And then there was the fashion. The minimalism of Armani and Calvin Klein. The Friends-inflected simplicity of good jeans and a nice top. The Kate Moss-era slip dress. The strange appeal of square-toed footwear. The grunge threaded through it all. And we’re not the only ones. The nineties are back – at least in our wardrobes – and these are some of the former glories we’ll be snapping up with utter glee.
The Nineties Are Back: The Pieces, Products And Perfumes We're Wearing Again
From slip dresses and square-toe shoes to CK One and Rouge Noir, these iconic 1990s staples are finding their way back into our wardrobes – and onto our dressing tables.
Call it the parlous state of the world or our, ahem, advancing years, but we’ve been feeling somewhat nostalgic of late – and specifically for the 1990s. These were times when the bands we loved (with some notable manufactured exceptions) were formed in people’s garages, when barely anyone but ‘yuppies’ carried phones, and when a night out cost less than £30, required no advance booking and might take you anywhere.
And then there was the fashion. The minimalism of Armani and Calvin Klein. The Friends-inflected simplicity of good jeans and a nice top. The Kate Moss-era slip dress. The strange appeal of square-toed footwear. The grunge threaded through it all. And we’re not the only ones. The nineties are back – at least in our wardrobes – and these are some of the former glories we’ll be snapping up with utter glee.
And then there was the fashion. The minimalism of Armani and Calvin Klein. The Friends-inflected simplicity of good jeans and a nice top. The Kate Moss-era slip dress. The strange appeal of square-toed footwear. The grunge threaded through it all. And we’re not the only ones. The nineties are back – at least in our wardrobes – and these are some of the former glories we’ll be snapping up with utter glee.
The Denim
Good denim was the cornerstone of the 90s look, the idea being that all you really needed was a pair of jeans and a nice top. Whether yours were bootcut, straight-leg or mom-style, these jeans have us pining for the good old days.
The Tops
The aforementioned ‘nice top’? Typically a spaghetti-strap cami, a boob tube or – if we were feeling statement-y – a waistcoat worn with nothing underneath.
The Dresses
If you were getting dressed up in the nineties, you were most likely slipping into a minimalist slip dress, bodycon number or something altogether grungier.
The Footwear
Remember all those bootcut jeans? They were, of course, largely vehicles for the boots we favoured, saved for and prized dearly. And then there were the classic Sambas, the Doc Martens, the strappy sandals and the platform trainers. Ah the nineties; they really did pack a lot in.
The Make Up
Matte skin, brown lipsticks, white eyeliner and Rouge Noir everywhere: the 90s makeup palette – pioneered in large part by Bobbi Brown – was all about understated polish rather than high drama.
The Perfume
Remember when you couldn’t enter a room without being greeted by a cloud of CK One, the perfume billed as revolutionary for being worn by both men and women? How far we’ve come. Yet, oh, we do miss those days – and a sniff of any of these scents whisks us straight back there.
By
Nancy Alsop
·
Published March 2026
Nancy is a magpie for the best in design and culture.
