For those of us old enough to remember 90’s fashion from first time around, we had mixed feelings about the return of some classically 90’s trends. After all, the same decade that made style icons of Gwyneth Paltrow, Jennifer Aniston and Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy also gave us handkerchief hemlines, platform trainers and copious amounts of body glitter, and if you too spent most of the 1990s in denim skirts and plastic chokers, you may be reading this with trepidation. Before you panic though, thanks to a TikTok revival of all things 1990s to Y2K fashion, Gen Z is rediscovering the very best that the 1990s had to offer, and there are some key pieces that are garnering our attention once again. For every fashion faux pas there are two trends that still look good today, and Instagram’s best dressed are already ahead of the curve.
After scrolling though socials and digging deep into the feeds of trendsetters and tastemakers, I began to spot plenty of trends that grew in popularity nearly 30 years ago, but still look fresh today. (And if you’ve bought any straight jeans, Adidas trainers, or bandeau tops in the last 12 months, you can count yourselves among the insiders.) So, should you be looking for new trends ahead of a seasonal refresh, or you’re just a sucker for nostalgia, keep scrolling to see the 8 classic 90s trends that everyone will be wearing again in 2024.
Style Notes: First to ease you in gently, a nod to the minimalism that defined the early 90s, in the form of versatile basics. The runways showed Calvin Klein and Helmut Lang’s take on stripped-back staples, and on the streets we stocked up on tank tops, fitted tees and maxi skirts (usually accompanied by a denim jacket). Thankfully, this refined approach doesn’t age, and the same key pieces form the foundations of our capsule wardrobes in 2024, particularly in the same neutral colour palette of white, black, grey and camel.
Style Notes: There have been so many denim trends and jean styles released over the last year that its almost impossible to keep up. Are we wearing low-slung baggy jeans? Have skinny jeans really made a comeback? Are barrel and horseshoe jeans the future or fundamentally unflattering? Instead of trying to guess the next big thing, we’re happy staying to the classic that everyone knows and loves—the straight leg. Not only does it work for every size and shape, but you’re unlikely to look back at pictures in 20 years and wonder what you were thinking.
