Nostalgia. You can't beat it. Memories are something we can cherish no matter what life throws at us, and there's nothing better than remembering the 'good old days' when we were young carefree teenagers (we moaned at the time but it was great!)
There is, however, a down side to this... remembering some of the very questionable fashion choices that we made, and boy did I make some of those!
I was born in 1982, so my teenage years were the fully fledged, Spice Girl loving, whistle blowing, Saved by The Bell watching nineties!
First up, music. I have never claimed to have the coolest taste in music. I was a proper teeny bopper and ITV's recent Big Reunion had me jumping around my living room with unashamed excitement. But first and foremost, I was a die hard Take That fan. If you were a teenage girl in the 90s you fell into one of 3 camps... Take That, Boyzone or East 17. I had no time for your soppy Irish nonsense, and lets face it, East 17 weren't the prettiest of pop princes. No, for me it was all about Gary, Mark, Robbie, Jason and Howard (poor Howard he always comes last) My bedroom was a shrine to the fab five, and where did I get all my posters, stickers and cut outs? SMASH HITS!
Smash Hits was the coolest magazine. In the world. Ever. Cover to cover was crammed full of pop goodness in all shapes and forms, and there was even a lyrics section so you could learn the words to your favourite songs (genius)
I wasn't just a pop princess though, I also loved a bit of dance music. Having an older brother who was frequenting raves in the 90s was probably a lot to do with this. So I was quite fond of an acid house smiley face and a dummy necklace (remember these?!)
As for fashion, many may argue that the 1990s were one of the more, let's say questionable fashion eras. This nineties Vogue cover is certainly testament to that!
It was a real mix bag back then, from the sickly sweet girly vibe of Baby Spice...
To the OTT boyish grunge of the likes of TLC...
I didn't really do girly back in the 90s, although I did own one dress. It was a black t-shirt dress and I think I wore it out. It wasn't dissimilar to this one...
I was also a massive fan of these delightful canvas shoes. Often worn with American Tan tights. Oh yes, really...
But the absolute undisputed fashion champion from my teen era has got to be the almighty Global Hypercolour t-shirt. Kids, you may not be aware of this epic colour changing garment but boy was it cool... This t-shirt changed colour with heat. Seriously.
They must have been quite expensive because it seemed an eternity that I had been asking for one until eventually one Saturday afternoon, Mum took me to Debenhams and dropped the bombshell that I could actually have one. I was like a kid in a sweetshop choosing my colours. Sooooo cool.
There were, of course, other misdemeanours, including a pair of rather bright tartan check trousers, mustard yellow culottes and several Joe Bloggs t-shirts. I also rocked a pair of blue denim peep toe platform wedges. Go me!
When it came to hair in the 90s, I remember my friends and I having a bit of a fascination with crimpers for a while. Let's not forget that ceramic straighteners had not yet been invented so we were a frizzy generation! Little hair clips were a massive must, and there was a lot of this going on...
I had a pack of these purple butterfly clips that made a regular appearance. Eventually however, I went for a cropped do, paying homage to one of my favourite people of the moment - Claire from Steps, massive girl crush!
To summarise just how naff this era was, it was essentially my ambition to look like this. I would have been mesmerised by this girl!
I'd love to hear your 90s stories, or any fashion memories from your teenage years. Let me know in the comments below!
Don't forget, you can grab a few early 90s gems from www.myvintage.co.uk!
Em
x
