Fashion trends don’t stick around for long, but they do tend to come back around.
Take double denim, for example, sported by Britney and Justin at the 2001 AMAs or the infamous platform trainers worn by girl bands of the nineties. We investigate quirky fashion trends from over the years and how they began:
Top of the tops
In the nineties, Madonna shook things up and made underwear acceptable as outerwear. One of the most iconic outfits that she did this with was her cone-shaped corset designed by Jean Paul Gaultier (thankfully, this garment never met the high street). Lindsay Lohan was also once seen on the catwalk with a black corset top layered over a white shirt — paired with a bootcut jean of course. In 2018, we’ve seen the Kardashians bring the trend back with a ‘mini corset’ worn around the waist to show off curves over a loose shirt dress. Other celebrity influencers have also taken on the trend, although they’re not as big as some of the trends we’ve seen.
Denim overalls were another big thing. A low-maintenance look made famous by the Fresh Prince and other nineties celebs. If you wanted to look uber cool, you’d wear it with one strap undone.
Three-quarter trousers
You might’ve noticed that cropped and tapered trousers are back in fashion. For a jean — pedal pushers were definitely in and they were either denim or a pale pastel shade. This denim trend was rocked by fashionistas at the time including the Spice Girls and Christina Aguilera. It seems this one is coming back around too, with many celebrities sporting their designer cropped jeans – Jennifer Lawrence wore them with heels and a sheer top for Dior’s SS17 Paris show and Selena Gomez has been spotted in a pair, teamed with patent loafers and a casual white shirt. Similarly, Citizens of Humanity jeans remain popular in cropped and boyfriend styles.
Cropped combat trousers were also on-trend back in the day. British girl band, All Saints, was a fan of this fad and rocked cargo pants, crop tops (having your midriff on show in the 90s was compulsory too, apparently) and trainers with the tongue out of the trouser leg. Bella Hadid is a big fan of the combat trouser today, often spotted wearing a pair with heels and a cropped top or jacket.
Two-piece tracksuits were also envied once upon a time — remember velour Juicy Couture? It was Britney Spears, Jennifer Lopez and Paris Hilton who started this trend off. Britney even had her bridal party dressed in two-piece tracksuits ahead of her wedding to Kevin Federline. Then, they became slightly over-worn by more Z-list celebs and fell off the radar…
Step up
One footwear trend that’s exploded back onto our high street is platforms — but when did it all begin? This trend was again started by every girl’s fashion icons — the Spice Girls. Whether they were white tennis shoes, lace-up boots or sandals, they had to have a huge platform to allow you to stomp around. We’ve seen this trend return with Rihanna’s range of Puma platformed trainers and (for something more alternative) Gucci’s rainbow platform metallic sneakers that are currently on sale.
Jelly shoes are hard to forget too. It is thought that they were invented due to a leather shortage during World War II, leading to a French shoemaker creating shoes from plastic. This is one of the trends that has come and gone throughout the years, with a surge of the shoes in 2002 and another rise to popularity in 2009.
What’s hot now?
As we’ve seen, many nineties trends are being enjoyed by celebrities today. And, current designers aren’t ignoring the trends either. Gucci and other fashion designers released their own version of ‘sliders’ this year — a slip-on sandal that some people choose to wear with socks…
Bandanas were a wardrobe must-have at one time too. Worn as a headband, a scarf, or as a shirt — so versatile! We’ve seen them back a comeback in recent years too and denim brand, R13 brought them back for their AW18 runway show.
You’ve probably heard of bum bags too — a big hit in the 1990s. Although people may have made a joke out of them, people realised they were super practical and not only are they popular with festival-goers but big brands such as Gucci have released their own version of the accessory — officially making them cool again.
These quirky trends are not going anywhere just yet either. Take some of the SS19 shows for example. Michael Kors’ SS18 show saw many of his models sporting a big nineties eyewear trend — cat eye sunglasses, along with platform shoes. And, Alexander Wang’s show featured the classic bum bag, hinting that it’s not going out of fashion just yet.