The Music Movement

Music and fashion have us all in a chokehold. It’s hard to imagine a world where one doesn’t directly influence the other, and the evidence is obvious. Throughout history, music movements have created the styles of each decade — ‘60s mods and hippies, ‘70s punk and glam rock and ‘80s goth. We even see it now with Harry Styles fans wearing bright colors and boas to shows, or Swifties rocking the red lip. Music and fashion dominate pop culture and are widely loved because anyone can participate in them. The ‘90s are no exception. If anything, the ‘90s had a stronger influence than any other decade because of the wide variety of popular music genres. These genres birthed fashion styles like grunge, glam, hip-hop streetwear and athleisure.

Grunge

Grunge style was one of the most popular trends of the ‘90s. Grunge was like a new era of punk, where the goal was to look effortlessly cool but also slightly unkempt. It gave “fuck the rules” vibes and was heavily influenced by the music artists themselves. Kurt Cobain from Nirvana, as well as the members of Pearl Jam, formed this raw look dominated by combat boots, graphic tees, ripped jeans and flannels. The grunge style truly embodied the feeling of songs from these bands and ones like them — just listen to “Smells Like Teen Spirit” or “State of Love and Trust.” Layering patterns was popular at the time, and thrift stores were a grunge lover’s best friend. This style took the ‘90s by storm and continues to show up in current trends.

Athleisure

Athletic wear is one of the most popular styles of clothing to wear today, but it didn’t really exist outside the gym until the girl groups of the ‘90s started rocking the look. Mel C, aka Sporty Spice, basically invented athleisure. The tracksuit trend started gaining trac(k)tion — pun intended — at this point in time, especially after Mel C started regularly rocking Adidas in both her everyday style and her concert outfits. All Saints, another English girl group that was popular in the ‘90s, started the “dad shoe” trend before most people rocking it nowadays could walk. 

Streetwear

‘90s streetwear is arguably one of the most influential styles ever. The revival of this style is still seen heavily on pop culture idols nowadays. This style was popularized by Black culture through hip-hop icons such as Lauryn Hill, Notorious B.I.G., Snoop Dogg, Tupac and TLC. This style was made up of baggy jeans, graphic tees and overalls combined with a *good* amount of accessorizing. Bucket hats, chains, rings and sunglasses were necessary to pull off the style correctly. Shoes were also an important factor in this look, as Timberlands and stylish or unique sneakers were frequently used.

Glam

‘90s glam will hold a special place in our hearts forever. It was a time of experimentation that heavily influenced the style of the early 2000s as well, aka the “Y2K” style. Some of the most well-known glam gals of the ‘90s were the Spice Girls (as a whole), Jennifer Lopez and Gwen Stefani. Everyone had their own spin on their version of glam which is what made this trend so fun; glam was anything you wanted it to be. Each Spice Girl combined their personal brand with elegant pieces. J-Lo rocked the stunning chainmail tops before they were mainstream, and Gwen Stefani combined the punk “No Doubt” vibes with chic skirts and pumps. 

Not only were these styles popular in the ‘90s, but we have seen influences from the iconic “Y2K” era morph into today’s fashion. History repeats itself, and in this case, we’re loving it.