With the sporty-chic trend growing more and more popular, a girl cannot help but be reminded of the last time active wear made a major statement in the world of fashion: the mid 90’s. Another big statement in the 90’s: baring your midriff. You put the two together, and magic happens! Gwen Stefani, TLC, Sporty Spice and Aaliyah rocked the look tenfold back in the day. Wear it today: Sports bras, baggy pants and a little shine in the form of a shimmery jacket or oversized hoops, and you’re an instant fly girl circa 1996. I like to call it Attitude Wear because when you don this getup, your lips curl a little, your stance gets a little more intimidating and you feel too hot to touch. Bad girl is written all over you. Another plus to taking on the sport-chic trend is comfort. And what girl doesn’t want to walk around in sneakers and huge, comfy pants and still be considered stylish?! With all those insane platforms we’ve been wearing for the past couple of years (love them anyway!), the sneaker trend alone is one we should really grab by the horns.
Thrifting pieces for this look can be a cinch with sports bras and baggy pants being ubiquitous at thrift stores. The great thing about thrifting this kind of pant is that you don’t have to compare a bunch of vintage measurements with modern ones, or try on a thousand pants to find ones that fit. With this look you can never get too baggy in the legs and hips, so just check the waist and you’re set! As for sports bras: Look for bright colors, zippers, metallics, etc.; anything with a little more detail than a regular fitness bra. Speaking of metallics, why not try it on those pants too. T-Boz, Left Eye and Chili-approved! Grab some scarves (to throw in your hair) and some gaudy gold jewelry to give the look some added attitude (bold lips wouldn’t hurt either!).
So, what are your options? Let’s take inspiration straight from the source:
- Sporty Spice: bright colors, in-your-face sports logos, classic sneakers and an armband
- TLC (T-Boz, Left Eye and Chili): ultra wide-legged metallic pants, spandex top with spaghetti strings, metallic combat boots
- Aaliyah: matchy-matchy top, jacket and pants, exposed boxer band, dark sunglasses and a bandanna
- Gwen Stefani: grunge cardigan, cut-off ribbed tank, belted menswear pants, flatforms and loads of jewelry (and maybe a touch of dark red lip liner)
By Whitney S Williams
Photos by Gabriel Gould
90’s pics via WireImage
