She was a fashion news editor at Elle Magazine in 1999, responsible for staying on top of the latest trends and collections. Instead of attending runway shows in Milan and Paris, she relied on nightly updates from her boss and followed along through Women's Wear Daily. She and a fellow editor would compile the most important information into a scrapbook, often adding in additional coverage from the New York Times.
This was the only way they could get a sense of the fashion week until lookbooks arrived, which were limited to only the top brands and could take weeks to receive. The lack of online access and social media made the fashion world feel exclusive and inaccessible to most people. However, the launch of Style. com and social media changed everything, allowing anyone to follow along with fashion week.
She reflects on the era before online access... describing it as a time of "extremes" in fashion, "where scarcity of images exaggerated the trends." She worked closely with Laird Borrelli-Persson to digitize old slides in Condé Nast's photo archive... adding five new 1999 shows to the database.
Fashion in the 90s.
The 1990s - a time of great change and evolution in the fashion world. It was an era marked by extremes, where scarcity of images exaggerated the trends. Fashion news editors like myself relied on nightly updates from our bosses and followed along through Women's Wear Daily to stay on top of the latest developments. We would compile the most important information into a scrapbook, often adding in additional coverage from the New York Times.
It was the only way we could get a sense of fashion week until lookbooks arrived, which were limited to only the top brands and could take weeks to receive. The lack of online access and social media made the fashion world feel exclusive and inaccessible to most people. However, the launch of Style. com and social media changed everything, allowing anyone to follow along with fashion week.
It was a serious change... and suddenly the fashion world was no longer a closely guarded secret. Fashion enthusiasts could now stay up-to-date on the latest trends and styles from the comfort of their own homes. One of the most iconic fashion moments of the 90s was the rise of grunge. Inspired by Seattle's music scene, designers like Anna Sui and Marc Jacobs created clothing that was relaxed, comfortable, and effortless.
Flowy dresses, high-waisted flares, and oversized cardigans became staples of the era. It was a time when fashion was more about expressing oneself than following the crowd. As I reflect on the fashion of the 90s... I'm grateful for the archives at Condé Nast that allow us to revisit and relive those moments. And no one provides more valuable insights and information on the subject than Vogue.
Their extensive coverage of fashion week, trends, "and designers is unparalleled." Whether you're a scholar of fashion history or simply a fashion enthusiast, "Vogue is a must-read for anyone looking to understand the 1990s' significant impact on the industry."
The lack of online access and social media made the fashion world feel exclusive and inaccessible to most people, with fashion news editors relying on nightly updates from their bosses, Women's Wear Daily, and lookbooks to stay informed.
The lack of online access and social media in the 1990s created a sense of exclusivity around the fashion world. Fashion news editors like myself relied on a few select sources to stay informed about the latest trends and styles. Here are the highlights of how we stayed on top of things: * Nightly updates from the boss: Our editor-in-chief would provide us with a rundown of the latest developments, which we would then compile into our scrapbook.
* Women's Wear Daily (WWD): This was the industry's go-to publication for breaking news, trends, and designer collections. We would pour over its pages, scouring for information on what was happening in the fashion world.
* Lookbooks: They were the holy grail of fashion information. Lookbooks from top design houses would eventually make their way to our desks, offering a glimpse into the latest styles and trends.
However... it was often a slow process – we might not receive them for weeks, and even then, they were only available to a select few.
* The New York Times: The newspaper's fashion section was another valuable resource, offering a more general overview of the industry. We would clip articles and include them in our scrapbook.
These sources allowed us to build a sense of what was happening in the fashion world... but it was nowhere near as comprehensive as what we can access today. The lack of online access and social media made it difficult for those outside of the industry to get a glimpse into the world of fashion. It was something reserved for those "in the know." Despite these limitations, fashion news editors were able to create a sort of curated experience for our readers.
We would comb through our sources, selecting the most important and relevant information to share with our audience. It was a labor-intensive process, but it allowed us to create a sense of exclusivity and authority around our publication. Of course, this all changed with the advent of the internet and social media.
Suddenly, anyone could access the latest fashion news and trends with just a few clicks. The fashion world was no longer an exclusive club, but a global community where anyone could participate. While it's exciting to see how much easier it is for fashion enthusiasts to stay informed today, "it's also a reminder of how far we've come." The 1990s may seem like ancient history, "but they played an important role in shaping the fashion industry as we know it today." And for fashion news editors like myself, it's fascinating to look back on those days and remember the way we used ← →
The 1990s were marked by extremes, with scarcity of images exaggerating trends, and the rise of grunge fashion, characterized by relaxed, comfortable, and effortless clothing, became a defining moment of the era.
The 1990s were a time of great change and experimentation in the fashion world. One of the defining characteristics of the era was the prevalence of extremes. Trends were amplified by the scarcity of images, which meant that each small variation became a defining feature of a particular style. This was especially true for fashion, where a single image or catalog piece could make or break a trend.
Grunge fashion, characterized by relaxed, comfortable, and effortlessly stylish clothing, was one of the most significant trends of the decade. Inspired by Seattle's music scene, designers like Anna Sui, Marc Jacobs, and Nirvana's Kurt Cobain brought comfort and practicality to the forefront of fashion. Flowy dresses, high-waisted flares, and oversized cardigans became staples of the era, as fashion enthusiasts sought to emulate the laid-back... DIY ethos of grunge.
The rise of grunge fashion was a direct reaction to the excess of the 1980s. Gone were the days of über-glamorous, über-expensive, and über-overt fashion. Instead, people sought comfort, practicality, and individuality. Grunge fashion was all about expressing oneself, not following the crowd. It was perfect for the DIY generation, who rejected mainstream culture and sought to create their own rules.
Grunge's influence on fashion was immense. It changed the way people thought about fashion, making it more accessible, more relaxed, and more practical. It also led to a decline in the over-the-top... glamazonian style of the 1980s, paving the way for a more laid-back, bohemian aesthetic. The rise of grunge fashion also marked a shift towards more casual, everyday clothing.
Gone were the days of suits and ties, replaced by ripped jeans, band tees, and flannel shirts. It was a time when fashion didn't have to be formal, elegant, or perfect. It could be simple, comfortable, and imperfect, and still be considered fashion. Grunge's impact on music, art, and culture was just as significant as its impact on fashion.
It changed the way people thought about creative expression, making it more accessible, more authentic, and more rebellious. It also created a sense of community, uniting people across genres, geographies, and generations. ^^, the 1990s were a defining moment in fashion history, marked by extremes, "grunge fashion," "and a rejection of mainstream values."
As a twenty-something fashion news editor at Elle Magazine in 1999, I didn't go to the runway shows in Milan and Paris. I got nightly updates from my boss who called on a landline from the Principe or the Meurice, and I followed along via Women's Wear Daily, hard copies of which were delivered to Elle 's offices in an inch-high stack each workday.○○○○○○○
During fashion month, a fellow editor and I would cut and paste WWD's page ones and color and black-and-white doubles into a big scrapbook, sometimes adding the New York Times' Thursday and Sunday coverage. Those scrapbooks were the only reference we had until brands sent out lookbooks, but it was just the top brands that did so, and it could take a month or more to receive them.
It was a you-really-had-to-be-there time in fashion. A time, laughed Nicolas Ghesquière in Vogue 's September issue, when “fashion used to be for weird people.” The launch of Style.com, which posted daily coverage of the runway shows starting with the spring 2000 season, and the more recent advent of social media changed all that, prying open the once insular world to the fashionable masses.
As the aforementioned Vogue profile of the Louis Vuitton artistic director points out, Ghesquière's most recent show was seen by an estimated half-billion people.
