The retro vibe has been in the air lately. A lot of the recent fashion shows have given us a clue that high-end designers are looking back on previous decades for inspiration. From the grunge vibe of the ’90s, the big shoulder pads and neon colors of the ’80s to the bell-bottoms and bell sleeves of the ’70s all have been seen on the most famous catwalks in the world, making old styles trendy again.
If you’re someone who appreciates vintage styles, that’s a great time to showcase your eclectic taste. If retro looks are not your thing, no need to worry. We’re not all cut from the same cloth. But don’t dismiss this trend just yet, it might just rub in on you.
On the other hand, if you want to give this trend a try, and you’re not quite sure how to style a vintage look, you can find inspiration in many places — fashion shows and magazines come to mind. But if you want a more casual approach and street style look, you can also look back at some beloved TV characters, celebrities and personalities of the past decades for some great style ideas.
Let’s take a look at how you can bring back the old decades style with an updated version and a tweak of your own. We’ll start with the most recent decade:
The ’90s
The ’90s were a great decade for fashion. It was a decade that brought forth carefree styles that dabbled in rebellion. Music and fashion often went together as fans tried to emulate the unique style of their idols in their clothes. The most notable trends of this decade were the grunge movement and the minimalist look. For inspiration, we can look no further than sitcoms like Friends and HBO’s famous series Sex and the City, which can provide us with a plethora of great ideas.
First, let’s talk about Carrie Bradshaw from SATC for a minute, shall we? Who can’t forget the scene of her sitting by the window in front of her laptop in her small but gorgeous Manhattan apartment? But most importantly who can forget her iconic fashion choices? Many female leads have come and gone on TV land and movie screens, but none of them has left a mark in the female psyche quite like Carrie, played by Sarah Jessica Parker.
Carrie’s signature style was eclectic and bold. She was not afraid of using colors or patterns nor she was afraid to try anything edgy. She always knew how to bring different pieces together and make them work in her own way.
Here are some of the most iconic Carrie looks we can use for inspiration today:
Another TV show we can use to extract inspiration from is Friends. The famous sitcom was part of pop culture for an entire decade. While each character had their own signature look, we’re going to focus on the fashion choices of two female characters. Particularly, Monica and Rachel, played by Courtney Cox and Jennifer Aniston, who we can all agree had the best styles of the bunch.
Some of their signature looks include cropped tees, slip dresses, fuzzy and oversized knit sweaters, lots of denims, satin skirts, midi dresses and of course, the mom’ jeans that Monica practically lived on for the first half of the show.
The ’80s
The ’80s were also a decade where a lot of exciting things happened not just in fashion but all around. Bold styles, colors, and silhouettes – permed hair included – it was one of the most eclectic decades in fashion. And since the British royalty is in vogue again (thanks to Netflix) who’s better fashion inspiration than the late Princess Diana?
She was the best-dressed royal of her time, and I’m sure if she was alive today, she would still have her place in the spotlight, inspiring all of us with her iconic fashion choices.
Some of her most notable outfits included pencil skirts, midi dresses, lilac accessories, puff sleeves, floral dresses, polka dots, headbands, and off- the shoulder dresses. All these are back in style again. Isn’t it funny how fashion works in cycles? Let’s take a look at Princess Diana most iconic outfits:
The ’70s
At last the ’70s. A lot of us were not even alive then, but it’s possibly the most stylish decades of all time. It had a little bit of everything from bell sleeves, shearling coats, miniskirts, tie-dye shirts, Mexican ‘peasant’ blouses to folk embroidered blouses.
Designers from Gucci to Etro channeled the ’70s on their runways for this spring. But what better way to find inspiration than going back to the source? Let’s take a look at some of the style icons of the decade:
Ali MacGraw
This New York-born actress started out working behind the scenes of major magazines such as Bazaar and Vogue before she even hit fame. She became a ’70s fashion icon for her spot-on sense of personal style that can be described as “bohemian-meets preppy”. Let’s take a look at some of her choices from short Ossie Clarke dresses to feathered capes:
Jacqueline Kennedy
The famous former first lady was best known for her fashion choices back in the ’60s during which time she was an occupant of the White House. But her more relaxed ’70s style is what we can look back for for our inspiration. She favored labels such as Givenchy, Yves Saint Laurent, and Balenciaga. Her signature look consisted of basics paired with a headscarf and oversized glasses.
It’s always fun to look back at previous decades to see what people were wearing then. I’ve always been fascinated by history. I hope you guys enjoyed these retro-style ideas.
Xoxo
