Everything is old is new again used to say the author Stephen King, Peter Allen and Stefanie Miller. While it's origins are uncertain, what can be true is that the phrase will inevitably be invoked at the beggining of each fashion season. We may not be here to set the trends for 2017, but one more thing is absolutely sure. We are here to analyze every fashion movement in the 90's era and guess the upcoming ideas of the designers.Minimalism in fashion comes with a disintegration. In one hand is the aesthetic monotony and in the other is the whole philosophy of the word. The philosophy behind minimal fashion design it's the lack of exaggeration and sometimes color, that leads to an austerity and clean-cut figures and luxurious fabric. But for the Formalists, minimalism was the art of creating clothing that contained only the essential elements of a functional garment and also complicated clothing in design and construction to seem designed. Each and every element that went into a garment, silhouette, color and fabric, was highly considered by the designer so that the wearer could appear refined without effort and it was this that made Calvin Klein embrace the body and the simple lines in t-shirts and blue jeans in his collections. Klein was also the first designer that brought the sexiness that had been missing from the minimalism decades of the past, because he believed that sexiness was about the woman and her body, not the clothing, because the clothing is influenced by the woman. So as, it should be as simple as possible. But then, details are key, and an deceptively difficult task to achieve. How it should be the shape of the neckline, the quality of the fabric and stitch? Minimalism is a way of dressing that often is accused of being boring and austere but if you approach it correctly it can easily be timeless.
1991:
James Galanos was leading in fashion industry for 40 years and fashion designers everywhere focused on the jacket as the key to a contemporary dressing. Denim and leather jackets for the youth and for the sophisticated woman long, curved jackets from major designers such as Karl Lagerfeld, as well as less expensive versions without labels. For the office these long jackets was worn over a knee skirt or dresses. Calvin Klein and Donna Karan introduced special jean collections for everyday use. Plaids made a strong fall fashion entry, spurred by Oscar De La Renta's suits, coats and furs worked in plaid patterns. Couture fashion was revitalized during the year but every couture house had ready-to-wear collections.
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| Donna Karan 1992 Spring |
1992:
The most popular color was black. Isaac Mizrahi and Marc Jacobs were widely accepted in 1992's fashion world. 1970 stlye pants with flaring boots cuts were worn at work, home or to the movies. Animal prints were in highly demand, tiggers and leopards turned up in everything from t-shirts to shoes and bags. Calvin Klein and Donna Karan held collections with denim separates, long and short skirts, sweaters and pants.
1993:
Bell bottom pants and platforms were in. The long skirts were rejected and women frequently chose short skirts and pants instead. The fashion world lose touch with what women wanted to wear, some introduced styles from ancient Greece and Victorian England but these clothes were unsuited to the electronic age. Kate Moss, Claudia Schiffer looked good in everything but normal women find it difficult to achieve the same effect. A surprising success in Fall 1993 was the long, black, fitted winter coat. The new grunge look started with flannels a la Pearl Jam and Nirvana, long hair and green canvas, military style jackets were commonly seen. |
| Kate Moss Calvin Klein Spring 1994 |
1994:
Grunge style was everywhere. Marc Jacobs and Gianni Versace followed the trend with their collections but women over 30 were unimpressed. By the end of 1994 they were wearing high heels and satin dresses, metallics or other shine fabrics. Clothes that hugged the body and 1972 glam were back. Also they still found the suit to be the most useful way to dress for the increasingly faster-paced modern world. Giorgio Armani introduced pale tones and so did Calvin. Black, white, grey and cream colors were spotted in suits, pants, dressed, skirts and shoes,
1995 - 1996:
Everyone fell for comfort and freedom and high fashion lost interest. Brands like Gap held collections for modern every day women with flat shoes and blue jeans. Many would often "cross - shop" meaning that they would get one or two pieces in an upscale shop, then supplement it with a cheaper pair of jeans or a sweater. Ralph Lauren find ways to put a new twist on an old plot. Big pants for men and women, jackets and colourful sweaters instead of pale colors of 1994 were introduced. But still Ralph's minimal style remained in polo shirts and dresses with elegant cuts and beautiful fabrics.
1997:
In 1997 there were casual dresses for the office and a return (again) to the styles of the 1970s. Monochromatic shirt and tie combinations kept men's clothing subtle. It was the year when Giovanni Versace was murder on July 15 and Donatella's emotional return included long lace dresses. There were still no patters in clothes except some animal prints and stripes. Thin cotton cardigans were ofter worned over minimal dresses with precious fibers like cashmere and silk. Women chose the "little black dress" with or without embroidery. Also, fur was making a comeback for trim, handbags and casual uses despite constant anti-fur protesting.
1998:
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| Matthew Williamson s/s 1998 |
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| Nicole Kidman 1999 Esquire Magazine Party |
1999:
Sportswear remained the dominant choice worldwide and women used to wore fitted tops over t-shirts and tank tops, while jeans featured embroidery and other decorations. 1999 may was the death of minimalism. The Pashmina shawl, in bright pastel shades, made from the finest cashmere on the planet, was a huge success and event though prices of this shawl could easily top 100$ it still won worldwide acceptance as a luxury fashion item. Dresses were sleek in all lenghts made of luxurious fabrics and beads and office looks were officially off.
The 90's era show us one thing that Flavin Judd, son of renowned minimalist sculptor Donald Judd, manage to say, that "All things go with what is good; don't make it more complicated". Designers, fashion bloggers and influencers may sometimes exaggerate with the trends and the clothing, but that doesn't mean that good basic items from your mum's 90's wardrobe can't be worn today. Minimalism is efortless and timeless and every single Vogue editor can guarantee that you will be more fashionable and stylish with a black dress.
Sources:
www.retrowaste.com
www.britannica.com