36 Iconic '90s Fashion Trends That Still Feel Relevant in 2025

The resurgence of '90s fashion has resulted in a truly mixed bag of emotions. While the decade can be credited with providing us with now-favourable party dresses and kitten heels, there's also a raft of trends we'd like to keep in the past. After reaching out to the rest of the Who What Wear team, we reminisced about all the pieces we used to be so proud to own but can't imagine ever wearing again (see: dungarees) and the celebrity looks we'll happily revisit.

Just when you think all of the forgotten looks from the 1990s will remain in the past, along comes another one. How badly do you want a ridiculously tiny bag right now? Or what about those '90s Kate Moss images you come back to time and again for inspiration for what to wear on a night out? We've recently rediscovered a love for old-school Sarah Jessica Parker looks—which, yes, are very different from Carrie Bradshaw's—and combat trousers, too. The revivals are coming in thick and fast, people. Thick and fast.

Keep scrolling for our guide to the '90s fashion items, trends and combinations we wore to death and then forgot about—until now.

'90s Fashion Trends: 36 Memorable Trends Fashion People Still Love in 2025

1. Checked Skirts

Style Notes: Perhaps one of the most iconic fashion moments of the '90s, Dionne and Cher's checked skirts from Clueless have come back around in high-fashion circles.

2. Belly-Baring Tops

Style Notes: From very revealing bras and bikinis worn as tops through to more demure unbuttoned styles like Gwyneth Paltrow's in Great Expectations, there was a lot of stomach action during the '90s.

3. Slip Dresses

Style Notes: Slip dresses will be popular forever and ever, but there's something about the slinky bias cut that feels so right now. Kate Moss has long been an advocate of the simple style, but she was a particularly strong figurehead for them in the '90s.

4. Logo Bags

Style Notes: Cassette tapes are long gone, but Mariah Carey's monogrammed Louis Vuitton rucksack feels as current as ever.

5. Animal Print

Style Notes: From the midi length to the snakeskin fabric, we can totally imagine Cindy Crawford's dress being worn by this season. It might've had a bit of a dip in the intervening years, but animal print is currently still very cool.

6. Powder Pink

Style Notes: This stunning blush-pink red carpet look remains one of the most iconic dresses of all time.

7. Sheer Fabric

Style Notes: Mel B's fashion was one of the group's more outré, which made it all the more iconic. Here, she's pictured at an event in 1998 in her full Scary Spice glory, wearing a dainty sheer slip over a pair of leopard print knickers. This might've caused a stir a few decades ago. Now, there are sheer clothing items, including dresses and tops, in spades.

8. Velvet

Style Notes: Velvet was the fabric of the '90s, and this Sarah Michelle Gellar look is representative of the slinky styles popular during the decade.

9. Chain Mail

Style Notes: Elizabeth Hurley will forever be remembered for that safety-pin dress from Versace, but let us not forget this stunning chain-mail number, please. The fabric became popular after Gianni Versace created a more wearable version, and the idea has returned yet again with chain-mail, diamante and mirrored tops popping up all over the high street, including at Mango.

10. Branded Sportswear

Style Notes: If you saw this in Dalston today, you wouldn't bat an eyelid. So many men and women are adopting the sportswear staples of the '90s, especially when they come logo-emblazoned like Whitney Houston's visor. We've currently got our eyes on the Pangaia set below.

11. Corsets

Style Notes: If your top wasn't a vest or a corset in the '90s, then you were living in a bubble! SJP was a strong supporter of boned and bodiced bandeaus, wearing them with everything from short suits to fancy red carpet skirts. Now, it feels very Bridgerton.

12. Quirky, Earthy Style

Style Notes: If you weren't grunge or super polished, you probably spent the '90s trying to imitate Lisa Bonet and her artfully thrown-together NYC artistic look. The mini sunglasses and sneakers still stand up today, and we all know celebs continue to love a "naked" dress.

13. Gingham

Style Notes: Printed leggings started in the '80s and went well on into the '90s. It's not a look we often reach for these days, but there's no denying that Naomi Campbell pulled it off with ease.

14. Denim Shorts

Style Notes: Will denim shorts ever die out? Probably not. Here's Halle Berry wearing them in the most '90s ensemble possible: with a black belt, socks with hiking boots, and a crop top.

15. Teeny-Tiny Bags

Style Notes: Tell us the truth: You want a mini bag again, right? Kate Beckinsale's little fabric bag (and pink skirt) look so right for now. We wonder if she still has the pieces she wore to this film premiere. Also, props to Clare Danes on the very au courant tiger-print top.

16. Strappy Heels

Style Notes: Take a glance over any sandal collection from the current season, and you'll journey back to 1995 when strappy heels were the only option. Here's Jennifer Lopez giving an excellent "business casual" look in hers.

17. Bucket Hats

Style Notes: Whilst this trend might have started with Liam Gallagher and the Manchester music scene, the likes of Allsaints and Naomi Campbell were seen promoting this look, too. Most recently, the likes of Hailey Bieber, Billie Eilish and Rihanna tried to bring it back again. Opinions are split.

18. Leather Blazer

Style Notes: The leather jacket'spopularity probably has a lot to do with the fact that The Matrix was such a huge hit—everyone wanted to wear Neo's long leather coat. But because that maxi silhouette isn't exactly practical, it evolved into this shorter form as seen on Winona Ryder and Kate Moss.

19. Pedal Pushers

Style Notes: As modelled here by Victoria Beckham, pedal pushers weren't shorts or trousers and they definitely weren't cropped kick-flares. Also called capri pants, pedal pushers slightly grazed the calf, revealing just a hint of leg while still feeling modest. These were initially filed under "never to wear again," but never say never…

20. Halterneck Tops

Style Notes: The halterneck and the handkerchief were the official tops of the '90s, and they were always paired with boot-cut jeans (probably from Miss Sixty).

21. Combat Trousers

Style Notes: Seriously, though, who didn't own a pair of combat trousers or cargo pants? Thanks to Allsaints, these baggy 'dad' trousers actually looked pretty sassy when combined with a crop top. Now, everyone from celebrities to influencers has been seen sporting cargo pants.

22. Waistcoats

Style Notes: The waistcoat was often worn during the '90s as a piece all by itself rather than as part of a suit. Ideally, it should be worn à la Drew Barrymore with a denim skirt and a bum bag. Today's version is most likely to be worn over a big-collared blouse or simply on it's own.

23. Oval Sunglasses

Style Notes: Kurt Cobain was a style icon for many reasons. His baggy cardigans and love for the general grunge look inspired a whole generation of fashion. We still love the extra-large oval sunglasses he wore on the red carpet for the MTV Video Music Awards in 1993. While they've just started to come back into fashion, we'd forgotten about them for so long.

24. TUBE TOPS

24. Tube Tops

Style Notes: Trust Liv Tyler to really remind us of our youth. The strapless bandeau top was a must for any '90s wardrobe. Preferably accessorised with an oversized necklace, which you can find at contemporary brands like Heaven Mayhem.

25. Beanies

Style Notes: There are many reasons to love the Gwyneth-and-Brad era. For starters, they always managed to do the stylish celebrity couple thing without appearing to try hard. But they also did casual dressing like no one else.

26. Goth Everything

Style Notes: Thanks to The Craft, there wasn't a group of friends in the '90s that didn't try the "light as a feather, stiff as a board" game. (If you know, you know.) But trying out spells isn't the only thing this goth movie inspired—it also impacted our wardrobes. Cue lots of layered necklaces and black belts.

27. Plaid Shirts

Style Notes: Plaid and checked shirts were a real grunge '90s vibe, but they didn't just belong to the likes of Kurt Cobain. In My So-Called Life, Claire Danes's Angela Chase often wears these shirts over cute floral dresses—a classic '90s look.

28. Little Black Dress

Style Notes: Sure, the LBD hasn't exactly disappeared, but in the '90s, it was all about the super-short and sassy version. No one did it better than Jennifer Aniston's Rachel from Friends.

29. Eclectic Accessories

Style Notes: Blossom, played by The Big Bang Theory star Mayim Bialik, was probably single-handedly responsible for our obsession with ridiculous, quirky hats. While we're much more for a cute beret these days, back then, the school of thought was "the bigger, the better."

30. Dungarees

Style Notes: Oversized denim dungarees were hugely popular amongst hip-hop stars in the early '90s, and it wasn't long before everyone from TLC to Dawson's Creek's Joey Potter had a pair, too.

31. Bum Bags

Style Notes: After '80s fashion gifted us with bright acid hues, '90s style icons like Goldie Hawn and Drew Barrymore gave the look an altogether cooler vibe with black leather bum bags slung around high-waisted jeans.

32. Babydoll Dresses

Style Notes: Ahh, the baby-doll dress. They were mainly considered lingerie, and it wasn't until Emma Bunton aka Baby Spice started wearing them as eveningwear that they became such a trend.

33. Tinted Lenses

Style Notes: Tinted sunglasses may be popular Instagram fare amongst the likes of Gigi and Bella Hadid, but has anyone really worn them better than fashion's original sister duo Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen?

34. Tie Dye

Style Notes: If you didn't have a tie-dye T-shirt like the original Destiny's Child lineup, were you really living through the '90s? These were truly everywhere, with even grunge icons like Kurt Cobain getting involved.

35. Floral Dresses

Style Notes: Pamela Anderson's bombshell era delivered many memorable '90s fashion moments, from her leather looks while promoting 1996's Barb Wire at the Cannes Film Festival to her iconic fluffy pink hat from the 1996 MTV VMAs. Yet, we think this sweet floral dress is the bigger encapsulation of a '90s fashion trend that's made a comeback, with brands from Reformation to Réalisation Par making modern versions of the silhouette.

36. Mary Janes

Style Notes: Sofia Coppola's distinct aesthetic has been cemented on film since her 1999 directorial debut. But even as a teenager, the 'nepo baby' still had an inimitable taste. We love this true minimalist look, with a cardigan, baby doll dress and raised Mary Janes unsung style staples of the decade.

This piece was published at an earlier date and has since been updated.