1998 femme/minimalism
my prada / marc jacobs inspired outfit, a $9 thiftvestment
It was all I could do not to feel sorry for myself that I was only 8 years old during that year and therefore missed out on what, I now see as, one of the most femme / chic garment eras of my lifetime.
Last week I wrote about maximalist seashell jewelry.
This week I’m writing about minimalist fashion influences from the 1997 runway.
This is it! This is the feeling of being inspired, of running in the wind toward whatever tickles your fancy. I can wear seashell earrings with oversized trousers and a sleeveless shell tank, I can! This is the nature of how we create a style uniquely our own; letting our gut be the guide to putting on something that makes us feel completely ourselves, leading with unfettered confidence as the best version of us shines through. Does it matter that it’s different this week than it was last week? No! In fact, if you, like me, are hopscotching from style to style, maybe you’ll end up with a curated culmination of inspired pieces that meld into something only you could pull off — that’s the idea!
The fashion influence for this story starts with a tv series set in 1998, where the main character is young and beautiful, waify and troubled, angsty and misguided, yet wonderfully, wonderfully dressed. Whoever did the styling for the show seems to have crafted the wardrobe straight from the late 90s runway — it incapsulated all of the best silhouettes, all of the right body parts bared, the right fit, the right colors. It was so well presented that it was all I could do not to feel sorry for myself that I was only 8 years old during that year and therefore missed out on what, I now see as, one of the most femme / chic garment eras of my lifetime.
On a recent trip to Goodwill I leaned heavily into this late 90s wardrobe influence, with the goal of walking out with at least one shoulder-exposing tank top, and the hope of finding something I didn’t know I needed. Here’s a perfect example of what I was in the market for: something like this extremely simple white tank, almost racerback, shoulders so out there, form fitting torso but ending centimeters above where the denim begins. Just perfect.
And I will tell you this: go into a thrifting exploration with a mental moodboard of what you’re aiming for. It works. This gallery tells the complete inspiration story of the 2-piece-outfit I ended up creating from my second-hand finds (photos via
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The collection of shots is from two different 1997 runway shows, Prada and Marc Jacobs. It’s extremely clear what the influence is here — and it’s all about the human frame.
The tops are all form fitting, either entirely exposing the shoulders, or so thinly veiled over the body that the shoulders can’t help but remain the focal point even when fully covered.
And then you have the trousers, which are anything but form fitting. Despite the extreme lack of exposure to the underlying body, the trousers maintain a level of sexiness that can only be attributed to the casual place in which they rest, low on the hips.
and so we come to my late-90s-inspired $9 thiftvestment
all of 2 pieces were required to make this 1997 runway inspired look!
The first piece is the trousers — as it turns out, these were the thing “I didn’t know I needed”. They are unmarked, no brand tag, no size tag. At first I thought they were some kind of sturdy polyester material — but I ran them through a cold wash and when I took them out they had the unmistakable smell of wet wool. Mystery solved!
Probably the most remarkable feature about them is the 5-button enclosure which has a nearly 12 inch rise. I have no idea the measurement of the pants, but when I tried them on they sat neatly on my hips, much like the runway trousers shown above. Thus hip fit + lengthy rise = low slung menswear energy that is so geniusly comfortable, yet stylish at the same time; an energy which I already have tendencies toward, and therefore the trousers were an easy yes. (they were also stupidly cheap, they were $1.75… you can’t even get a coffee for that!)
Piece #2 is this knit tank and I knew I was going to get it as soon as I saw it. From the wide width straps and high crew neck, to the ribbed base and overall fine knit finish, it was exactly the right energy. The length of the top matches perfectly to the height of the pants. Et Voilà!
The finishing touch to this look would be the Ralph Lauren trench from my mid-March post on what to wear during this weird season.
I tied the trousers into a few other looks by shopping my own closet. I created a shape-for-shape tracing of this Marc Jacobs runway look from my moodboard.
We’ll never know if she was wearing a belt because her shirt is styled way down beyond the waistline of the pants — however, my black crewneck sweater is not so long, so I used it as a moment to add a simple black braided belt. This is a men’s belt that I thrifted last year for a fall edit; it’s a size 36 and therefore I often choose to wear it with a little tail hanging out of the loops. But for the sake of clean lines I tucked it around into a side belt loop.
See what I mean about the shoulders in a fitted sweater?
This sweater is very old and the elbows blew out years ago, but I love it and it’s never crossed my mind to have the elbows repaired. I just keep wearing it like that, and if it’s really cold out I layer a thin shirt beneath it. This is that “style uniquely our own” I was referring to earlier. The best style out there is the one that’s authentically you.
I also rediscovered a tank top which I had forgotten about — completely reminiscent of the one I was lusting after from W Magazine c. 1998. Without the tv show or the 90s runway photos this shirt would have continued languishing in the back of a drawer — I needed that spark of inspiration to bring it back into the fold.
Leaning into your stylistic curiosities by throwing a few new garments into the mix is the move. In addition to satiating that desire to bring new creative energy in your wardrobe, it almost always ends up reviving existing pieces that are still perfectly within their Best By date, just waiting for a little outside influence to remind you of their existence.
If you enjoyed the style inspiration in this newsletter, please share on social, share with a friend, or share your thoughts in the comments!
With much love & gratitude,
Georgia