Fashion in the 1990s - Coursework Example

Fashion in the 1990s Introduction The 1990s period is sometimes referred to as the anti-fashion period. During this period, youngsters especially, had to choose from a diverse selection of clothing, as opposed to the 1980s period (Allison 36). Young people were inspired to try a variety of clothing from sources, rather than sticking to one look. Fashion became globalised in this period (1990s). Innovative kinds of technology, for example, the internet allowed quick dissemination of fashion trends between cultures. It was in the 90s period that the fear of under dressing became replaced by the fear of overdressing. With time, many people became less interested in fashion as necessary and important when rules for business dressing relaxed. While working from home became more common, dressing down in most aspects of life became common (Eundeok, Fiore & Hyejeong 16). Towards the beginning of the 21st century, clothing sales, textile manufacturing and clothing stores declined to market places that are more casual. Despite there being a large variety of fashion goods available, sales in retail shops were often sluggish. The factor that mainly inspired the thriving in fashion was how people wanted to obtain the individual look. Fashion grew as fast as the media covered it. Only by styling oneself, would one achieve that individual look. Following a certain designer look seemed to reduce the unique look that everyone wanted to achieve (Thomas 29). In the 1990s, less became more compared to the 1980s. A majority of people sought to adopt maximal dressing, to blend with the urban setting. Shoulder pads slowly faded and jewellery became less chic (Eundeok, Fiore & Hyejeong 17). The only trend that was borrowed from the 80s was the iridescent and subtle shimmer and tulle fabrics that were blended with skin make up. Sleek hairstyles or those that were a little funkier were the hairstyles making headlines then. Dressing down slowly started becoming the fashion trend in the 90s (Allison 36). The over glamorized and cluttered fashion of the 80s was put aside and simpler clothes were adopted. Colours that were more neutral like brown, grey and beige replaced emerald green and royal blue colours from the previous decade (Eundeok, Fiore & Hyejeong 18). Wide shoulders and frills from the 80s were also replaced with neater, casual and fitting fabrics that were more relaxed and soft. Make up in women reduced, and natural became the better option (Thomas 28). Office wear in the 90s was also affected. The increasing cases of working at homemade office attire to evolved to more comfortable, casual and low- key. Strict official outfits were, however, still emphasized on in some offices. Most people in offices preferred going for a mixed official- casual look. Women would wear tailored skirts with fabric tops, while men went for lightweight shirts and trousers. Grunge Fashion: The emergence of grunge fashion the early 90s represented a very significant trend in the decade (Allison 37). The electric trend was a combination of two varying forms of rebellion from the past decades; the punk movements of the 80s and hippie of the 90s. Grunge was an oversized, torn, baggy kind of fashion, which was characterised by dark and subdued colours. Hair would be left messy deliberately (Eundeok, Fiore & Hyejeong 16). The grunge society was motivated by a refutation of the image-obsessed style from the 80s and involved a variety of styles that quickly broke down to conventional clothing (Thomas 28). Normally, grunge fashion for the females featured straight, long hair, flowing feminine skirts and punk influences such as body piercings and black Doc Martens boots. Males wore their hair lengthy like the women, wore shabby, baggy pants with flannelette shirts, and ripped t-shirts. Decoration of Bodies The decoration of bodies was popularised in the 90s when youngsters really had the urge to emphasize on individuality (Eundeok, Fiore & Hyejeong 16). Dreadlocks and tattooing became common as many youngsters did face piercings n pats like the nose, eyebrow, lip or tongue piercing. Young women normally went for belly-button piercings (Allison 37). Such piercings influenced the emergence of short tops that exposed the midriff and pants that were worn nearer the hips instead of the waist. How Fashion became Globalised The internet and satellite televisions enabled the rapid spread of fashion trends around the world (Thomas 29). Air travel was also cheaper, making it easier to travel abroad and bring back cultural trends in fashion. Globalisation also helped designers to borrow from other cultures (Eundeok, Fiore & Hyejeong 17). Japanese and Chinese forms of fashion, for instance, began to influence mainstream trends in fashion. Dresses that were straight and oriental and had short and unfolded collars became more common (Allison 38). Retrospective Fashion In most cases, young people who sought to achieve that individual look would normally refer to past fashion trends. The retrospective kind of fashion was popular during the 90s. Mainstream fashion became more globalised and uniform (Thomas 29). Young people quickly scoured stalls and second-hand cloth shops to find unique items that dated back from the 50s, 60s and 70s. Retro fashion gave the distinctive look and was characterised by polyester dresses, leather jackets, and tie and dye shirts that would be combined with modern clothes like jeans (Allison 38). Hairstyles The 80s were normally featured by large, heavily styled look. Towards the 90s, the hairstyles changed from big to hairstyles that are more natural. Women would wear long and straight hairstyles and others would go for textured and short hairstyles (Thomas 30). A long and sleek haircut by women was the most popular during the90s. The Sporty Look: The typical fashionable person in the 90s was mostly defined by a sporty appearance. The trend had run all the way from the 80s and still crazed people (Allison 39). Clothing that was comfortable and stretchy became a popular daily attire. Any clothing from branded sportswear companies such as Adidas and Nike were highly fashionable. American rap and hip-hop artists also influenced the popularity of sportswear (Thomas 32). Very baggy trousers that were worn on low waist to reveal boxers were also inspired by the hip-hop trend. The 90s Fabrics: During the decade, easy- wear and care fabrics were introduced. Spandex and lycra was combined with fibres like wool (Allison 40). This caused and improved garment that stretched with more ease and helped prevent creasing. Blended fabrics became more popular with time. Other fabrics such as cashmere, linen and silk were also popular (Eundeok, Fiore & Hyejeong 20). One type of textile that gained popularity but lived on for a short while was the hyper colour fabric that was sensitive to heat and that changed colour depending on the temperature on a person’s body (Thomas 34). The fabric would however lose its sensitivity to heat when washed in hot water and soon lost popularity. References Kim, Eundeok, Ann M. Fiore, and Hyejeong Kim. Fashion Trends: Analysis and Forecasting. Oxford: Berg, 2011. Print. Kimmel, Allison C. Prepped and Punked: Bringing 1980s and 1990s Flair to Your Wardrobe. 2014. Print. Streissguth, Thomas. Getting the Hang of Fashion and Dress Codes: A How-to Guide. Berkeley Heights, NJ: Enslow Publishers, 2012. Print. Read More