The Wardrobes of 90s Fictional Characters We’re Still Dreaming About in 2022

From Jean Paul Gaultier mesh tops to Calvin Klein blazers, when we were first introduced to The Nanny’s Fran Fine, no one was prepared for the endless, show-stopping looks she would serve on our screens. Playing a comedic Jewish-American nanny employed by the upper-crust Sheffield family in Manhattan, Fran Fine’s fashion was rich in colour and modernity, visually setting her apart from the stuffy old-money surroundings and perfectly capturing her vivacious on-screen presence. From adorable crop top co-ord sets to swoon-worthy bodycons, The Nanny was a true trailblazer in 90s fashion with a style confidence that we’re still trying to emulate today.

First gracing our screen in a big off-shoulder wedding dress, it wasn’t long before Rachel Green’s style captured our attention. With her love of mini skirts, chunky boots and mesh dresses, Jennifer Anniston’s beloved Friends character was quickly established as the most fashion-conscious of the group, sporting an array of iconic 90s looks we’ve been dreaming about ever since the sitcom’s first airing. A standout amongst her collection of 90s slip dresses, Rachel’s soft green evening gown from Friends’ third season is still, to this day, the perfect wedding guest style inspo, perfectly paired with era-appropriate strappy heels. To channel Rachel Green’s fashion prowess on the daily, we’re wearing mesh tops, platform mules and vintage florals as well as ever so often asking ourselves "does this look like something the girlfriend of a palaeontologist would wear?".

If you haven’t dreamt about Cher Horowitz’ revolving walk-in wardrobe at least once you’re totally buggin. From the teen queen’s signature plaid blazer set to her Calvin Klein date-night dress, the costumes of 1995s Clueless have us drooling over preppy 90s couture to this day. Whether you identify as a fashion victim or ensembly challenged, there are notes we can all take from Cher’s masterful use of layering in her day-to-night outfits. Her pairing of cropped tanks over white tees as a sporty everyday ensemble inspires us to style our own comfy basics in new ways while her frequent layering of sheer button-ups radiates chic, put-together polish. After a couple years of living in track pants, it may be the perfect time to say ugh, as if! to boring loungewear and bring a touch of Clueless fashion to our (not-revolving) wardrobes.

A very different group of Los Angeles teens, Nancy Downs and her band of witch misfits in The Craft were a cornerstone of the 1990s goth-grunge movement, and boy did they look cool. Between her iconic leather layering and gothic mesh crops, Nancy Downs’ style cast a spell on us all, radiating power and edge in a way women’s fashion on screen didn’t often get the chance to. This season, we’re spinning some of that dark magic into our look. With chokers, Dr Martens, distressed cut-outs and vampy silhouettes, we’re honouring the original grunge style-sorceress and remembering we too are the weirdos, mister.

Speaking of style-defining witches of the 1990s (there seem to be a few), fashion and feline lovers alike will forever idolise the original teenage witch, Sabrina Spellman. Along with her wise-cracking cat, Salem, Sabrina’s eclectic style was (and still is) the envy of all 90s kids. Often combining trendy cuts and silhouettes with lustrous velvet or satin for a slightly mystical finish, Sabrina’s witchy wardrobe was far from one-note as she rotated seamlessly from fun and quirky combos to elegant 90s little black dresses. Never one to shy away from prints and colour, we’ll be attempting to channel the best of Sabrina’s enchanting ensembles in our party edits this season.

Perhaps one of the most underrated style icons of the 1990s, Buffy Summers’ best outfits are slowly getting the recognition they deserve on fashion blogs and instagram feeds as the popularity of 90s fashion grows. The iconic vampire slayer’s style had a beautiful duality, embracing her strength with sartorial lines, leather layering and signature chunky boots while reflecting her softer reality as a teenage girl with feminine cuts, florals and delicate nods to lingerie. Buffy slayed looks left and right (as well as vampires), offsetting lacey camis with utilitarian pieces while also exploring mature, minimalist lines in later seasons. To this day it’s rare to see such a well-rounded female superhero on screen both in character and costume which is why Buffy Summers’ style will remain so unforgettable.

As the saying goes “as a kid you love the heroes, as an adult you understand the villains” and Meredith Blake embodies this ethos. Although perhaps not the most forthcoming lady on the list, if there’s one thing the Parent Trap antagonist excelled at it’s style. From chic backless dresses to impeccably manicured red nails, never has being the villain looked so good. After being misunderstood with lizards put in her hair and literally pushed into a lake, we’re striving for the resilient fashion prowess of this 90s icon as she rocks a truly iconic matching track set despite the adversity faced. Had that been our sports luxe look getting destroyed by twin Lindsay Lohans, we can’t say we too wouldn’t have had them sent to Switzerland.

The modern shopaholic’s favourite comfort watch, Sex and The City was a show that revolutionised fashion and television through the 90s and 2000s. The wardrobe of messy, sex-columnist Carrie Bradshaw was a dream come true for designer-devotees everywhere with classics like Dior’s newspaper dress and Roberto Cavalli’s mesh tops making an appearance, not to mention a menagerie of Manolo Blahnik’s finest footwear. Launching a fashion movement of strappy heels and baguette shoulder bags that continued through the early 2000s, Carrie’s extensive Manhattan closet had such an impact on what we wore that she’s since been referred to as the “original style influencer”. Nowadays we are as obsessed as ever with SATC fashion, with baguettes glued to our shoulders and kitten mules to our feet, we eagerly anticipate the next season of And Just Like That for our next designer fix. 

Between cute clothes and cute boys, 10 Things I Hate About You was everything teens in 1999 could hope for. Alongside Heath Ledger’s dreamy bleachers serenade, the contrasting wardrobes of Kat and Bianca Stratford caught our eye as two opposite yet quintessential examples of late 90s aesthetics. While younger sister Bianca donned dainty cardigans and girly crops in true Baby Spice fashion, Kat Stratford embodied the best of 90s grunge with chunky platform thongs, tank tops and cargo pants that would go on to surge through the 2000s. In recent seasons, the Y2K aesthetic has come back full throttle, reinstating the Stratford sisters as style icons once more.

If we’re talking dream aesthetics, the 90s-does-70s rock and roll wardrobe of Almost Famous is a given. With much of her style reflecting an alluring cool-girl nonchalance, Kate Hudson’s Penny Lane makes us want to wear a (faux) fur coat and wedges with everything. From velvet and corduroy flares to crochet crops and lacey camis, the contrasting elements of Lane’s style showcase the impact of texture in clothing, something we can hope to experiment with in our day to day closets with at least a fraction of the confidence she does.

We couldn’t do a dream wardrobe round-up without mentioning the queen of daydreaming herself, miss Lizzie Mcguire. Although she just missed the 90s boat, we had to include her on this list as the founding mother of Y2K fashion. Disney Channel’s original teen queen shaped a generation with her colourful mesh tops, tie dye tees and bucket hats, all of which we’re still hankering after today. Her vibrant closet saw the end of grunge and welcomed Gen Z’s signature playful style while maintaining some of the best of 90s accessorising. Cut to 2022, and here we are once again with our chunky flatforms and fluffy scrunchies in hand, and we’re saying: yes, Lizzie. This is indeed what dreams are made of.