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By Kerane Marcellus ·Updated August 7, 2024

It is no secret that we’ve been reminiscing about the 90s for a few years now, and especially in the fashion world. The trend cycle is obviously one that is very fickle but what remains consistent is the looks served in the ’90s TV shows that brought these trends to the forefront. From oversized denim to microbraids to Phat Farm and Sean John, the 90s was an era that will forever bring a warm nostalgic feeling. 

If you were born in ‘99 or the early 2000s, to say that you weren’t experiencing some of the 90s would be a shame—- TV show re-runs are a thing. Lots of you early aughts babies were definitely watching some of these shows growing up and are still influenced by the storylines and fashion on these iconic shows. From A Different World to Sister Sister, take a look through our top picks to grab inspiration from.

A Different World  A DIFFERENT WORLD — Pictured: (back row, l-r) Glynn Turman as Col. Bradford ‘Brad’ Taylor, Dawnn Lewis as Jaleesa Vinson Taylor, Lou Myers as Vernon GAines, Charnele Brown as Kimberly ‘Kim’ Reese (front row) Kadeem Hardison as Dwayne Cleophus Wayne, Jasmine Guy as Whitley Marion Gilbert Wayne, Darryl M. Bell as Ronald ‘Ron’ Johnson, Cree Summer as Winifred ‘Freddie’ Brooks — Photo by: NBCU Photo Bank

The plot of the show was brilliant, and on top of that, there were endless amounts of people, from main characters to background characters, wearing the best outfits. The type of uniqueness that can only come from a college setting where young Black people are really learning about who they are and who they want to become. Lisa Bonet is one of the standouts, of course; although her character departed early, her outfits were unforgettable. 

Living Single  American rapper and actress Queen Latifah, American actress Kim Fields, American actress Erika Alexander, and American actress and comedian Kim Coles attend a Fox Television event for their sitcom ‘Living Single’, 1993. (Photo by Vinnie Zuffante/Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images)

Not many know that Living Single inspired Friends. Between Khadijah, Synclaire, Régine, and Maxine, it’s hard not to notice the looks that were pulled off. There’s a perfect mix of feminine and masculine as the working woman became more prominent on TV in well-tailored suiting. 

Sister, Sister UNITED STATES – MAY 09:SISTER, SISTER – Gallery 10/6/93 Tia Mowry, Tamera Mowry(Photo by ABC Photo Archives/Disney General Entertainment Content via Getty Images)

Tia and Tamera were among the it-girls in the 90s. In the earlier seasons, matching outfits were kind of inevitable, but as the seasons progressed, you really got to see each twin develop their own sense ofdecoding=”async” src=”https://www.essence.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/GettyImages-3199266.jpg” alt=”90s & Early Aughts TV Shows For Fashion Inspiration” width=”400″ height=”513″ />Promotional portrait of the cast of the UPN television series ‘Girlfriends,’ Los Angeles, California, January 5, 2004. Left to right American actresses Jill Marie Jones, Persia White, Tracee Ellis Ross, and Golden Brooks. (Photo by Darien Davis/CBS Photo Archive/Getty Images)

Now even though the friend group kinda broke up toward the end, can we just say that Toni was that girl. Like she was really wearing John Paul Gaultier, and even that was on the more casual side for her. Lynn had the best everyday bohemian looks, not too boho but just enough. Maya and Joan had to keep it professional at the office, but the after-hours were full of asymmetrical skirts and low-rise jeans. There’s also a whole Instagram dedicated to every single outfit on Girlfriends. 

Moesha  386837 08: Grammy Award-winning singer/actress Brandy stars as Moesha Mitchell, in the United Paramount Network popular half-hour comedy series “Moesha.” (Photo by Matthew Rolson/United Paramount Network)

They really left us hanging at the end of this show, but they made sure to leave zero crumbs when it came to the costume design. TikTok had a moment of parodies of Moesha’s diary voice-over, and the interpretations of herrel=”tag”>90s fashion fashion

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