. But cargo pants and bias-cut midi skirts are way too good to be off-limits. Ditto vest tops, which strike a fuss-free note under a blazer. The 1990s was one of the best fashion decades of the past century. I'm unashamedly partisan here. I hated the 1980s and almost anything was going to be an improvement. But what an improvement the 1990s proved to be; the first time a panoply of options for all body shapes emerged simultaneously. The 1990s brought a different kind of freedom. Bye bye bling and clunky 1980s power dressing. Suddenly everyone looked 10 years younger, including Princess Diana , once she sloughed off the big, helmet hair and unflattering drop waists. In floated elegant minimalism and comfortable ease. John Galliano , pre-implosion, was a major emerging talent at the start of the decade, obsessed with the 1930s technique of bias cutting, pioneered by Madeleine Vionnet – slicing across fabric to create languidly elegant clothes. Martha Graham , the great contemporary American dancer and choreographer who dressed herself and her dancers in dark jersey midis, which cupped the shoulders, was another influence. Comfort and movement were huge factors. The January 1990 cover of British Vogue, which featured Christy, Linda, Naomi, Tatiana and Cindy and is credited for anointing t){kind=link}
The looks that epitomise fashion’s best era are not just for Gen Z to enjoy
For the past couple of years I’ve watched as Gen Z had a field day with my era. Let them flash their taut abs, as they flit between festivals in their Y2K crop tops and low-slung jeans. Slip dresses and slogan tees? Enjoy.
They say if you wore it the first time around, you should give it a wide berth on all subsequent resurrections. Who are they? I mean, I’m happy to oblige with anything low-rise (even if you’ve been diligently doing Pilates for the past two decades, there are more dignified ways to fill your days than flaunting your abs in an attempt to keep up with the 20-somethings).
But cargo pants and bias-cut midi skirts are way too good to be off-limits. Ditto vest tops, which strike a fuss-free note under a blazer.
The 1990s was one of the best fashion decades of the past century. I’m unashamedly partisan here. I hated the 1980s and almost anything was going to be an improvement.