In 1997, feminine dresses in bright colors made a
comeback. Lilac, shades of purple, reds, lime green,
and turquoise were worn, often with pashmina
shawls imported from India. These shawls, made
from a type of cashmere wool that is available only
from a special breed of goat found in the high alti-
tudes of the Himalayas, became one of the hottest
accessories of the decade. Pashminas originated in
Nepal, where the shawls have been produced for
centuries. Less-expensive pashminas were devel-
oped, and they were worn over coats, suits, and blaz-
ers as well as dresses.
The classic blazer, an early 1990’s fashion, re-
mained popular with women over the age of thirty-
five. By the late 1990’s, however, even though the
shoulder line was softened and narrowed, the blazer
appeared dated and was worn mostly by the genera-
tion over the age of sixty. Skirts, which had been long
for most of the decade, grew shorter by the end of
the 1990’s, although all lengths continued to be
worn.
Hair coloring increased in popularity over the
course of the 1990’s among both youth and an aging
population. A commonly used color for women in
the decade was red, a trend that may have been
driven by figures in the popular media such as mod-
els and actors. Hairstyles were also influenced by ac-
tors, particularly by Jennifer Aniston of theFriends
television series, whose cut was frequently featured
in hairstyle magazines. Meg Ryan’s choppy bob hair-
style worn inSleepless in Seattle(1993) started a trend.
New Technologies Newly developed, mass-produc-
tion embroidery machines were used to embellish
dresses, jackets, and even purses and shoes meant
for special occasions. Knits were everywhere, includ-
ing knit silk suits and sweaters, thanks to newly de-
signed knitting machines. Silk and cashmere mixes
were used in ultrafine fabrics. A new generation of
performance fabrics enhanced with thermoactive,
antibacterial, and ultraviolet-resistant properties of-
fered protection from the elements. The innovation
of fiber optics led to experimentation with the tech-
nology in textiles.
Linen, silk, cashmere, cotton and rayon velvets,
and fleece made of fine-quality polyester were the
main fabrics of the decade. The addition of spandex
in products such as pants, jeans, and woolen gar-
ments improved their appearance and fit. Linen was
extremely popular, and natural creases and dis-
tressed fabric became more acceptable than stiffly
tailored clothes. The unfinished ends of seams ap-
peared on the outside of clothes, as opposed to the
traditional smooth-seam finish, and lent a textural
interest to garments in all price ranges.
Viscose rayon, popular in the 1980’s, was replaced
by microfiber fabrics, trumpeted as environmentally
friendly by manufacturers (though difficult to
dye without using a variety of chemicals). First fea-
tured in women’s clothes, microfiber fabrics were
later used in a variety of goods, including sheets, up-
holstery materials, and towels. Microfiber materials
have proven more absorbent than other fabrics.
Casual Trends The long-running popularity of T-
shirts and jeans continued through the 1990’s across
the age spectrum. A variety of jean designs were fash-
ionable at the same time, perhaps more than ever
before. Boot-cut jeans, which had long been fashion-
able in rural and semirural areas, surged in popular-
ity among urban women. This trend may have been
prompted by the new emphasis on high-heeled
boots, which boot-cut jeans highlighted well.
Khaki pants and jackets also grew in popularity
during the decade, partly due to the natural proper-
ties of the fabric, which was light and wrinkle-resis-
tant. Khaki clothing could be worn for a variety of oc-
casions; by the end of the decade, khaki suits were in
style. Along with this trend appeared camouflage
patterns, which became a staple of chain stores such
as Gap. Animal-print fashion was also popular, in
sportswear and eventually dressy clothes.
Sports-related fashions reached a peak in the
1990’s, with sports stars hired to publicize certain
lines of clothing. Nike was hugely successful, with ad-
vertisements by two of the hottest athletes of the de-
cade: Tiger Woods and Michael Jordan. Nike even
named a sports shoe after Jordan, the Air Jordan,
which made huge profits for the company.
Impact Fashion in the 1990’s was characterized by
individualism. Businesses relaxed their dress codes
in accord with new dot-com companies that had no
traditional attire. “Casual Fridays” became common-
place. In 1992, about 7 percent of American compa-
nies had a casual dress code. By 1998, the figure was
53 percent.
Increasing concern regarding global warming
and the sustainability of a consumer culture has
caused many Americans to reevaluate their pat-
terns of consumption of all goods, including fash-326 Fashions and clothing The Nineties in America