The Evolution of All the ’90s Trends You Totally Wore

Hilary George-Parkin
·5 min read

Hey, not sure if you’ve heard, but the ’90s are back! (Lol JK, they probably started saying that in 2001, and don’t seem to have stopped since.) In all seriousness, though, fashion has been particularly enamored of the decade of grunge and Nickelodeon in recent seasons, with chokers, crushed velvet, brown lipstick, and more all coming back for another turn on the trend merry-go-round with a fresh set of fans who—as in the case of Kylie Jenner, avowed fan of all of the above—may not even have been alive to witness their first wave of popularity.

Now, as we creep further in to the resurgence of the 2000s (see: Juicy Couture’s #trackisback campaign and the aforementioned Jenner’s newfound affection for Von Dutch hats) we thought we’d take a look back at how some of our favorite trends from the ’90s to now are being reinterpreted for the Instagram era.

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Below, see 15 of the most popular beauty and fashion fads then and now, using the slider tool to compare and contrast between the two.

Chokers

Ah, the choker necklace: so ubiquitous this year that even Taylor Swift called it “the new flower crown” at Coachella. Guess the days when teens wore the stretchy “tattoo” versions to middle-school dances aren’t so long gone after all.

Platform Shoes

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Steve Madden’s ads may be a little weird in retrospect, but at the time, they were what you ripped out of your copy of Seventeen and plastered on your walls. And the shoes? Well, if platform sneakers were good enough for the Spice Girls, they were good enough for the rest of us. Gucci’s 2016 version are a little more treacherous—and a lot more expensive—but the spirit remains.

Crop Tops

Pop culture was not messing around when it came to bare midriffs back in the day—but while Kylie may be taking her cues from Xtina lately, the rest of us tend to stick to easier-to-pull-off pairings like a cropped turtleneck or tee with high-waisted jeans.

Lip Gloss

Clear and nude glosses were *it* in the early aughts (J.Lo, in particular, was a connoisseur); now, punchier shades feel fresh—as do new formulations that don’t get stuck in your hair every other freakin’ minute.

Mom Jeans

Whether we’re buying real ’90s 501s from eBay or the vintage-inspired styles denim brands have been launching left and right lately, fashion girls today are all about high-rise silhouettes and true-blue washes.

Track Pants

Leave it to Rihanna to resurrect tearaways (or “breakaways,” depending on where you grew up). While Gwen was faithful to her Adidas, you can snap up the Fenty version for $150 right now.

Tommy Hilfiger Logos

Along with the resurgence of Calvin Klein undies, Fila sweatsuits, and Stussy caps, Tommy Hilfiger’s newfound popularity among millennials and Gen-Zers has been ushered in by Instagram and Urban Outfitters, which has savvily inked deals for exclusive ’90s-nostalgia collections with the classic sportswear brands.

Mini-Buns

Hmmm … double buns, questionably-insensitive bindi? Wonder where Chiara Ferragni could possibly be finding her Coachella inspo?

Juicy Couture Tracksuits

Yes, it’s true: Track is back. Or at least it is if you believe Juicy’s latest campaign, for which the brand tapped a diverse array of ambassadors, including TK and Cipriana Quann, Anna Speckhart, and Ruby Aldridge, to celebrate their signature tracksuit’s 21st birthday. Between that and their collaboration with so-hip-it-hurts brand Vetements, it’s clear Paris Hilton’s favorite purveyors of velour and terry hoodies has come a long way.

Brown Lipstick

All of our ’90s pop-culture faves wore brown lipstick (think that’s an exaggeration? Here’s proof.) Now, next-gen icons Gigi Hadid, Cara Delevingne, and (yasss) Beyoncé are taking up their mantle.

Von Dutch Trucker Hats

Many of us who caught Von Dutch fever the first time around did a double-take a few months back when the logo started popping up in our Instagram feeds like a ghost of trucker hats past. Whether or not Kylie is being paid to promote the brand is up for debate, but we’re sure Ashton Kutcher is psyched he can finally break his out of storage again.

Ultra-Wide-Leg Jeans

We may not be quite back to the era of JNCOs’ 50-inch leg openings, but we’re certainly creeping towards it, and we wouldn’t put it past Vetements to link up with the brand for a collab some season soon.

Velvet

Once upon a time, velvet was what all the best bad girls (Kate, Winona) wore to party and what we wore to skating competitions; now, it’s all over the Paris runways and the shelves at Zara.

Hair Tendrils

No updo or half-up style was complete without a pair of skinny tendrils hanging on either side of your face back in the day. (This still holds true if your name happens to be Kendall Jenner.)

Off-the-Shoulder

The only one of these trends that may rival chokers in its current ubiquity, off-the-shoulder tops have infiltrated every level of fashion since they started inching their way back into style several seasons ago. Paired with some mom jeans, they’re 100-percent Kelly Kapowski (and who knows, maybe feathered bangs and bouffants are next).

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