1990s Movies Predicted the Future of Fashion With These 9 Iconic Outfits

Vivian from Pretty Woman

The movie is replete with iconic looks and outfits, but for a long time the bermuda shorts were out of fashion and were remembered much less often than, for example, the polka-dot dress. But this season, the outfit that’s trending like there is no tomorrow comprises a loose jacket and bermuda shorts.

Eden from Santa Barbara

Seeing how the 1980s and 1990s are back in vogue, Santa Barbara’s every episode could be a treasure trove of ideas for what to wear. The specific getup that crossed our mind is the blue dress with polka dots that Marcy Walker’s Eden wore in the show’s opening sequence. The neckline and puffy sleeves are a match made in heaven for the current romantic trend in fashion.

Flashdance’s main character

We’re going all the way back to 1983 with this one, even though many only saw this film in the 1990s when it hit video rentals. The main character’s outfits trampled all over the emphasis on femininity that reigned supreme at the time. But her clothes are just what the doctor ordered in today’s normcore fashion. A khaki parka, a pair of jeans and a basic white T-shirt, we’re talking simple and comfortable.

The log lady from Twin Peaks

The walking, talking enigma of a person, the log lady would have every chance of becoming a style icon today: a turtleneck under a plaid shirt under an old-school cardigan, a big brooch and round glasses with coloured frames. She was rocking a hipster look before it was mainstream. If you were to dress up like that today, your Instagram page would explode with likes.

Mia Wallace in Pulp Fiction

Now, you’re probably thinking of Mia on the dancefloor with Vincent Vega, but we’re talking about before that, when she still has on a classic black jacket over that white shirt and a raincoat that Vincent Vega draped over her shoulders. That’s a most relevant combination that manages to be laconic despite having a bunch of layers.

Mathilda from Leon the Professional

Teenage fashion keeps going back to the ideas conceived of by the cult film’s costume designers for Mathilda. It could be that the reason for the recurring popularity of chokers and lace cardigans is that people have kept right on rewatching Luc Besson’s action masterpiece time and time again all these years.

Trinity from The Matrix

When the film came out, nobody wore latex jumpsuits or black trench coats outside of movies. It would never have crossed anyone’s mind to dress up like that and go out. Today, though, big stars wear latex all the time. And female celebrities who love to show off their curves, such as the Kardashians, often wear the exact copy of Trinity’s suit from the Matrix.

Clarice Starling from Silence of the Lambs

Clarice’s clothes were hardly a fashion statement. Hers was casual style through and through. But today it would seem like the plaid jackets, jeans and sensible skirts of the type Clarice wore in that movie have become the go-to option for quite a few women.

Catherine Tramell from Basic Instinct

Few people remember the name of Basic Instinct’s main character so brilliantly played by Sharon Stone all those years ago. But even people who’ve never seen the movie will instantly recognise the white dress Catherine wears in the interrogation scene. She cuts a very modern image. The dress is actually longer than most people remember: she hitches it up during the interrogation. Add to that the subdued make-up and the scene may as well have been filmed in the 2010s rather than 1990s. That’s exactly the image the modern style icon Rosie Huntington-Whiteley goes for these days.