Respects to 1992

Fashion fuels itself on the past, spinning out retreads, revivals, and re-interpretations, produced at what seems to be an ever-faster rate. In fact, because of this profusion of styles, you’d have to go back to the early 90s to find evidence of the last really big rally around one particular look. For a few short years, young rockers and their fans took seam-rippers to their jeans, mussed up their hair, and piled on layers of figure-obscuring garments: extra-long-sleeved thermals, unbuttoned flannel shirts, hooded sweatshirts, misshapen cardigans, and, of course, work boots (an aesthetic that, itself, borrowed not a few things from the late 60s).

Fashion also fuels itself on subcultures: Some of those early 90s grunge fans were clothing designers. The 1992 collection that a young Marc Jacobs designed for Perry Ellis was based on flannel skirts, cashmere thermals, layer upon layer upon layer, even skull caps. This season, not surprisingly, Jacobs is credited for having picked up the speed with which designers rummage through our past; he has spearheaded a “grunge redux” style made up of chunky, knit headdresses and baggy, shirt-tied skirts. For those who like to relate fashion trends to larger influences, the revival seems apropos, given the United States’ wars in the Middle East then and now, as well as its battles with a decidedly lackluster economy.

The difference today, though, is that, with our fractured culture and always-splintering preferences for music, art, and fashion, there’s little chance tastemakers will converge on any one influence. The mid-1980s continue to be an abundant source of inspiration, judging from all the legwarmers, leggings, and ultra-wide belts. A slow burning of embellishment is also afoot, making way for more austere, minimalist treatments—another echo of what transpired in the early 90s, when tailored dresses and coats took on simple cuts and long, severe lines. As with last year, boots continue to play a central role, alongside plenty of dark and muted colors, a flash of metallics, and piles upon piles of knits.

To view the fall fashion images, click on the PDF below.