It’s like the 90s never left us. The Spice Girls return to the stage in May, Liam Gallagher is swaggering to the top of several summer festivals, Sabrina (the now middle-aged witch?) is on the tele, and flared jeans, hooped earrings and crop tops are all enjoying a high street reinvention. If for you that decade represents a more innocent, happy time, before Twitter spats, influencers, Brexit and Trump, then you’re not alone; we feel it too. If you want to get all nostalgic and practice a little escapism by channelling the fashion of the time, here are 4 IDEAL tips for perfecting that Nineties look.
DRESS
How about we cross off two essentials of the era? The trend of denim and dungarees, all wrapped up in a stylish dress. Two birds, one stylish stone. River Island has a brilliant denim dungaree dress that will call to mind Nineties nostalgia in any outfit, and its frayed hem harkens that ripped-jean look of the decade too. We’re not sure if we’re shrinking in embarrassment at memories of particularly ill-judged outfits, or relieved to be regressing to a more simple time when such an outfit wouldn’t be captured and logged online for all eternity.
JACKET
If you want to keep the chilly air at bay in a retro style, it’s got to be the classic windbreaker. These beloved coats came in all kinds of colours, so you’re sure to find one to suit you. Their versatility, we think, is their trump card. You’ll find them back in fashion and back on the high street in 2019, but why not take a look at some vintage shops to find yourself a bona fide jacket that was actually there for the nineties?
SHOES
Thinking about adding a touch of space-age chic to your look? That metallic underpinning of so many outfits in the 90s, silver trainers, was everywhere in that glorious decade; we remember Sporty, Baby and Ginger all donning them at one time or another. To keep the dream alive, you might want to seek out a pair of Spice Girls-worthy platform shoes, too.
BAG
When it comes to retro bags, the sky’s the limit. Bags in the Nineties were, frankly, off-the-wall, coming in all shapes, sizes and varieties. You need a mini-purse? Got it. Sparkles? Sure. Clear PVC bags? So in. Fluffy? Feathers? Chains? Check, check, and check.
Prints, colours, flowers, logos, animal prints; honestly, there were no right or wrong answers. And even if there were wrong answers, that’s exactly what made it chic.