hindu "God printed T-shirts" for both locals and global tourists. British, Asian and American designers also incorporated
ethnic chic fabrics, such as
khadi,
paisley, silk or Indonesian
Batik into Western-inspired clothing patterns such as shirts and blouses featuring traditional embroidery. This type of clothing was worn not only by the immigrant Bangladeshi, Pakistani and
Indian diaspora in Britain, but also by many non-Indian women.
1970s revival • From 1997 onwards, many British and American designers started to
take cues from the
disco fashion of the
mid–late 1970s. Particularly common were black or dark red
pleather pants, animal print clothing, halter tops, metallic clothing,
crop tops,
tube tops, maxi coats,
maxi skirts, knee boots sometimes with knee socks slouch at the top, and
boot-cut dress pants.
fleeces,
cropped tank tops,
Union Jack motifs inspired by the
Cool Britannia movement, and military inspired clothing, such as
flak jackets with camouflage patterns. • In the late 1990s, bright colors began to make a comeback in mainstream fashion, as a backlash against the darker tones associated with the
grunge and
skater subculture. Popular colors included
plum,
chocolate, and
navy, all of which replaced black, Other fashion trends popular from 1997 to 1999 included glamour wear, high-waisted
miniskirts, plastic
chokers,
knee socks associated with the school girl look,
tight pants,
slip dresses,
turtle-neck sweaters, conservative chic,
capri pants, high-waisted
trousers, and cardigans. • More formal styles intended for the workplace or special occasions (such as a
cocktail party) included
silk blouses in neutral colors or animal prints, The most popular trainers were white or black and manufactured by
Adidas,
Skechers, and
Nike. Running shoes with built in air pumps were popular among both sexes. Leather had largely replaced canvas, and soles were made of foam rather than solid rubber. • In the US and Britain, popular accessories included large
hoop earrings, shoes with rounded toes,
flip flops,
jelly shoes,
rhinestone-encrusted hip belts, embellished slippers, beaded wristbands and lariats, bandanas, and novelty
Wellington boots with leopard print or zebra stripe patterns. ==Men's fashion==