The Fab and Not-So-Fab of 90’s Fashion

More and more 90’s inspired fashion is making its way into stores. So seeing as we are in the midst of a 90’s fashion revival, let’s look back on the fab and the not-so-fab 90’s looks. Here is my take. Please add your own rants and raves in the comments.

Fab 90’s fashion:

  1. Boot cut jeans and trousers – the quintessential all time flattering cut.
  2. Stretch fabrications – a technological revelation.
  3. Combat boots – love, love, love!
  4. Short ditsy floral dresses – flirty and fun.
  5. Strappy dresses worn over T’s – practical, casual and quite ageless. Girls and women of all ages were wearing this look and pulled it off.
  6. Knee-length knife pleated skirts – so feminine.
  7. All-black power suits – I wore far too much black in the 90’s and I have these power suits to thank for it.
  8. Low heel heights – happy feet.
  9. Twin sets – cheeky, retro and lady like.
  10. Wedged sneakers – cool and different.
  11. Square toed footwear – arty.
  12. Chunky heels – my favourite kind of heel.
  13. Grunge – even I bought into the whole plaid shirt thing, just for Eddie Vedder.

Not-so-fab 90’s fashion:

  1. Palazzo pants –  especially pleated styles that finished a few inches above the ankle or just below the calf. Too much fabric for my liking.
  2. Opaque tights – I owned exactly one pair, wore them once and never again.
  3. Super low rise jeans – plumbers bottom, no thank you.
  4. Baggy cargo pocket pants – have never been a fan of this look on gals but think it’s sweet on blokes.
  5. Short tops – too drafty, too revealing, too uncomfortable.
  6. Baby T’s – too juvenile.
  7. Cartoon characters on everything – it was fun for a season but became complete overkill.
  8. Maxi skirts – a hard look to pull off.
  9. Mid calf length dresses – another hard too to pull off.
  10. Scrunchies – I can’t believe I wore them all the time.
  11. Overly short A-line skirts – I never felt fab in these and can’t understand why I wore them.
  12. Hectically ripped jeans – I don’t get it.
  13. Lots and lots and lots of grey – if you think there is too much grey now, think back to how it was 15 years ago.

The 90’s had its fashion highlights. It toned down the big hair and clown-ish make up looks of the 80’s and paved the way for the truly versatile and modern fashion of the 00’s. I’m enjoying the improved incarnations of 90’s fashion as they re-enter the mainstream and I’m trying to keep an open mind about the looks I didn’t fancy last time around.

Men in Fashionable Heels

Louis the 14th wore heels every day, as did most of the aristocracy of his time. Blokes in the 70’s wore heeled boots and shoes under bell bottom pants and thought nothing of it. It was perfectly acceptable fashion back then and an important part of their look.

Today heeled mens footwear is pretty fringe. The examples below have heel heights ranging from one and three quarter to two and half inches. Will it once again become fashionable for men to wear heels?  Or are those days over, over, over. Your guess is as good as mine.


6 Wardrobe Items Your Style Can’t Live Without

Fabulous Colour Expert and Designer Maria Killam from Colour Me Happy inspired this train of thought with her recent newsletter article on 5 Accessories Everyone Should Have in Their Home. I tried to come up with an equivalent list, but outfit accessories are such a personal choice that I found it impossible to suggest the 5 accessories everyone should have in their wardrobe.

Instead I’m doing the 6 wardrobe items your style can’t live without. I don’t usually generalize about this sort of thing, because age, lifestyle and fashion persona play such a crucial role in determining what wardrobe items are best for you. But just for fun I gave it a bash! So here they are:

  1. A jaw-dropping pair of jeans: Any silhouette, any wash, as long as you feel KILLER when you wear one of fashions most extraordinary clothing inventions.
  2. A beautiful pair of boots: Luscious handbags aren’t everyone’s cup of tea, but boots evoke lots of positive emotion. Any style, any colour, as long as you feel powerful when they grace your feet.
  3. A delectable dress: A women is ultra-feminine when she wears a dress and it’s as simple as that.
  4. A jazzy jacket: To quote Kendall Farr from her new book, Style Evolution, “a jacket that fits well defines the body and is the most essential wardrobe miracle worker for women of every shape and size”. I wholeheartedly agree that a superb jacket does incomparable things for one’s style.
  5. A happening hairstyle: Your hair can make or break your look. Our outfits feel most fab when our hair feels fab. Not so?
  6. A spectacular smile: This isn’t exactly a wardrobe item but you do wear a smile. When I catch a glimpse of warm and genuine smile, I don’t even notice the outfit the person is wearing. Instead, I’m totally captivated by their face. You don’t need to have perfect teeth or luscious lips to have a spectacular smile. A brilliant grin straight from the heart does the trick.

Does this list resonate with you? How would you change the list? How many of the items do you have covered?

And to Maria from Colour Me Happy, you’ll be pleased to know that we have your list covered in our home!

Roundups

Simpler Items

This week's list of top picks list is about basic pieces.

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Assorted Items

Items for Summer, both in and out of air conditioning.

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Casual Summer Vibes

This week's top picks are good for a casual Summer vibe.

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Summery Earth Tones

These items are for those who like to wear casual earth tones in warm and hot weather.

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Hints of Spring

Some tried-and-tested winning items to refresh your style for Spring.

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Dressier Items

An assortment of dressier top picks might be just what the doctor ordered.

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Final Thoughts on Fashion Week, Spring/Summer 2011

We love New York City and Fashion Week, but it’s always great to be back home! Here are my final thoughts on what we saw and experienced:

5 Strong Trends for Spring 2011

  1. Lots of citron, tomato red and bright purple.
  2. Beige and off white will be “the” neutrals of the season.
  3. Fun 70’s inspired design details will make their mark.
  4. It’s about contrasts: silhouettes are both form fitting and voluminous, hemlines are both long and short, fabrics are both soft and stiff, colours are both bright and muted.
  5. Move over dresses and skirts, pants reign supreme. Think wide leg trousers, palazzos, short shorts, skinny cargos and harem styles.

5 Things you probably didn’t know about Fashion Week

  1. The venue is surrounded by the NYPD.
  2. If people aren’t talking, taking pictures or watching a show, they are texting or tweeting about what they see. The thumb typing at Fashion Week is relentless!
  3. People aren’t generally chatty when they stand in line waiting to see a show.
  4. The security staff are amazing and their colourful personalities add a lot to the vibe of Fashion Week.
  5. There is free bottled water, coffee and protein shakes for Fashion Week attendees.

5 Favourite things about Fashion Week

  1. Shows: Edition Georges Chakra and Thuy.
  2. Show ensembles: George Chakra’s turquoise ombre gown and Carlos Miele’s short red cascading dress.
  3. What I Wore: LBD my way, and all the outfits I wore with jodhpur jeans.
  4. Meals: Cheese Plate at la Boite en Boir, the salmon sashimi at Donburi-ya, and all the gelato.
  5. Moments: Greg’s daily outfit comments, meeting up for the YLF gathering, sitting front row at the Thuy show, walking through sunny NYC with my sweetie in flat shoes.

We have listed the posts below If you missed some of the coverage and would like to catch up. Shows marked with an asterisk have special backgrounds — Fashion Week was a great opportunity to exploit the new chameleon feature and we were very happy with the results. We hope you enjoyed this fashion week as much as we did.

The Shows:

My Outfits:


Your Style Evolution in Spring and Summer 2010

I enjoy trying and retrying new trends, remixing existing wardrobe pieces and pushing my fashion envelope. That way I don’t get bored of my outfits. In some instances the look isn’t completely new, but more of an evolved and often improved version of a look that I’ve sported before. Either way, my style feels refreshed when I dress a little differently each season.

This is how I recharged my look for Spring and Summer 2010:

  • Bracelet: My new chunky pearl bracelet means leaving off the chunky pearl necklace. Having never worn bracelets, this is a big change for me.
  • Messy scarf: I love wearing messy scarf looks with my one and only bracelet. No necklace required.
  • Flat loafers: These androgynous darlings put a new edgy and arty spin on my outfits.
  • Harem pants: One of my favourite looks of the season, worn both in dressy and more casual ways.
  • Faded denim: Giving my dark denim jacket a break in favour of the new faded one has been more refreshing than I imagined. My faded denim shirt has been fabulous too.
  • Jodhpur jeans: Just thinking about these crazy jeans makes me smile. So different and a fab low rise surprise.
  • Button down tunic shirts: As a shirt gal at heart, button down tunic shirts in both black and white are another Spring and Summer wardrobe workhorse worn in casual and smart casual ensembles, all the way to business casual and semi formal outfits.
  • Nude shoes: It took me a while to get my head around this colour, but as long as the nude leather is textured, I’m thrilled to sport the look. My nude Fidjis and Summer slouch boots get loads of wear.
  • Structured handbag: My one and only structured handbag courtesy of my London family is a pleasure to wear. Instant retro Madmen 50’s fun.

Over to you. How did you refresh and evolve your look this season? Are you liking the changes that you made?