Kind of similar to how pop culture likes to pretend that everybody in the '80s dressed like Madonna and The Village People, it seems like now people in the '90s are stereotyped as dressing like the characters from Beverly Hills, 90210. When I look at pictures of people in the '90s, I see a baggier, more untidy aesthetic regarding the way they're dressed, styling their hair, etc.

I guess it makes for funner Halloween costumes.  :D

That whole Kurt Cobain flannel grungy look is huge stereotype of the 90s.  :)

I walked by my local high school today, and I could've sworn I was on the set for 90210.

I walked by my local high school today, and I could've sworn I was on the set for 90210.


I honestly don't think it's that similar.

That whole Kurt Cobain flannel grungy look is huge stereotype of the 90s.  :)


Even the douchey frat-boy types were wearing flannel in the 90's.  ::)

Even the douchey frat-boy types were wearing flannel in the 90's.  ::)


In 1994/1995 I was 5 to 7 years old!  :(

In 1994/1995 I was 5 to 7 years old!  :(


Why the frown? Lincoln has a ton more cool stuff now than it did 20 years ago.

Why the frown? Lincoln has a ton more cool stuff now than it did 20 years ago.


I like the arena. I know some who hate it.

What do you think??  8) ???

I like the arena. I know some who hate it.

What do you think??  8) ???


I haven't been inside it yet but I think it's cool how it dominates the Lincoln skyline when I'm driving in on I-180, especially at night. It reminds me of something out of Blade Runner. Plus I want to check out that Canopy Street area some weekend, that looks like a lot of fun.

I used to hang out downtown and at the Haymarket a lot when I was in my 20's.

Why the frown? Lincoln has a ton more cool stuff now than it did 20 years ago.


What does this have to do with Lincoln? ???

Kind of similar to how pop culture likes to pretend that everybody in the '80s dressed like Madonna and The Village People, it seems like now people in the '90s are stereotyped as dressing like the characters from Beverly Hills, 90210. When I look at pictures of people in the '90s, I see a baggier, more untidy aesthetic regarding the way they're dressed, styling their hair, etc.

I guess it makes for funner Halloween costumes.  :D


I never heard the Village People used to stereotype the 80s. It's more of a late 70s stereotype if anything.
Bon Jovi would be more of an 80s stereotype.

That whole Kurt Cobain flannel grungy look is huge stereotype of the 90s.  :)


It was real, a ton of people dressed that way and the grunge look even made it to the runway scene.

What I wore in the 90's was children's clothing. Tights/leggings with prints on them. Jeans that zipped at the ankles. Stirrup pants. That's what I would remember. For older people, I know TV portrayed alot of high waisted jeans, cropped tops, baggy shirts. A plain style.

What I wore in the 90's was children's clothing. Tights/leggings with prints on them. Jeans that zipped at the ankles. Stirrup pants. That's what I would remember. For older people, I know TV portrayed alot of high waisted jeans, cropped tops, baggy shirts. A plain style.


I recently talked to someone who was a '90s teen. Even though she never cared at all about fashion, she at least knew that the current "grunge" revival (or attempt) looks nothing like authentic '90s grunge. That's why I've coined a new term for the current grunge incarnation: pseudo grunge.  :P

I recently talked to someone who was a '90s teen. Even though she never cared at all about fashion, she at least knew that the current "grunge" revival (or attempt) looks nothing like authentic '90s grunge. That's why I've coined a new term for the current grunge incarnation: pseudo grunge.  :P


Of course. Nothing ever comes back exactly the same way as it was before. It will have blatant influences, but it won't be exact. When things are brought back, in both music and fashion, it gets modernized to fit in more with today, as to seem less campy. Music doesn't modernize it as much, and will often rip-off the genres it inspires, but it still rejuvenates.

Whenever I read anything about the 90s (or often the 80s as well), I often feel like I've slipped into a parallel universe.  It sometimes seems that what I remember is totally different from what everyone else remembers.

The way I remember it, living in Hawaii, is that the first half of the 90s were almost exactly the same as the second half of the 80s.  People were wearing more or less the same kinds of muumuus, aloha shirts, T-shirts that they were wearing in the mid to late 80s.  The hairstyles were pretty much the same, too.  The changes were mostly very gradual and subtle (I noted this in another topic on facial hair).  The biggest difference that I noticed at the time was that mens' shorts became longer and baggier in the early 90s, as contrasted to the early 80s when they were super short.  Facial hair continued to gradually decline.  Mens' hair generally became shorter in the 90s as well.

It wasn't until the late 90s when I noticed real changes.  It seemed that clothing was becoming --- I'm not sure what the correct word is --- more "show offy"?  The biggest thing I remember about fashion in the latter part of the 90s was the sagging pants thing.  It seemed like hip hop fashion was becoming popular among many youths.  College students at UH Manoa seemed to become a LITTLE bit more fashion conscious and dressier, but they certainly were not dressing like they lived in Beverly Hills.

I don't think this is something peculiar to Hawaii, either.  I went to college in the Midwest, and again, I don't think there was any radical change.  I remember going back to my 5th year college reunion in 1993.  Everything seemed pretty much the same as it was in 1988, except for the weather (there was a severe drought in 1988 and equally severe flooding in 1993).  I looked at pictures from things like the yearbook as well.  The clothes and hair styles of the students seemed exude that same granola vibe I felt in the eighties.

In any case, I never once got the impression that my alma mater was turning into 90210.


Kind of similar to how pop culture likes to pretend that everybody in the '80s dressed like Madonna and The Village People, it seems like now people in the '90s are stereotyped as dressing like the characters from Beverly Hills, 90210. When I look at pictures of people in the '90s, I see a baggier, more untidy aesthetic regarding the way they're dressed, styling their hair, etc.

I guess it makes for funner Halloween costumes.  :D

90's clothing was baggy and basic. Just a T-shirt and a pair of jeans, that's all. Women wore clothes with weird and ugly designs and their hairstyles were also basic.

What we see today is a completely distorted view of 90's clothing. But it's the same retro style fashion of the late 00's applied to the 90's. The style is just a modernized and distorted version of the 60's, 70's, 80's and 90's fashion. Because fashion is completely and utterly stagnant and designers want to bring back the good ol' days, so people with nostalgia will buy their clothes.

What surprises me is the way teens eagerly adopt this trashy old style of the 90's and cling to it as if it was so groundbreaking, but it has been redone to death.... Even when I was a teenager, urban clothing of the mid 2000's was just a modernized version of 90's fashion, but at least we weren't pretending it was a throwback of the 90's.  :D
Baggy Trousers was an 80s thing, especially by Madness

What surprises me is the way teens eagerly adopt this trashy old style of the 90's and cling to it as if it was so groundbreaking, but it has been redone to death.... Even when I was a teenager, urban clothing of the mid 2000's was just a modernized version of 90's fashion, but at least we weren't pretending it was a throwback of the 90's.  :D


I think it is probably older than the 90's. It seems to me that what became the grunge style in the early 90's was simply how young, mostly white, working class Americans tended to dress in a very un-self-conscious way. Look at Judd Nelson's character from The Breakfast Club in 1985. Apart from a few very minor differences, he looks pretty much like an early 90's grunge musician, don't you think?

A lot of things exist early on, before they really catch on.

Whenever I read anything about the 90s (or often the 80s as well), I often feel like I've slipped into a parallel universe.  It sometimes seems that what I remember is totally different from what everyone else remembers.

The way I remember it, living in Hawaii, is that the first half of the 90s were almost exactly the same as the second half of the 80s.  People were wearing more or less the same kinds of muumuus, aloha shirts, T-shirts that they were wearing in the mid to late 80s.  The hairstyles were pretty much the same, too.  The changes were mostly very gradual and subtle (I noted this in another topic on facial hair).  The biggest difference that I noticed at the time was that mens' shorts became longer and baggier in the early 90s, as contrasted to the early 80s when they were super short.  Facial hair continued to gradually decline.  Mens' hair generally became shorter in the 90s as well.

It wasn't until the late 90s when I noticed real changes.  It seemed that clothing was becoming --- I'm not sure what the correct word is --- more "show offy"?  The biggest thing I remember about fashion in the latter part of the 90s was the sagging pants thing.  It seemed like hip hop fashion was becoming popular among many youths.  College students at UH Manoa seemed to become a LITTLE bit more fashion conscious and dressier, but they certainly were not dressing like they lived in Beverly Hills.

I don't think this is something peculiar to Hawaii, either.  I went to college in the Midwest, and again, I don't think there was any radical change.  I remember going back to my 5th year college reunion in 1993.  Everything seemed pretty much the same as it was in 1988, except for the weather (there was a severe drought in 1988 and equally severe flooding in 1993).  I looked at pictures from things like the yearbook as well.  The clothes and hair styles of the students seemed exude that same granola vibe I felt in the eighties.

In any case, I never once got the impression that my alma mater was turning into 90210.

Late 90's fashion had some fads that didn't last long. Super wide leg jeans for boys, even girls variety. Platform shoes or clogs were short lived here. The bohemian thing was the next decade more and lasted longer. Hip hop fashion took off in the 2000s more too, but I remember boys at school who wore baggy pants and sports jerseys, also oversized.

Did the 90s even have a particular style? I'm not sure you can stereotype them.

Did the 90s even have a particular style? I'm not sure you can stereotype them.
I would say comic sans style

I would say comic sans style

Perfect.

Interesting topic! I think perhaps the biggest one is that all teenagers were into the "grunge" look. I was a teen during the 1990s and while some kids were into that look, most were not. Also as somone mentioned, the current "grunge revival" looks NOTHING like what the real grunge kids wore back in the 1990s.

Another thing I would point out is that nowadays, fashion for moms/daughters looks almost the same. In the 90s, moms looked very Mom-ish with the sensible hairstyles, business attire, mom jeans, pantyhose, etc. Teenage girls in the 90s would NEVER want to dress like their moms, but nowadays mothers and daughters pretty much can borrow each other's clothes and still look totally chic.

Also, alot of stuff that was popular in the 80s hung around until well into the mid 90s. It wasn't until about 1997ish that everything leftover from the 80s was completely phased out.

Just some of my recollections/observations  :D


What 80s leftovers were there until 1997? The technology was pre digital in 1996 but I don't remember anything from the 80s being popular then.

What 80s leftovers were there until 1997? The technology was pre digital in 1996 but I don't remember anything from the 80s being popular then.


At least where I lived, I remember seeing ladies still teasing their bangs in a more 80s style until around then. Not saying they were still relevent, but certain things liek that I rememebr seeing until about 1997.

At least where I lived, I remember seeing ladies still teasing their bangs in a more 80s style until around then. Not saying they were still relevent, but certain things liek that I rememebr seeing until about 1997.


OK so you mean small little leftovers.
I never saw anyone dressing like this any time after the first half of 93

http://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0248/4802/files/a110_medium.jpg?5715

OK so you mean small little leftovers.
I never saw anyone dressing like this any time after the first half of 93

http://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0248/4802/files/a110_medium.jpg?5715


Oh yes, VERY small leftovers and it was mainly the older people who did it. I also live in Texas so it wasn't uncommon to see 40ish year old ladies with the "Texas high hair" and acid wash walking around the mall then!

People my age wouldn't be caught dead holding onto any 80ish fads lol!

OK so you mean small little leftovers.
I never saw anyone dressing like this any time after the first half of 93

http://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0248/4802/files/a110_medium.jpg?5715


They changed with the times.

They changed with the times.


It's so hard to believe that any of those clothes were once considered 'stylish'. The pants, baggy jackets, and hairstyles are horrendous!

I had a pair of pants like that, but don't remember wearing them for very long! (circa 1990)

It's so hard to believe that any of those clothes were once considered 'stylish'. The pants, baggy jackets, and hairstyles are horrendous!

I had a pair of pants like that, but don't remember wearing them for very long! (circa 1990)

I had a pair of jeans as a little kid that had similar color patterns. They were black with paint splatters. I think I'd have been kintergarten age or so. That style is more 80's like to me.

It's so hard to believe that any of those clothes were once considered 'stylish'. The pants, baggy jackets, and hairstyles are horrendous!

I had a pair of pants like that, but don't remember wearing them for very long! (circa 1990)


It looks like someone threw up a rainbow.

I agree it's all about Beverly Hills, 90210 right now. It's a good representation of 90s fashion since it covers the entire decade as well as 2000. Other good representations of 90s fashion include Saved by the Bells (early 90s), The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air (early–mid 90s), F.R.I.E.N.D.S (mid–late 90s), Boy Meets World (mid–late 90s), Buffy the Vampire Slayer (late 90s), and Sabrina the Teenage Witch (late 90s).

Fashion was pretty funky from 1983 to 1992.

Kind of similar to how pop culture likes to pretend that everybody in the '80s dressed like Madonna and The Village People, it seems like now people in the '90s are stereotyped as dressing like the characters from Beverly Hills, 90210. When I look at pictures of people in the '90s, I see a baggier, more untidy aesthetic regarding the way they're dressed, styling their hair, etc.

I guess it makes for funner Halloween costumes.  :D


What I remember most about the '90s was huge wide-leg JNCO jeans and t-shirts several sizes too large.

What I remember most about the '90s was huge wide-leg JNCO jeans and t-shirts several sizes too large.


Wasn't that 2000s also?

I was a teenager during this time, and can remember there were many, many fashion trends. Not just the Grunge look. In 1991-1994 my friends(that were girls) and I wore lots of body suits with jeans that were somewhat baggy(tight pants were not in). We wore sneakers, but sneakers in the 90s looked so much better. We also wore ballerina flats with the large bows in the center. Baby doll type dresses/sundresses. There was one hair style that was very popular around 1991-1994. It was basically the hair parted, half of it in a high ponytail(on top of the head) and half of it down. So, there was nothing '80s about it.

And yes, the 90210 fashion/hairstyles...people dressed like that. 

Fashion was pretty funky from 1983 to 1992.


True.

OK so you mean small little leftovers.
I never saw anyone dressing like this any time after the first half of 93

http://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0248/4802/files/a110_medium.jpg?5715


I don't remember anyone dressing like that.. :(

Wasn't that 2000s also?

Late 90's carry over.  ;)


I was a teenager during this time, and can remember there were many, many fashion trends. Not just the Grunge look. In 1991-1994 my friends(that were girls) and I wore lots of body suits with jeans that were somewhat baggy(tight pants were not in). We wore sneakers, but sneakers in the 90s looked so much better. We also wore ballerina flats with the large bows in the center. Baby doll type dresses/sundresses. There was one hair style that was very popular around 1991-1994. It was basically the hair parted, half of it in a high ponytail(on top of the head) and half of it down. So, there was nothing '80s about it.

And yes, the 90210 fashion/hairstyles...people dressed like that.

I used to wear my hair half up, half down too in grade school! The babydoll dresses are popular now again with leggings. I like the style actually, even if I always wear jeans. In the late 90's makeup was either glittery or you had brown lipsticks and lip glosses. What jr. high girls wore anyway.

I don't remember anyone dressing like that.. :(


I do. We wore SoCal workout pants from mid 1989 to mid 1992. Good times, for me anyway.

Late 90's carry over.  ;)
I used to wear my hair half up, half down too in grade school! The babydoll dresses are popular now again with leggings. I like the style actually, even if I always wear jeans. In the late 90's makeup was either glittery or you had brown lipsticks and lip glosses. What jr. high girls wore anyway.


The baby doll dresses or sundresses from the '90s were so different than the ones I see today. I do remember the glittery makeup later in the '90s. And the neutral lipstick colors/makeup that were popular around 1993-1994. We did use lip gloss during that time, but it was always either the cherry colored or the clear. 


I do. We wore SoCal workout pants from mid 1989 to mid 1992. Good times, for me anyway.


Yes, but what I mean is I didn't see people walk around actually matching with each other, as is shown in the picture.

Yes, but what I mean is I didn't see people walk around actually matching with each other, as is shown in the picture.


Sorry about that, you're totally right.

The baby doll dresses or sundresses from the '90s were so different than the ones I see today. I do remember the glittery makeup later in the '90s. And the neutral lipstick colors/makeup that were popular around 1993-1994. We did use lip gloss during that time, but it was always either the cherry colored or the clear. 

Yes, but what I mean is I didn't see people walk around actually matching with each other, as is shown in the picture.

How were the dresses different then vs. today?

How were the dresses different then vs. today?


I have seen many of the sundresses/baby doll type dresses that are in fashion these days, and if I didn't ask what kind of dresses they were or look them up I would never have known they were, lol. I think the ones of today look more like big shirts that are supposed to be worn with leggings. And the ones I wore in the '90s were more dainty looking. I know this because I still have several of my dresses from the '90s. So I compared them a bit! :)