The emergence of 90s nostalgia was mildly tolerable when it first reappeared: The 2012 Urban Outfitters x Lisa Frank collabo was cute enough, and I was delighted with the resurgence of “every day” leather pants.
Then… things got weird. Anything with a sniff of 90s sentiment was suddenly hotter than a Ricky Martin single. Prices rocketed for the decade’s ugliest trends: $720 Prada “Tevas,” $595 overalls and OMG, $95 SCRUNCHIES. And the horror shows no sign of abating: Birkenstocks are experiencing a cultural renaissance, and the entire movement is stomping behind a Guy Fawkes mask bent on “normcore.” (Don’t even get me started on the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles reboot.)
There is just one 90s style I can tolerate at this point, and it belongs to my sartorial spiritual leader of the decade: Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy.
I wasn’t enraptured with CBK’s style during the 90s. (I was more of a Princess Diana fan.) But nowadays, I constantly reference CBK whenever I need something chic, easy-to-pack… and a little bit intimidating. She represents the absolute pinnacle of the 90s simplicity — the pre-grunge slip dresses, the sidewalk-ready footwear, the reliance on tailoring without the frippery. Her style traverses time and space, adaptable for any number of locations: Hamptons, Calvin Klein board meeting, Clinton Foundation fundraiser, D’Agostino.
It’s exactly that versatility I craved when I picked up this Narciso Rodriguez. There are no gimmicks, no fringe, no cut-outs, no hi-lo hems. A dress like this can be layered with any jewelry, paired with any shoe and swaddled in any coat, and like magic, will always do its owner’s bidding.
I’m sure the 90s fixation will still continue in the months to come. (And hey, if Marky Mark can become an Oscar-nominated actor, perhaps I will one day learn to love flatforms.) But I hope that the 90s-esque designs to come are a little more classic… and a little less Aerosmith video.
