9 Of The Best ’90s Movie Wardrobes To Inspire Your Style Now

When it comes to nostalgia, the ’90s has us in an interminably vise-like grip – from cool-tone, frosted gloss clamshell flip phones to the Helmut Lang school of chic minimalism: razor-sharp tailoring, easy white tanks and a laconic demeanor. While designers like Lang, Calvin Klein and Tom Ford spearheaded the era’s elevated offerings, the decade’s on-screen wardrobes gave us everything from witchy velvet and rave-scene vinyl to improbably cool futurism. Here are nine movies worth revisiting for a sartorial dose of ’90s inspiration.

There may be no better argument for the return of romantic ’90s bohemia than rewatching this darling film in preparation for its imminent sequel. Judianna Makovsky separated the Owens sisters visually by their clothing aesthetic: Sandra Bullock’s Sally in jeans, cardigans and botanical textures; Nicole Kidman’s Gillian in slip dresses, velvet and Stevie Nicks-tinged sensuality. The wardrobe mixed Dries Van Noten skirts, Dosa pieces and vintage and custom pieces. Gillian’s famous green velvet dress was dismantled, recut, re-dyed and effectively rebuilt for Kidman.

Rene Russo’s Catherine Banning is a masterclass in wealthy, grown-up ’90s minimalism: camel coats, narrow knits, immaculate tailoring and clothes that scream luxury before the character even utters a sharp or sultry word. Costume designer Kate Harrington dressed Russo largely in Celine, reportedly at Russo’s suggestion, alongside vintage pieces from Halston. Undeniably chic, Russo striding into her character’s corporate insurance offices in crisp, Michael Kors-era Celine feels distinctly current.

In a different vein from The Thomas Crown Affair, if you want the wearable version of down-to-earth, late ’90s minimalism, start with Sliding Doors. Costume designer Jill Taylor put Gwyneth Paltrow’s Helen in low-slung pants, fitted turtlenecks, leather coats and clean, uncomplicated separates. With a fairly modest costume budget, Taylor and Paltrow initially invested in a couple of Prada pieces to elevate the overall wardrobe before Calvin Klein, a friend of Paltrow’s, opened his showroom to them, providing many of those wide-leg pants and beautifully spare knits.

Perhaps a less serious sartorial choice – none of us are likely to emulate the feathered, baby blue and pink lamé mini-dresses that have become synonymous with the reunion itself – however, the movie also had some seriously cute, much more realistic references. Around a third of Romy and Michele’s 35 to 40 costume changes were handmade; elsewhere designer Mona May mixed Moschino, Dolce&Gabbana, Versus and Blumarine with vintage pieces and pieces sourced from Melrose Avenue raver stores.

For a totally different perspective on the decade, Strictly Business captures New York at the intersection of corporate power dressing and early ’90s Black club style. Costume designer Beulah Jones-Black put Halle Berry’s Natalie in body-con dresses, crop tops and jubilant jewelry. The movie actually makes clothing part of the plot, as Waymon trades his conservative business wardrobe for something cooler, learning to prioritize cultural authenticity over fitting into the corporate world. Credits include jewelry by Robert Lee Morris and additional wardrobe items from Isaia NYC, Rifle Jeans and Starter.

Cindy Crawford’s first starring role perfectly exemplifies the quintessential off-duty model uniform of monochrome fitted tees and ultra-flattering denim, alongside slip dresses and skirt suits – the kind of unfussy, body-conscious staples that have become shorthand for supermodel style. Crawford has since been candid about the movie’s critical reception, recognizing it as a lesson that she is far better as herself in front of the camera than inhabiting a character. But there’s nothing at all apologetic about costume designer Louise Frogley’s gorgeously streamlined aesthetic, which finds its ideal showcase on one of the most powerful supermodels of the era.

More than a wardrobe, an entire fashion universe: The Fifth Element gave Jean Paul Gaultier the reins to imagine what clothes might look like in the 23rd century. He designed hundreds of costumes, personally overseeing the looks of 900 extras, alongside Leeloo’s now-famous white bandage costume, Korben Dallas’s backless orange vest and Ruby Rhod’s leopard-print looks – which Prince, who was originally slated for the role, deemed “too effeminate”. Bondage, lingerie, punk and naval codes magnificently collide in this movie – and, despite being encoded in a futurescape, many of its references remain relevant today.

Whitney Houston moves seamlessly between megastar stage glamour and pared-back off-duty dressing in The Bodyguard. Susan Nininger’s Queen of the Night costume is the film’s spectacular visual crescendo, with a Thierry Mugler-inspired sculptural breastplate and references to Fritz Lang’s 1927 sci-fi movie, Metropolis. However, it’s Rachel Marron’s daily wardrobe that’s worth revisiting: oversized knitwear, relaxed denim, baseball caps, uncomplicated separates and really great oversized jackets.

Catherine Tramell’s cool control is inextricably linked with her sartorial choices. Costume designer Ellen Mirojnick avoided obvious femme-fatale dressing, instead opting for an icy palette of creams, camel and winter white, making Sharon Stone appear unsullied and seriously dangerous. The famous leg-recrossing interrogation dress was designed specifically to allow Stone to sit expansively and move freely, as a man would in that situation. Other notable wardrobe pieces came from luxury houses including Hermès. Stone later revealed that she kept the white dress in a safe.

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