17 Trends From the ’90s We’ve Gladly Forgotten About That Are Now Making a Comeback

Photos in our 20-year-old albums can remind us of many things we’d prefer to forget, like bright-colored clothes, weird accessories, and outfits that seem awkward nowadays. Few people would want to repeat such experimental looks today yet many fashion trends from the 1990s and 2000s have already made a comeback in recent years.

We at Bright Side looked through fashion news articles, recalled the brightest trends of the past, and became convinced, once again, that fashion is cyclic.

The bright colors from the past that make your eyes hurt are trendy again. Lemon yellow, wild lime, hot pink, and glowing orange are already starting to fill many fashionistas’ wardrobes. Moreover, designers offer more muted colors of the same shades to those who consider these colors to be too attention-grabbing.

Almost every girl in the early 2000s was rocking a hairband. It was both beautiful and convenient. Today, voluminous and decorated hairbands are back in fashion again. Things like ribbons and hair kerchiefs are making their return too.

Inappropriately short shorts triumphantly returned to the fashion scene as part of famous designers’ collections. If you’re not embarrassed by the length of your shorts, you can wear them with thin tights of the same color which is also quite trendy.

Crop tops used to be one of the most popular trends at the end of the ’90s and the beginning of the ’00s. Many Hollywood beauties would show off their naked bellies on the red carpet and looked stunning while doing it. After some time, crop tops moved onto the list of anti-trends and we forgot about them till the end of last year. The improved versions of such tops became trendy in 2019 and remain popular today. However, today’s fashionistas prefer not to show off their not-so-perfect belly to the entire world, so they combine such tops with high-waisted trousers or skirts.

Another version of trendy crop tops that look more like underwear is sneaking onto the 2020 trend list. Designers prove that lace and silk bralettes can look very elegant and not vulgar.

Leather outfits are back in fashion in 2020. And the trend is not just about wearing leather leggings which many of us have already gotten tired of wearing. It’s more about leather shirts, suits, dresses, and raincoats that are currently trending, just like the outfits from The Matrix. The bravest fashionistas are already donning head-to-toe leather looks.

While skinny jeans are making their way onto the list of anti-trends, flared jeans forgotten by many are back on-trend. However, unlike the ones from the ’90s, it’s the high and medium-waist jeans that are more popular now. This design makes the body shape appear more feminine.

At the beginning of the ’00s, we used to wear these kinds of tops with trainers and cargo jeans, trying to look more boy-like. Today, it’s recommended to combine these tops with more feminine looking bottoms. Loose trousers, puffy skirts, and high-heeled shoes are the right things to pair them with.

Maxi skirts have inspired designers in 2020 once again. This not-so-practical trend promises not only to become the basis of evening looks but also a part of everyday wear. For example, fashion mongers will be able to wear these kinds of skirts to the office.

Chokers are becoming one of the biggest trends of the season. The more massive they look, the better. Multi-layered and wide ones, jewelry with spikes, stones, and pendants along with ultra-luster chokers promise to be most fashionable this season.

Though the plaid pattern is considered to be an old trend, this season, it demands a bit more attention. Tartan coats, tweed dresses, and suits are actually cute again. The color that’s trendiest is plaid consisting of a black and white pattern.

While in the past, bucket hats were mostly worn by men, today, this trend is widely embraced by women as well. But luckily, these hats no longer look like thin old ladies’ Panama hats. This trend now boasts models made of leather, velour, felt, or printed fabric.

Fringy clothing is another trend of the season. You can easily add this detail to your look as little or as much as you wish — you don’t necessarily need to opt for a totally fringed-out getup like Madonna wears.

Apart from fringe, it’s feathers that also came back on the scene. While designers suggest wearing this type of clothing for evening outfits, some celebrities have already adapted this trend for everyday wear.

At the beginning of the ’00s, we liked to wear contrasting belts on our hips, whether it be with skirts, jeans, tunics, or tight dresses. Fortunately, this time is over and belts have returned to the place where they’re supposed to be: on the waist. They also stopped shining with rhinestones and resemble thin threads. Nowadays, it’s wide belts that look like cropped versions of corsets that are trendy.

Ruffles, which have been forgotten for some time now, are back in the collections of fashion designers again. They help make women appear airy and playful, giving outfits lightness and femininity.

Blue eyeshadow used to be a staple in every fashionista’s cosmetic bag back in the ’90s. Everyone loved the shade and would wear it abundantly, applying it from their lashes to their brows. Frosty blue eyeshadow used to be considered the coolest. Today, this type of makeup is trendy again, but without any pearl or frosty effect. Today, the colors are purer and should be accurately applied a bit higher than the fold of the lid, not all the way up to the eyebrows like in the past.

Which of these trends did you use to follow in the past?