Everything old is new again, and all the '90s fashion we used to laugh at is officially back in style — like high waisted shorts, mismatched patterns, and even those stretchy black plastic chokers.
So it should come as no surprise, then, that all the girls you grew up watching on TV and in the movies are back in vogue, too — and in honor of their newfound trendiness, we've ranked some of our favorite, most iconic fashion-forward pop culture inspirations, in order of how much we currently want to steal their old '90s looks.
Clarissa Darling, "Clarissa Explains It All"
If you took every single '90s fashion trend, dipped them in day-glo paint, and threw them into an oven, what would come out is Clarissa. Some of her outfits look flagrantly ridiculous in the cold light of 2016, but you gotta hand it to a girl for striking out and boldly making a statement. Plus, some of her outfits are still pretty dang cute — like, check out that pink polka-dot top and high-waisted shorts!
Rayanne, "My So Called Life"
You could tell Rayanne was a free spirit by the sheer number of patterned layers she would put on her body, as well as the bleached streak she dyed at the front of her hair. She was basically copying Rogue's look from "X-Men," but without the obnoxious Southern accent.
Six Lemeure, "Blossom"
It might have been Blossom's show, but her quirky best friend Six was the girl everybody wanted to be. She had a hat for every occasion and a decorative flower for every hat — and unlike Clarissa (and fun fact, Melissa Joan Hart was up for both parts back in the day), Six didn't often overdo it on the patterns.
Prue Halliwell, "Charmed"
Prue's minimalist office attire made us want to grow up and work at an elite auction house STAT, but she could also rock a sleek, black slip dress (including when all three of her do).
Alex Mack, "The Secret World Of Alex Mack"
Most of the girls are sophisticated schoolgirls, eclectic fashionistas, goth queens or power-suit workplace superstars. Alex is probably the only one grungey, flannel-loving tomboy on the list. She looked like the long lost Hanson sister, and we loved every second of it.
Tia and Tamera, "Sister Sister"
As everyone knows, the biggest trend in the '90s was selecting every single pattern in your wardrobe and wearing them all at the same time. Tia and Tamera managed this trend double as fiercely as everybody else did, complete with denim and matching hats.
Topanga Lawrence, "Boy Meets World"
Topanga started out as a peasant blouse-wearing Flower Child, but over time her style developed and matured until she became more of an All American Girl Next Door type. No matter what she was wearing, though, her hair was always incredible, whether it was crimped or blown out.
Laura Winslow, "Family Matters"
Poor Laura was emotionally manipulated into falling in love with some needy jerk who didn't deserve her attention, but at least she was the queen of the form-fitting, long-sleeved top. She even made vests look good! Do you know how hard that was in the '90s?
Shelby Woo, "The Mystery Files Of Shelby Woo"
Shelby Woo was definitely the most stylish member of the SNICK line-up, including even Clarissa. And she had to be, because let’s face it, all that neon that Clarissa wears would have made Shelby too visible a target to all those criminals who literally try to murder her in every episode. Shelby's look was much more classic and subdued, but she still bought into some wonderful '90s fads — specifically, denim. So much denim.
Elaine Benis, "Seinfeld"
Elaine Bennis is about two things: power blazers and long floral skirts. The blazers maybe haven’t made a comeback just yet, but the skirts certainly have — as have the blouses and bulky denim jackets. She was normcore before that was even a thing, and she could totally pull it off. Plus, how great was her hair?
Phoebe Buffay, "Friends"
The entire cast of "Friends" was pretty trendy (heck, Rachel had a hairstyle named after her), but Phoebe was by far the most adventurous woman on the crew. You never knew what she was going to be wearing, and that alone made her a compelling fashion diva.
Ms. Frizzle, "The Magic School Bus"
Ms. Frizzle predicted the quirky patterned, ‘50s-style dress trend by almost two decades. She invented galaxy print. Let’s face it, Modcloth wouldn’t exist without her.
Jessica Wakefield, "Sweet Valley High"
Jessica is what you'd get if Sporty Spice and Posh Spice had a secret lovechild together and taught her all of their fashion tips at the same time — nothin' but short skirts and sporty tops all the way.
Cordelia Chase, "Buffy The Vampire Slayer"
Half the time Cordelia’s look was “sexy mean girl” and the other half it was “I’m late for high tea at the country club” — but no matter what the occasion called for, she completely owned it. Of course, she definitely didn’t look like she was a high school student with that sophisticated wardrobe, but that’s another problem entirely.
Romy and Michele, "Romy and Michele's High School Reunion"
Nobody else could pull off crop tops, power clashing, and metallic miniskirts quite like Romy and Michele could — and during a spin class, no less. And is it just me, or does Romy’s dress kinda look like it has a “Star Trek” logo on it? That’s right, she basically predicted geek chic.
Cher Horowitz, "Clueless"
Did you grow up wishing you could wear a school uniform? It's probably only because Cher made her skirts, blouses, and knee-high socks looks so cute and stylish, leading an entire generation to think that maybe mandatory plaid wouldn't be such a bad thing. Trust me, the real thing is not so chic.
Sabrina Spellman, "Sabrina The Teenage Witch"
Sabrina was a master of the miniskirt, and she deftly managed to balance good girl sweetness with vampish witchy charm. She also loved herself some mesh overlays and black tights, which were the epitome of ‘90s sophistication back in the day.
Usagi (Serena) Tsukino, "Sailor Moon"
Sure, she spends most of her time in a school uniform or a tiny superhero dress, but girl had some CHOICE ‘90s fashion during her down time. Usagi was all about pastel colors (especially pink), tiny skirts, and knee-high socks — and her outfits are so timeless that Korean fashion retailer Kuchi Machi straight-up used them as a lookbook once.
Kelly Kapowski, "Saved By The Bell"
Kelly was honestly too stylish for her own good. Literally every high-waisted, spandex, floral, sleeve-rolled, pastel-colored outfit she has ever worn on "Saved By The Bell" can be faithfully recreated today with nothing but an extensive trip to Forever 21.
The girls from "The Craft"
It's hard to pick just one of these goth superstars because, just like real witches, they were at the height of their power when they worked together as a unit. Somehow this team could make even baggy florals look like something Robert Smith would want to try on — and when they all decked out in matching black and white, it was truly a sight to behold.
Hillary Banks, “The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air”
Holy cow, did this girl have her look on lock. Whether it was a perfectly patterned suit, skirt, and matching hat, a cozy turtleneck with chunky statement jewelry, a crop top and high-waisted denim short or an amazing party dress, Hillary had style to spare.
Claudia Kishi, “The Babysitters Club”
How best to describe Claudia, the most iconic member of the Babysitter's club? With her side ponytail, hoop earrings, and outrageously mismatching patterns, she stole all of our hearts, and also most of our wardrobes.
Lwaxana Troi, "Star Trek: The Next Generation" and "Star Trek: Deep Space Nine"
TOTAL STYLE ICON RIGHT HERE. Lwuxana Troi is proof that to be truly fashionable, you need to literally not give a shit what anyone else thinks about your outfit. Cut-out necklines? Yes! Elaborate wigs in unnatural colors? Check, please! Plush, flowing jewel-toned velour and floor length gowns? Always. These things should be ridiculous, and they are, but when Lwaxana puts it on she looks like the queen of the universe — because she is. If only we could all aspire to her confidence and glamour.
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