90s Fashion Moments We Can't Miss

Ah, the 1990s. Mariah Carey became a goddess in a Calvin Klein dress, Caroline Bessette-Kennedy became a casual street style icon, and Julia Roberts' hairstyle became the most important inspiration for women with curly hair. But just the same, we have some puzzling, bizarre, and downright wacky fashion decisions.

The red carpets of the time were particularly wild, with many stars showing up without the help of stylists, just looking vaguely out of place. There were plenty of epic red carpet moments, like Drew Barrymore showing up on the carpet with a cigarette in her hand or Keanu Reeves on a motorcycle. Frankly, it was a fun and spontaneous experience (especially compared to today's red carpet), but it also left us scratching our heads at some of the trends.

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Jennifer Aniston wore the look better than anyone else, but the "some straight, some tightly curled" style was chaotic at best.

Oh dear, I'd forgotten how much we used to love small, sparkly headbands. Britney Spears almost falls into the 00s fashion category ("Baby One More Time" was released in 1998), but we're still sneaking in some nifty red carpet fashions here from the late 90s.

If your headband was a zig-zag style that pinched your hair badly, you were an absolute trend in the 90s. My head hurts just remembering it.

Danielle Fishel (Topanga in Boy Meets World) had a very enviable hairstyle on the show, but unfortunately here she is a victim of the "little clip on your head" trend, which we thought was the ultimate in class and chic.

We used to really love teenage hairstyles.

To be clear, there is nothing wrong with richly shaded lips. Rather, it was the fact that the eyebrows and lips were so dark and matte, and the rest of the face so light, that the whole look felt choppy.

Everyone thinks of low-rise jeans as a trend specific to the 00s (and they are almost right), but the style actually emerged in the late 90s.

Whether intentional or not, the 90s were all about situations where bra straps were disruptive, including wearing them on the red carpet (in this case, the premiere of "Varsity Blues"). Even more so if they were disrupted by wearing thin necklaces.

Just in case you thought the "big statement belt" was limited to 2000s fashion: ...... I hate to disappoint you, but this started as a trend in the 90s. Sorry Reese, I don't care for that scarf.

In 1999, a much-loved 00s style, the belly chain, debuted. Fran Drescher managed to combine a low rise, belly chain, and a large statement belt into one outfit.

The 90s were all about turtlenecks (often from Gap), which led to iconic fashion moments like Sharon Stone's at the Oscars, but also produced this charming animal-print sleeveless crop number. Tell us more, Shania.

We loved the layered style of the 90s so much, but it was more of a "I left the house wearing everything I own" style than the chic blazer-jacket-boots street style we all know and love. (Insert Friends' Joey joke here.)

The 90s began a multi-year obsession with sheer. Not so wild at first, but confusing: the hem of J.Lo's skirt ended just inches before the sheer overlay, creating a very odd hemline situation.

Of course, things really started to turn around in the sheer department. Posh Spice (that's Victoria Beckham to you) has always been a trendsetter, but in this case the trend was "sheer almost to the crotch."

Let's put aside the headband around the forehead and focus instead on the ultra-fine scarf around the neck. At the time, we raved about this look.

Or, if it wasn't a scarf, it was styled almost identically with an elongated necklace. (Also note the style of the dress over the pants mentioned earlier.)

We also saw the rise of the choker. Tyra, I love you, but that definitely looks like a neck brace.

We were also big fans of tassels, whether it be a scarf to wear, a skirt hem, or a crop top. One wonders what Queen Bey thinks about these matching wrinkled satin items.

Case in point: the extreme tassel theme. Low-rise jeans with long fringes are a charming choice, and one that I doubt we'll ever see return. Even the fabulous Halle Berry would fail at this.

Another hairstyle we don't particularly miss (beyond the thin eyebrows - don't worry, we'll find it) is overly finished curly hair. Thick curls, which are not found in nature, must be curled with a curling iron to burn off some of the sausage-curled hair.

This is the second (but not the last) time the Spice Girls have appeared on this list, but Baby, Scary, and Ginger Spice demonstrate one of the most popular (and disappointing) trends of the 90s.

The late 90s saw the rise of the pants length that stopped just below the knee; J.Lo wears this length well, but it is a difficult length to style, even for someone as cool as her.

Hmmm, remember when wearing nude tights (very noticeable) was all the rage. Bonus points if the shoes match and your legs look glowing beige."

It wasn't Sarah Jessica Parker's fault. Everyone did it.

Scarves. Checks. A little necklace. Checks. Random cloche hats. Check Easter egg blue eyeshadow. It was so sinful to wear this particular shade on the eyes.

Instead of a casual vibe, starlets sometimes decided to go in the complete opposite direction with frills (this was at the 1991 People's Choice Awards, a glitzy event). Alyssa Milano says here, "I just came from a courthouse wedding and I feel wonderful."

Similarly, big princess-like gowns began to appear at red carpet events. Melissa Joan Hart is half Cinderella (including powder blue), half "repurposed prom dress." And a little bag of extras.

Honestly, how did any of us look in the 90s? （Judging by the celebrities of the time, who (as the song goes) all wore sunglasses at night, we must have been fumbling around in the evenings.

Sure, the look was often reserved for boys, but we loved blondes.

Or we liked it the way someone had streaked their bangs with a yellow highlighter. I still love you, Jeri, but let's put this in the past.

Hart shows off some of the trends on this list: platform shoes, pedal pusher pants, and sweaters haphazardly tied around the waist. In other words. At least they're useful when it gets cold.

We weren't quite in Ed Hardy t-shirt territory yet, but the '90s were the beginning of a very appealing pattern. Honestly, even Christina Ricci doesn't seem to have the same infatuation with her look, but let's hope fire leggings don't become the next must-have style.

I am so sorry I did this, I whisper between my eyebrows. Really, only Kate Moss looks good with beard-thin eyebrows, and the rest of us have plucked and waxed them into oblivion in an attempt to recreate them. Don't make the same mistake.

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