If you lived in the ’90s, probably you fell prey to at least a couple of the fashion trends of this era. Blue and glittery eyeshadow, contoured lips, oversized jackets, and tie-die shirts. If you thought you’d never hear of them again, you were wrong, because they keep coming back to life.
We at Bright Side were surprised to learn that not all beauty and fashion trends that seemed bold and sometimes awkward back in the ’90s are gone forever. Some of these trends still have fans and followers and here’s what they looked like then and during past several years.
Blue eyeshadow was a ‘90s classic. We’ve seen girls with blue eyelids on TV, in magazines, and at school parties. This trend looked even more eye-catching when the blue eyeshadow matched a blue dress or blouse. It looks like modern celebrities like a touch of blue in their makeup too, just like Dua Lipa in the photo above.
Here’s another makeup trend from the past that we see coming back to life now and then. From modern makeup professionals, we know that lining our lips outside their natural shape can make lips look fuller. That’s just what we were doing back in the ‘90s, and we would pick the lipliner that was way darker than the lipstick itself, so that the line was really visible.
In the ’90s, glitter was everywhere: clothes, skin, lips, and eyelids. While we don’t see that much of it today, some celebrities like to put a glittering accent on their eyes. Dua Lipa, for example, is often seen with glittery eyeshadows in bright colors, and we love it!
Smokey eye makeup looked way darker and heavier in the ’90s because of the all-around black eyeliner. We see similar makeup with the “raccoon eyes” effect now and then. In the right photo above Kristen Stuart combined smokey eyes with all-around black eyeliner and glitter eyeshadow and we felt that strong ’90s vibe.
A bowl cut, or mushroom cut, was popular in medieval Europe and it got its name because of the simplest way to do that cut. They would literally put a bowl on the person’s head and use the bowl edge as the guiding line to trim the hair. This unusual cut came back in fashion several times in history. In the ‘60s, the Beatles brought it back to life, in the ‘90s we saw Leonardo DiCaprio, Halle Berry, and other celebrities wearing it, and in 2019 Charlize Theron reminded us of this hairstyle again.
While modern beauty trends promote discreet and invisible hair accessories that highlight the beauty of the hair, back in the ’90s it was all about exposing our scrunchies, bobby pins, and thick headbands that were not only visible, but sometimes decorated with flowers, glittery butterflies, and other eye-catching things. Those of us who love that vibe are still showing off our hair clips when we want to.
If we flip through the photos of celebrities from the ’90s, most women in these pictures would probably be wearing some kind of a choker. And there were many kinds, from wide velvet stripes decorated with sparkling crystals to thin leather laces tied into a ribbon. Modern fashionistas seem to feel nostalgic about this jewelry trend and chokers are back in all their diversity.
Back in those days, suits (even those tailored for women) were not supposed to fit the figure. Big shoulders and baggy styles were the landmarks of suits, jackets, and coats of the ’90s era and we still see these cuts in modern fashion.
Do you remember how we knotted blouses and shirts on our waist or under our bras? This little fashion trick seems to never go out of style, and many of us still use it to add a new twist to our good old clothes and make them look more eye-catching and risqué.
The iconic yellow plaid suit worn by Alicia Silverstone in the 1995 movie Clueless still inspires many designers. When we saw Olivia Palermo rocking her plaid suit in a pale yellow color at a 2018 fashion show we instantly remembered Alicia and the movie. Did you have the same feeling?
Slip dresses were everywhere in the ’90s: fashion shows, the red carpet, movies, and magazines. Modern celebrities often choose slip dresses too and they even wore them for big events like award ceremonies.
The 2 photos above were taken almost 25 years apart, but just look at how similar these outfits are. Leather seems to never go out of style, and it’s good that nowadays we can choose eco-friendly leather alternatives and enjoy good old leather looks to the fullest.
If you were a teen in the ’90s you probably tried coloring your plain white T-shirts to make them look cool. Rainbows, swirls, and hypnotizing zigzags made our wardrobes unique and diverse, and if you thought bright tie-dye pieces of clothing were gone, you’re wrong. People are still wearing them, and the best part of this trend coming back is that now you don’t have to do it all yourself and turn your house into a mess. Tie-dye shirts, dresses, leggings, and even suits can now be bought off-the-rack.
Which beauty and fashion trends did you follow back in the ’90s? Which of them would you like to come back? Why?
The hair clips, chokers, slip dresses, and tie dye, I loved so much. They were all very playful and fun. I also remember having a few cotton madras plaid, not quite mini, dresses, in darker colors ,in the late 90's/early 2000's and they were insanely comfortable. I haven't seen them in any posts really but they were incredibly popular.
