1990's Fashion History - The Mood of the Millennium
Assessing a decade of fashion so close in time is complex. In terms of
costume history it's only after a trend has been around for several years can we
acknowledge that it's more than a passing fad and deserves recognition in the
archives of history. We each see what we ourselves wore as what was worn and
typical of the era. The mood of society in
the final decade of the last millennium was more defining than what was actually
worn.
So much more was on offer globally, and many people lost interest in fashion
as necessary and important to their lives when business rules for dressing
relaxed. Working from home became common. By the edge of the 21st
century
dressing down in every aspect of life became an acceptable norm. Ordinary retail clothing
sales, textile manufacturing industries and stores all declined from a less
active more casual marketplace.
The range of fashion goods available was huge in the 1990s, but no one knows
the real answer why retail sales were often sluggish. The main thrust of fashion
was the striving to achieve individuality. Fashion proliferated as fast as it
could be relayed by the media and Internet and only by styling oneself rather
than slavishly following a particular designer's fashion look, could
individuality be achieved. Rapid dissemination of information and a more relaxed
attitude to clothes has led to a certain inevitable uniformity in cities
thousands of miles apart.
Comfort dressing with stretch, accounts for many sales today.
One thing about the decade we can say confidently was that after the
conspicuous consuming years of the 1980s less became more in the 1990s. Not everyone adopted
minimalism, but many did as they sought to blend and fit with an increasingly
aggressive urban society. The silhouette became neater as shoulder pads finally
died and jewellery became non existent or chic in its fineness and barely there
quality.
The only concession to 80's glitz was a subtle, but new iridescent glitter
shimmer on sheer and tulle fabrics that went through to skin make up and hair
spray. For many the sleek hairstyle copied from Jennifer Aniston or the funkier
choppier hairstyle of Meg Ryan was the only hairstyle to sport.
Remnants of the eighties were still around for the first years of the 90s
and particularly in provincial areas.
Short above knee straight skirts and stirrup ski pants masquerading as a refined
version of leggings were worn with long chenille yarn sweater tunics, oversized
shoulder padded shirts or big embellished T-shirts. The latter gradually reduced
in size to become slimmer fitted and semi fitted garter stitch knits with fake fur collars,
darted three-quarter shirts and screen printed t-tops minus the pads often worn
with tie waist, easy loose trousers, jeans or boot leg trousers.
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Several major silhouettes identify the decade. The decade began with short
fitted jackets, a shoulder padded leftover from the eighties that sometimes sported
peplums, fluted princess panels or hip basques with fabric swathed bertha style shoulders.
The first new different silhouette was the 1991-2 fingertip length
straighter, longer line three-quarter narrower jacket that moved down an inch
for every year of the era. It was worn with an above knee skirt or flirtatious
circular layered or snappy pleated skirt in the early decade. Ra-Ra skirts, a
froth of short frills or net set on a mini skirt were popular in the early 90s
with the under twenty fives.
A short, sleeveless, boat neck shift dress that initially showed about 8 inches
of the lower dress under the jacket was seen as a useful business outfit. This
last look remained an acceptable fashion for the decade, one which could be
dressed up or down and is still seen in the new decade, but mostly with the
jacket longer at a matching length to the dress.
Trouser silhouettes included the oversized baggy hip hop look of Adidas
windpants and baggy jeans. Young
people adopted loose cargo pants and fitness sportswear as a general uniform.
The other major silhouette was the same fingertip length jacket worn with
trousers. The trouser suit became a mainstay of every woman's wardrobe. Trousers
became straight legged and wider including variations of boot leg slightly
flared trousers.
Earlier in the decade in 1992-3 before the trouser suit became a wardrobe staple, black
narrow jeans were worn and often teamed with airman's aviator distressed jackets.
Blue jeans were also worn with a navy blazer and classic white or blue shirt.
Leather and leather imitations reappeared as trousers mid decade. Later in
the decade short, boxy, zippered, stand neck, rock chick leather jackets in pink or black
mostly got teamed with jeans. Young girls imitating pop girl bands like the
Spice Girls favoured skimpy bustier tops or midriff revealing halter tops worn
also with jeans, trousers, cropped trousers or mini skirts. Skimpy, stretch and
cling tops made from soft Lycra enhanced fabric in imitation of designs by Léger
and Alaïa were used to enhance the figures of many with breast implants.
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The classic blazer, a late 80s early 90s fashion, remained popular with
women over thirty five, especially with subdued worsted wool straight trousers.
One blazer sold by Marks and Spencer rumoured to have been designed by Armani
was voted a best buy by a national magazine. Many UK women owned at least one of
the colours it came in, which ranged over a 10 year era from navy, bottle green,
camel, black, wine, red, saxe blue and several dulled tartans.
By mid decade, with its gold finish buttons now a leftover sign from the
80s, it
began to look quite dated, even though the shoulder line was softened and
narrowed. Still available it is worn mostly now by generations over sixty.
The London company Ghost kept even private members of their shop Voyage waiting for their soft floaty
designs that were feminine and distinctive. However they were very easy to copy
and to run up at home and soon were everywhere. Nationwide the girly fashion for the petticoat dresses or cowl neck shoestring
strap dress worn with a plain, velvet trimmed or beaded cashmere cardigan or Pashmina set a
return to femininity. Flesh began to be exposed again and some of the fashions looked
good on younger women with toned bodies.
Cleavage came back and a Wonderbra became as essential as it
had been in the early 70s. When grunge fashion arrived, showing bra straps no
longer seemed important. Underwear became outerwear and was often visible under
jackets.
Such was the demand for uplift bras for all sizes that in the late 1990s Charnos funded £1
million of research for the invention of the new Bioform Bra for fuller busted
women.
One of the best hits in bras was the Ultimo bra. This gel filled bra gives not only a natural look, but also cleavage to flat chested women. The
actress Julia Roberts wore one to great effect in the film Erin Brockenvich.
In the mid 90s a fashion for Chinese cheongsam dresses and rich dress or interior brocade fabrics came at about the same time as interest in the British
handover of Hong Kong. After 156 years the colony was given back to the Chinese
on July 1 1997.
Straight dresses with mandarin collars and mandarin necks on long line brocade
jackets followed a similar slim line. Other garments, shawls and knits were
lavished with embroidery techniques made possible by new mass production
embroidery machines. The opening up of China also heralded a new availability of
decorative goods such as beaded and embroidered purses at affordable prices. The
pretty beaded and ethnic purse style bags were similar to Victorian reticules
and were used as a finishing touch to a special outfit, particularly at
weddings.
Woollen picture and fair isle knitwear of the early and mid 80s was overtaken by the
adoption of plain and patterned lightweight fleeces. In knits, silk and cashmere
mixes for ultra fine knitted twin sets were a standard item. As a reaction to picture knit and fair isle
sweaters of the eighties, knitwear was very
plain for most of the early and mid decade. It relied on textured stitches for
interest. Added on embellishment such as peasant wool embroidery and Swiss
darning made a comeback at various times in the early 90s and very late 90s.
By the millennium there was evidence of fair isle patterning in subtle border
bands often with beading on the pattern. By Christmas 2001 fair isle patterned knitwear made a return debut on Robbie Williams and Nicole
Kidman's video 'Something Stupid' when Nicole wore a Paul Smith snowflake
sweater. Fair isle was once again seen in expensive boutiques. This time around, the millennium fair isle
sweater is smaller, shorter, neater and less baggy than in the 1980s.
Much longer versions of all straight dress varieties and skirts were usual
from 1993. They were often worn with full length fine knitted cardigan coats or
over trousers, especially in winter. Women everywhere adopted styles they felt
most at ease with, whether long or short. Knitted suits in fine cashmeres and
angora mixes in neutral tones were a feature of autumnal dressing. Clothing
fabrics became softer and physically less hard edged than they had been in
the eighties.
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Supplanting heavy outdoor jackets and thicker knits, easy cut fleece tops were a common sight for all age groups, although the
quality of many later fleeces was dubious, some getting as bobbled and
unattractive as old dressing gowns after one wash. The mass uniform of knobby
fleeces hanging on from the 90s is a long way from the original high quality
sportswear versions which are still available, but cost more. A fleece is a
useful lightweight warm garment, but it's worth paying a little more for a
quality item in a subtle colour that retains its appearance after washing and
wearing.
The Filofax died as many people now had Laptops or electronic organisers to keep records. At some time
or other the only fashion accessories a smart woman could not be seen without in the
1990s was a mobile
phone, a Pashmina, diamond solitaire ear studs or a small duffel back pack.
As with the patterned square fine wool shawl of the late 80s, the way the
Pashmina was worn was important. The Fulham knot was the best way to cut down
the bulk of the 2 yard long, 30 inch wide item which doubled as a stole with
feminine dresses. Other accessories included painted panne velvet, beaded or
animal print long narrow straight scarves, simple felt or leopard print fur hats
and silver, white gold, or platinum jewellery.
The use of Lycra in all sorts of clothes increased and sexy styles based on
bandage designs initially worked by Azzedine Alaïa were especially popular with
women with good figures. Lycra takes well to hot day-glo colours and by 1991
continental women strutted their stuff wearing these styles across the seaside
resorts of Spain and Italy.
Lycra was mixed with many fibres to improve and enhance wearing and crease
recovery qualities of fabrics. Trousers, jeans and skirt wools all benefited
from approximately 2- 6% addition of an elastomeric such as Lycra or Spandex.
Clothes with a Lycra percentage are ideal for packing and travel. Many
clothes with added elastomeric are sport clothes. Hugely popular with the masses
worn as everyday casual clothes these are dealt with in Fitness Fashion.
Linen, silk, cashmere, devore velvets, Lycra,
fleece, superior quality microfibre polyesters and Sympatex for outdoor weather were the main fabrics of the
90s.
An updated new improved cellulosic textile called Tencel soon began to replace some
uses of viscose rayon which had high visibility in the 80s. Courtauld's Tencel
microfibres were introduced about 1992 and mass produced by 1995. Tencel's
superior handle to viscose, excellent drape, colour retention and peachskin or
plain finish helped ensure early success. Over £300 million was spent
researching and developing this eco friendly superior man made regenerated
fibre.
Viscose which had also been used with polyester as an easy care substitute
linen weave through the 80s was ousted by a craving for real linen and ramie
goods. Natural creases and distressed fabrics became very acceptable so that
disorder in dress was preferred to order and pressing. Such was the success of
microfibres, that by 2001 the world saw the first closure of a Viscose Rayon
factory as the demand for viscose declined.
Plain fabrics or subtle weaves and the novelty of computer generated abstract
prints replaced floral chintz like prints throughout the nineties. Georgina Von
Etzdorf a textile designer produced hand printed deeply luxurious velvet
accessories and scarves in the 80s and 90s.
By way of substitute, organic floral forms did appear on luscious and rich
devore velvet scarves, dress fabrics and shirts long enough to be worn as jacket
coats. Silk devore fabric was first revived in the market by the American
trained British designer Jasper
Conran. The velvet fabric was burnt away with acid printing which left shadows
of silk chiffon amid deep velvet pile. Hungry for something different and new
the public loved the revived 20s fabric. Until the 1990s most velvet produced
in the 20th century was rayon or acetate based, although velvet was first made
as silk velvet in the Middle Ages.
Rich brocade fabrics in intricate scrolling patterns were popular through the
nineties, especially
in the Christmas season and for weddings. They were made into
Principal Boy style jackets that got longer and longer as the decade progressed. By
2000 AD the slim shift under dress hemline and jacket hemlines met.
As if to make up for the sea of black that swept the country in the 1990s
the eve of the millennium saw iridescent stoles and shimmering subtle glitter
knits that took Cool Britannia into the year 2000.
Go straight to Part 2 of The 1990s
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