I went shopping in American Apparel with my mom over Thanksgiving break, and she couldn’t help but laugh at the clothes the store was selling. “I think I had these exact jeans in high school,” she said, as she held one of AA’s signature acid wash, high-waist jeans. Crop tops, high-waisted pants, combat boots, overalls and velvet are just a few of the trends that have repeated themselves in the past year or two. American Apparel is not the only store tosupport this backward revolution: Urban Outfitters, Topshop, ASOS, Forever 21 and Wet Seal all carry clothes and footwear that my mom would have comfortably sported in the halls of her high school. In fact, at both the New York and London Fashion Week, the majority of styles that were walked on the runway had an unmistakable late-‘90s feel.
The main icon for this look is British model Stella Tennant, whose chic, clean style inspired millions across the world when she first started her career in 1993.Many of the looks she sported back then, including parachute pants, long-sleeved cropped shirts and plaid on plaid, she can comfortably wear now.
Other models and style icons who came to prominence in the ‘90s, such as Kate Moss, Carla Bruni and Naomi Campbell, could be easily hired again today to wear the same clothes they wore in their prime. So why is this happening?Have we become so uncreative as a society that we feel the need to just recycle old looks?
While many of the basic looks are taken from the designs in the ‘90s, we have found ways to put modern spins on them, especially the way they are styled. We rock the good old middle part, but we style it with a printed headband or a large pair of statement earrings.
We mirror Kurt Cobain and rip our jeans, but we wear them tight instead of loose and baggy. Dr. Martens stomp back into the scene, worn over leggings or paired with a skirt instead of jeans or pants.
If there is one thing the youth of America are good at, it is innovating and adapting to change.We excel at those “make it work” moments, and we will continue to make it work until we have perfected something.
This applies perfectly to fashion. No matter how crazy the look we want to try is, we will try it and nine times out of 10, we will rock it.
Fashion is a very fluid thing that is constantly changing and modifying itself, and it can be hard to keep up.Today, the ‘90s are en vogue. Who knows what could be in next week?
Reach the columnist at freesia.denaples@asu.edu of follow her on Twitter @freesiadenaples
