Men’s fashion: The 1990s were the decade that fashion forgot, but designers are revisiting the final decade of the 20th century, just as the 1970s and 1980s were previously disregarded and later reinterpreted. And they are discovering a ton of inspiration in 90s clothing of many kinds, including Seinfeld, Britpop, colorful sportswear, and boxy tailoring.
In the 1990s, regular-fit jeans became a respectable option for date night, tie-dye made its improbable comeback, and sportswear became widely available. One of the 90s’ most enduring fashion icons was Kurt Cobain, who frequently wore cardigans from thrift stores and tattered jeans. No, it wasn’t Mad Men.
The buttoned-up sartorialism that came before it had the ideal antidote, and we don’t see designers relinquishing control just yet. Here are the main looks from the 1990s that men may still rock today with pride and style.
SPORTSWEAR
The ’90s are the trend’s primary source of inspiration, and retro sportswear is currently having quite the moment.
The foundation of this lineup is made up of retro football shirts with wild slapdash patterns and overt front sponsorship for a long-gone washing machine firm that is layered beneath billowing track tops and tracksuit joggers with clean side stripes. Look to the decade’s dominant companies, such as Kappa, Reebok, Champion, and Fila, for inspiration.
It pays to only choose one of these items and make it the focal point of your outfit while keeping the rest of your ensemble grounded in timeless neutrals like a white tee and classic jeans. Additionally, it’s recommended to conserve this ensemble for weekend parties because your employer is unlikely to be thrilled by the Arsenal third kit from the 1991–1992 season that you inexplicably choose to wear to an important client meeting.
BRITPOP
The British battled the American music business in the 1990s to establish an undeniably domestic sound after falling behind our friends from across the pond.
The apparel that defined the movement was much more cogent than the music itself, which was ridiculously varied. Think bucket hats, utility shirts, parka jackets, and polo shirts.
Wearing the Britpop look now is more than just bowing nostalgically to the past; it also involves putting together a wardrobe that your mother would be proud of. The Britpop look is essentially a pure distillation of sartorial pragmatism for any place as rain-soaked as Britain.
Your outerwear, which should be in khaki, mustard, or navy, is the best spot to start playing with the style. Think relaxed and earthy. Parkas and windbreakers are both basic Britpop staples that are highly advised.
Choose a pair of plain, low-top sneakers from a sports performance brand (Nike, Adidas, etc.) in straight-leg raw denim. Your bottom half should be as unfussy and should again err on the side of utility. Put on a bucket hat and revel in the perpetual 1994 haze that Liam Gallagher has been indulging in for the past 25 years if you want to be instantly recognizable as Britpop from a great distance.
FATHER STYLE
“Dorks. They appear to be two nerds. In 1994’s Pulp Fiction, Quentin Tarantino made this statement while laughing at how two other characters were dressed. For nerds, the 1990s were a good decade. It was all about silly, blatantly out-of-date menswear, such as bulky sneakers, shapeless pants, cargo shorts, and baggy blazers.
Today, designers like Balenciaga and Vetements, which recast Jerry Seinfeld and Chandler Bing as fashion heroes, are credited with making dad style popular (for the first time, really). If you like this anti-fashion trend, go ahead and wear it. It’s difficult to determine if there is any irony remaining in it.
PACKET FITTING
Want one compelling reason to choose loose clothing over more popular, slimmer-fit designs? Comfort. The last several seasons have seen a lot of attention focused on oversized tailoring, which is not going anywhere. You can put that down to the greater relaxation of clothing codes and the dissolution of style guidelines.
Make sure you purchase a suit that is intended to be big if you want to go the baggy ’90s tailoring route. You can’t simply choose a size bigger than you regularly wear in this place. The arms will be excessively lengthy and the whole appearance will be off.
Although baggy tailoring was acceptable for the 9 to 5 in 1995, it is today a highly deliberate fashion statement. It is not always appropriate for the workplace. Depending on how far you take it, it’s usually worn by stylish people who opt to wear tailoring rather than following a strict dress code. It frequently looks best dressed down with a T-shirt and sneakers for a more streetwear-inspired feel.
QUAD DENIM
Although double denim wasn’t worn together for the first time in the 1990s (it also had a highly successful run in the 1980s), it was unquestionably the decade in which the style found its true identity. The studs, rips, and graffiti ornamentation vanished, and something a little rougher and less glam rock took their place.
The fundamentals of wearing ’90s double denim are still relevant today: to pull it off, you’ll need a healthy dose of confidence and a distaste for anything unnecessarily fussy. Take a cue from the decade regarding fit as well; anything tight or slender is out, so go for a loose(ish) fit to successfully capture that casual Americana.
Although David Gandy (of all people) has successfully modeled the double denim tuck, form and height can cause problems for anyone with a different body type.
To be on the safe side, wear your shirt untucked with a white or gray T-shirt underneath. And pair your trousers with a pair of plain, minimalist black or white sneakers. If you don’t feel comfortable wearing fully coordinated double denim. Pick a variety of blue hues to lighten the overall look.
GRUNGE
It’s like crossing items off a list to achieve the grunge effect. a plaid shirt? Check. worn-out, torn jeans? Check. Dr. Martens, long, unruly hair, and a general “devil may care” outlook? Check it three times.
Kurt Cobain, the leader of Nirvana and the grunge movement in the late ’80s and early ’90s, is largely responsible for this fashion trend. Grunge fashion passionately rejected the polished, flashy excess of wider 1980s fashion and instead emphasized the wearer’s ability to project a lack of care for the world.
Grunge also didn’t have gendered clothing;
instead, it was all about baggy vintage cardigans, tight trousers, and buttoned-up tea dresses. Today, though, going grunge is simple. Flannel shirts are now widely available on the high street. And can be purchased one or two sizes bigger than yours for added comfort.
RAVEWEAR
For the youth of the 1990s, rave culture swept away the cobwebs for three decades. After the summer of love bringing with it a culture of hedonism, freedom, and neon. Much neon, please.
It’s fortunate that the dazzling color has returned in all of its technicolor splendor 20 (or more) years later. Frolicking down Prada, Versace, and Louis Vuitton’s most recent catwalks. Its strength is in its use as a vibrant accent. Such as a logo on a basic t-shirt or a pair of stylish sneakers sitting pretty beneath an all-black outfit of jeans and a t-shirt.
To complete the outfit, employ other returning artifacts from the era. Such as the understated bucket hat, revived tie-dye, and the always-useful bum bag.
