Style Icons – the 1990s

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1990s, 90s supermodels, anya suhsko fashion blog, cara delevigne, catwalk, Christy Turlington, Cindy Crawford, cindy Krawford, claudia shiffer, designers, fashion, linda evangelista, models, naomi cambell, new york style, rita ora, sporty look, street style, style icons 1990s

We pay tribute to the women (& men) throughout the past century that have left an undisputed mark on style and fashion and inspire our sartorial choices up to today. This week, we take a look at 1990s – an era characterized by clashing styles and the democratization of fashion, when mixing couture with street style became acceptable. Of the many trends worth mentioning, we find that the glamour of the Supermodels as well as the uber sporty street style are the two that defined the decade the most.

Supermodels!

The 1990s was undisputedly the era of the Supermodels, worshiped by designers, brands, journalists, artists, consumers, all of us mortals. Linda Evangelista, Claudia Shiffer, Naomi Campbell, Stefanie Seymour, Cindy Crawford, Christy Turlington walked the Earth like Amazons, winking at us with their 24 carat perfect smiles from every glossy magazine cover and every billboard, they were the goddesses of the 90s. Similar in what they stood for, yet each one of them characterised by a very individual look, they all epitomized vitality, health and the perfect feminine proportions – a legacy which is making a comeback nowadays. The 1990s offered an optimistic outlook. The world’s economy, dominated by the US, was booming, the Iron Wall had fallen, it was a time for a positive change. The Supermodels symbolized exactly this buoyant attitude towards life. Fresh-faced, with a sparkle in their eyes and the glossiest of hair, the Supermodel’s signature look was feminine and strong. Every inch of their bodies was as perfect as it can get – they looked like a million dollars, were worth millions in contracts and sold millions of products. Their attractive, desirable image might not have been attainable for most of us, but it was something to strive for.

Naomi Cambell. Cindy Krawford and Linda Evangelista

The other prevalent trend of the 1990s couldn’t have been further from the glam of the Supermodels. The 1990s brought us the super sporty, uber casual street style, created by the sub-cultures that dominated NYC in particular. Gangster rap and R&B were on the rise and so was the style inspired by them – baggy jeans, extra large logo T-shirt, hoodies, baseball caps worn backwards or on the side, chains instead of jewellery and trainers as the footwear of choice. The rap fashion spread as quickly as the lyrics of the ghetto-inspired music and was quickly expanded beyond NYC. It was the fashion everyone could have a piece of. In the later 90s, the casual dressing culture continued to catch on with the skateboarding and surfing communities, again fuelled by the aspiring American dream lifestyle. The street style might have toned down since its inception in the 1990s but we can’t deny its influence is still very hip today – just take a look at Rita Ora or Cara Delevigne’s signatures looks, which at times can be very grunge, very street.

Cara Delevigne & Rita Ora’s spotted 90s look!

If you took a look at your style today, would you be able to identify the influences from the decade of the 90s? Which style prevails in yours? Join the conversation on Facebook & Twitter @AnyaSushko #StyleFile

Style Icons – The 1980s

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1980s era, anya sushko hand bags lonson, blog, Blondie, boy george, Culture Club, debbie harry, designer bags, duran duran, fashion, fashion blog, george micheal, George O’Dowd, Grace Jones, handbags, madonna, make-up, michelle pfeiffer, princess diana, style, style icons of the 80s, The Sex Pistols, tribute blog post

We pay tribute to the women (& men) throughout the past century who have left an undisputed mark on style and fashion and inspire our sartorial choices up to today. This week, we take a look at 1980s, when fashion was overly bright and characterised by vivi, outstanding accessories.  It is the era of abundant and outgoing self-expression – women adorned themselves with shiny costume jewelry like large faux-gold earrings and pearl necklaces, while clothing was often covered with sequins.  It was not just the clothes that were explicit – 1980s hair was big, curly, bouffant and heavily styled with high volume.  Heavy and bright makeup was favoured and indeed celebrated.

Like every decade, the 1980s had its style icons – mostly singers and performers who defined the culture and entertainment of the decade, as well as its predominant style.

Grace Jones

Aside from her incredible voice and unique blend of R&B/pop/electronic/disco music, Grace created a look that has remained as iconic to this day as it was back in the 80s. Her creative make-up and cloaks, suits, hats and costumes have always felt way ahead of their time, while her hair, often switched between shaved and angular, defined her look as much as her attire did.

Grace Jones

Boy George

Hardly known by his real name George O’Dowd,  Boy George is still one of the faces of British 80s pop music. Most famous for his own work and also a lead singer of Culture Club, George was very much a part of the New Romantic movement. His unique style of dressing has remained a huge – think dreadlocks, make-up, boots and big coats were the trademarks that ensured he stood out from the crowd whenever he went.

Boy George

Debbie Harry AKA Blondie
Beautiful blondes have always had lots of fun, but in the 1980s, there was only one blonde that everyone was talking about! The lead singer of the punk band, often thought to be America’s answer to The Sex Pistols, Blondie is known for her sexy look and provocative ways. Her doll-looking face was adorned with 100% peroxide blonde hair, always at mid-length. Cementing her name as probably one of the hippiest blondes ever know, ironically, Blondie never admitted if her natural hair was actually blonde or not.

Debbie Harry

Madonna
It is hard to imagine a world before Madonna! We can’t. It’s too boring.  Whatever your sentiments towards her nowadays, back in the 1980s Madonna stood for everything that was cool, exciting and super-mega-hot. The Italian-American  performer introduced the first of many trademark looks in the early 80s and soon we were all sporting lacy fingerless gloves, ¾ length black leggings, rara skirts, eyeliner, beauty spots and statement tee’s. Probably the most copied look of all times up to date! Still nowadays, it’s safe to say Madonna finds it difficult to let go of her fashion icon status.

Madonna

Duran Duran
The style gods were feeling generous when they handed out cracking style, good looks and great hair to these boys from Birmingham. The biggest British group of the 80s rocked pretty much every trend going at some point and often all at the same time. They were boys who wore lipstick – and not only got away with it, but looked super stylish at the same time! This is hard to match.

Duran Duran

George Michael
When George went solo, he quickly defined a look that never goes out of fashion, but yet was truly his – the  shades, white tee-shirt, ripped jeans and leather jackets. His hair, in 80s style, was a dominant part of his look. He rubbed shoulders with supermodels and we wished so would we too!

George Michael

Michelle Pfeiffer
Michelle was the it-girl in the 80s, cementing her popularity within the major filming studios. With her blonde locks and perfect pout and a killer figure, Pfeiffer was the girl we all wanted to look like.

Michelle Pfeiffer

Diana Spencer
The late princess was probably the most photographed, scrutinized, stalked, judged and hounded woman of the decade, but all that attention didn’t distract her from turning out stunning looks day after day. Her short blonde curls and designer gowns were typical of her style in the 90s, but back in the 80s when she was still a new princess it was her flicked fringe,clip on earrings, minimal make-up and double-suits that has us all obsessed.

Princess Diana

Follow our ‘Style Icons’ series from the beginning here

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