Roundup: Is 90s fashion back? My favorite looks

September 17, 2020

The past few years were a lot about the 80s — big, bold shoulder pads, waists cinched with wide belts and oversized blazers. So, really, it shouldn’t have been a surprise that, after a couple of years of paying homage to the Madonna era, an adoration for the 90s would follow. And yet, somehow, I still raised an eyebrow. Who on earth wants to go back to pre-high-waist times? Who wants to relive acid-wash jeans, high-neck, halter-style shirts and hipbone-hugging low waistlines?

The answer: we do, apparently. Because within this past year, I’ve been seeing a lot of 90s trends make their way through social media. Like, the dreaded whale tail. Yes — you heard that right. Back in April of 2020, WhoWhatWear published an article that claimed we “saw this trend bubbling up sporadically in 2018 and 2019, but here we are only a few days into 2020, and we’ve already spotted it on a few of the most influential fashion girls.” Not going to lie, I have, too. Especially on Bella Hadid and Jennifer Lopez. The slight adjustment we made to the trend this year, apparently, has been sewing the “thong” into the garment itself. (Because, convenience.)

If you saw the Off-White show in Paris earlier this year, you’ll also know that cut outs have been having a moment lately, too. This is something I’m actually loving a lot, since 2020 brought so many fresh takes on the tired micro-trend. We’ve been seeing skin showing through Swiss-cheese holes, crooked triangles and all sorts of abstract, ruched shapes.

So, without further ado, here are a few of my favorite 90s-style looks and where to scoop up the “modern” version on the right.