Her Campus Logo Her Campus Logo
This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at U Ottawa chapter.

HC at uOttawa is releasing a series of articles about different fashion trends and styles throughout the decades! In this instalment, we’re looking at fashion in the 90s.

What Women Wore In The 90s

Clothes

Keywords: minimalistic, chic, casual

In the 1990s, women wore velvet suits, baby tees, baggy shirts paired with mom jeans, skinny jeans or biker shorts, and slip dresses when out and about.

Accessories

During this decade, thick headbands, claw clips, bucket hats, grunge-inspired jewelry items or accessory pieces (purses, bags, etc.), combat boots (preferably black), and chokers (from the 1970s!) were very much in style.

Think: Britney Spears, Alanis Morissette, Pamela Anderson

The 90s Style Today

Examples

Graphic tees, ripped jeans, skip dresses, biker shorts, velvet, and leather jackets are making a comeback in 2023! In fact, nearly all celebrities and non-celebrities are wearing some if not all of those pieces (or parts of those pieces) in their everyday attire. Moreover, we’re seeing plaid make a comeback specifically during the autumn months, sparkles in makeup form in lip glosses, eyeshadows, and highlight.

How To: Incorporating 90s Fashion Into Our Style Today

What To Wear

Honestly, for 90s fashion you can’t go wrong with jeans and an oversized t-shirt. But, to gain some inspiration, check out what the cast of the following shows/movies are wearing. They were very popular in the 1990s not just because of the plot and the actors but also because of their outfits!

Shows: Friends, She’s All That, Clueless, and 10 Things I Hate About You.

All in all

HC at uOttawa has released a series of articles about different fashion trends and styles throughout the decades. In this installment, you’ve been taken back into the 1990s era! Hopefully, after reading this, you are inspired by what fashion was, how it’s changed, and how, in some ways, it has stayed with our generation. Check out our other instalments featuring the 20s, 50s, and 70s!

Emily Crandall

U Ottawa '24

4th-year Communications and Sociology student at the University of Ottawa.