We’re now so consumed by celebrity culture that it’s next to impossible to imagine a time before reality TV stars ruled the world, but that was the way it was in the long-ago days pre-Internet. Supermodels and socialites were the stars in fashion’s orbit at the start of the 1990s. By decade’s end they had been largely eclipsed by actors who emerged as arbiters of style as pop culture became the vehicle for what In Vogue host Hamish Bowles calls “a mass education in high fashion.”
This shift played out on Vogue covers, which ceased featuring strictly models, as had been the case for most of the 1970s and ’80s. Linda Evangelista was replaced by Gwyneth Paltrow, Cindy Crawford by Uma Thurman. Although entertainers were now taking seats in the front rows at fashion shows, many of them belonged to the same narrowly defined beauty type, one that was predominantly thin and white. “Designers were not checking for a five foot, two inch young actress in a movie called Boyz n the Hood,” says actor Nia Long. “They didn’t care, that wasn’t their demographic, that wasn’t who they were interested in learning about.”
People who were hungry for fashion knowledge had many channels with which to access it, like MTV, movies, and television series. The Valley Girl vibe was promoted by Clueless and Beverly Hills 90120, while as Anglea Chase, Claire Danes brought grunge to the suburbs in My So-Called Life. The proliferation of these niche styles was in line with the decade’s “come as you are ethos.” In tandem, the designation of “It”—that special, spicy je ne sais quoi quality—was expanded beyond Park Avenue princesses to include downtown darlings like Chloë Sevigny. The fictional Carrie Bradshaw also fit the It mold, which was aspirational if not inclusive.
“The rise of the celebrity It girl meant that fashion and Hollywood were becoming more closely aligned than ever,” observes Bowles. “As they merged together, the fashion world helped change what it meant to be a celebrity, and in turn, the celebrities changed fashion,” and this set the stage, a couple of decades later, for influencers and Instagirls.
Learn more about It bags and It girls on In Vogue: The 1990s. Joining Vogue’s editorial team on this episode are, in order of appearance: Author and Vogue alumna Plum Sykes; director Sofia Coppola; actors Nia Long, Elizabeth Hurley, Angela Bassett, Andie MacDowell, Melissa Joan Hart, Tamera Mowry, Jennie Garth, Karyn Parsons, Tatyana Ali, Claire Danes, and Fran Drescher; The Nanny stylist Brenda Cooper; actors Debra Messing, Kristin Davis, Kirsten Johnson, and Melissa Rivers; designers Donatella Versace and John Galloano; actor Sharon Stone; designers Vera Wang and Victoria Beckham; and fashion historian Darnell-Jamal Lisby.
In Vogue: The 1990s airs Fridays from September 17. Listen to it on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google, or wherever you get your podcasts. The LEGO Group is a launch sponsor.
Listen to “Episode 9: NYC: The Rise of Downtown,” here.
Listen to “Episode 8: London Libertines: Galliano, McQueen, Chalayan, and McCartney,” here.
Listen to “Episode 7: Queering Culture,” here.
Listen to “Episode 6: Tom Ford’s Gucci,” here.
Listen to “Episode 5: Prada: A Revolution from Within,” here.
Listen to “Episode 4: Karl Lagerfeld the Creative Director,” here.
Listen to “Episode 3: Brand Americana,” here.
Listen to “Episode 2: Grunge Strikes Back,” here.
Listen to “Episode 1: The Rise of the Supermodel,” here.
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