1990s Fashion: Top Styles, Designers And Clothing Trends

Grunge, minimalism, Britpop and sportswear - four very different wardrobes in one decade.

Below: the clothes, the hairstyles and the accessories of the 1990s, then the fastest way to put together a costume if you are going to a themed night.

Useful for a decade party, a school project, a reminiscence session or working out what someone wore when they were young.

Years covered in the 1990s

• 1990 - Thatcher resigned, Gazza cried, and the country spent a fortnight thinking England might actually win it. Full year: /blogs/news/look-back-to-1990
• 1991 - Bryan Adams would not get off the top of the chart, the Soviet Union ceased to exist, and Freddie Mercury died. Full year: /blogs/news/look-back-to-1991
• 1992 - Black Wednesday, a general election nobody predicted correctly, and the Premier League arrived. Full year: /blogs/news/look-back-to-1992
• 1993 - Mr Blobby was Christmas number one, which is somehow not the strangest thing about the year. Full year: /blogs/news/look-back-to-1993
• 1994 - The Lottery started, the Channel Tunnel opened, and Wet Wet Wet would not leave the number one spot. Full year: /blogs/news/look-back-to-1994
• 1995 - Blur against Oasis on the Six O'Clock News, and Toy Story changed films for good. Full year: /blogs/news/look-back-to-1995
• 1996 - Football came home, nearly, and the Spice Girls arrived and took the entire decade with them. Full year: /blogs/news/look-back-to-1996
• 1997 - A landslide in May, a death in August, and the best-selling single in British history. Full year: /blogs/news/look-back-to-1997
• 1998 - The Good Friday Agreement, a World Cup sending off nobody forgave, and Furby. Full year: /blogs/news/look-back-to-1998
• 1999 - An eclipse over Cornwall, a millennium everybody was quietly worried about, and boy bands everywhere. Full year: /blogs/news/look-back-to-1999
• That is every 1990s year we have written up so far: 1990 to 1999.

What people wore in the 1990s

• Grunge: flannel shirts tied at the waist, band tees, ripped jeans, Doc Martens.
• Slip dresses worn over a plain t-shirt.
• Minimalist black, plain and unfussy, in the middle of the decade.
• Britpop: parkas, Adidas trackies, polo shirts, bucket hats.
• Combat trousers, crop tops and platform trainers by 1997-99.

Hairstyles

• The Rachel, copied everywhere after Friends.
• Curtains for men, parted in the middle.
• Crimped hair, butterfly clips and zigzag partings.
• Chunky highlights and frosted tips at the end of the decade.

Accessories and finishing touches

• Chokers, especially the stretchy black tattoo ones.
• Bucket hats and baseball caps.
• Tiny rectangular sunglasses.
• Scrunchies, butterfly clips and hair mascara.
• Tamagotchis clipped to a bag - technically a toy, worn as an accessory.

Designers and labels of the 1990s

• Alexander McQueen, from Central Saint Martins (1992) to Givenchy in 1996.
• John Galliano at Givenchy then Dior from 1996.
• Calvin Klein and Helmut Lang, minimalism and the slip dress.
• Prada's nylon and the idea that plain could be expensive.
• Tom Ford at Gucci from 1994, turning the house around.
• Stella McCartney at Chloe (1997) and Hussein Chalayan in London.

Dressing up as the 1990s

• Flannel shirt over a band tee with ripped jeans - grunge in one step.
• Bucket hat plus a tracksuit top for the Britpop version.
• Butterfly clips and a choker date a photo to the nineties instantly.

Where to find the clothes

• Charity shops first - the later decades turn up constantly and cost almost nothing.
• Your own loft or a relative's wardrobe beats any fancy dress shop for authenticity.
• Buy the accessories new and the clothes second-hand; the accessories are what people recognise.
• Fancy dress versions of an era are usually a cartoon of it - one real garment looks better than a whole costume.

Shop cards

How to write it so it lands

• Photographs date an outfit faster than anything - look at family albums from the era before you shop.
• Hair and accessories carry a decade better than the clothes do.
• Pair this with the 1990s playlist for a themed night that hangs together.

Where to shop next

• Look back to 1990
• Look back to 1991
• Look back to 1992
• Look back to 1993
• Look back to 1994
• Look back to 1995
• Look back to 1996
• Look back to 1997
• Look back to 1998
• Look back to 1999
• 1990s books, films and TV
• 1990s calendar: year by year
• 1990s trivia: fun facts
• The 1990s: the whole decade
• Retro gift guide: the 1990s
• 1990s party playlist
• 90s kids' TV shows
• 90s quiz questions
• Toys of the 80s and 90s
• Video shops and late fees
• Saturday morning TV
• Phones before mobiles
• Decade history: key events, politics and culture by era
• Decade books: best novels, authors and reading trends
• Decade fashion: clothes, hair and accessories by era
• Decade guides: books, films and TV by era
• Decade calendar: every year from 1920
• Decade trivia: fun facts by era
• Nostalgia gift shop
• Retro party supplies
• Decade-themed birthday parties
• Guess the year quiz
• Milestone birthday cards
• Planning the party? Birthday party ideas
• How to make a balloon arch
• Photo booth prop ideas
• Pin badges
• All guides

Frequently asked questions

What did people wear in the 1990s?

Grunge: flannel shirts tied at the waist, band tees, ripped jeans, Doc Martens. The full list above covers the everyday clothes as well as the going-out ones, because the two were rarely the same.

What was the 1990s hairstyle?

The Rachel, copied everywhere after Friends. The other styles above ran alongside it - no decade had only one haircut.

Who were the big fashion designers of the 1990s?

Alexander McQueen, from Central Saint Martins (1992) to Givenchy in 1996. The designers section above lists the rest of the names and labels that set the decade's styles.

How do I dress up as the 1990s for a party?

Pick one silhouette and one accessory that everyone recognises, and stop there. The dressing-up section above gives the shortcuts for this era.

Do you sell clothes?

No. We make greeting cards, art prints and pin badges in the UK. This page is free to read and free to copy.