90s Men’s Fashion: The Iconic 90s Trends that’ll Make You Nostalgic

Leather jackets, jeans and tee shirt look defines the 90s fashion perfectly! From hip-hop to punk to 90s rock, from Tom Cruise to Brad Pitt, here’s your complete guide to 90s men’s fashion!

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Hey handsome! 90s fashion is something that all guys need to take inspiration from! Personally, I love the 90s (yeah, it’s obvious as I’m a 90s kid)! From Leonardo DiCaprio to Tom Cruise to David Beckham, the men’s celeb fashion was drool worthy! Like seriously where are the real stylish men in the millennial world today?! *gasps* Even, in the animated world, we had Dexter’s Laboratory, Johnny Bravo and The Simpsons! Now, this is getting too nostalgic. Isn’t it?

So, from evergreen movies like Titanic to the iconic music band Backstreet Boys to everyone’s beloved sitcom, Friends, the 90s was indeed a special era. Of course, there were a few funny fashion moments that we don’t wanna see again! So, as a part of our 90s series, let’s find out all about the men’s fashion and style!

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What is 90s Men’s Fashion?

Leather jackets, jeans and tee shirt look defines the 90s men’s fashion perfectly! 90s men’s fashion had so many inspirations. 90s hip-hop fashion included baggy jeans and Reebok white sneakers. The 90s men’s casual style was all about men’s tank tops and Tom Cruise’s aviator style sunglasses. This decade also included grunge looks and punk style with spikey hair and ripped jeans. Let’s find out about all of them!

Neck-length hair and long hair were very popular too, as were floppy curtain hair. Fashion basics like white tees, denim shirts, leather jackets and straight-cut jeans were the trendy street wear for 90s men’s fashion.

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90s Style Fashion: Clothing

Bright colors were very trendy in 90s men’s fashion. Plaids, checkered shirts and artsy prints were the highlights of the era, unlike the 80s bold prints! Overalls ruled 90s style. Who can forget Will Smith’s look in the show, The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air?

Shoulder pads of the 70s and 80s gave way to turtlenecks! The Friends actors – David Schwimmer and Matt LeBlanc – made the turtlenecks iconic. Loose tracksuits paired with high top sneakers were a rage. Hope this trend never dies. Casual and easy! Mesh shirts, oversized shirts, denim jackets and metallic jackets too were a thing in the 90s style fashion.

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Will Smith in The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air

90s Urban Fashion

1. Men’s 90s Fashion Jeans

Jeans ruled the 90s style fashion! Baggy jeans and folded hems were a big part of the early 90s men’s fashion. Denim on denim was a big trend too! In fact, you can wear them to a 90s themed party now! Also, classic blue high waist jeans were in vogue and they are back now!

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2. Denim Jackets & Denim Shirts

Denim jackets were also a big part of the 90s fashion. This casual yet comfy jacket was perfect for any occasion. Movies like The Shawshank Redemption and Speed made oversized long denim shirts the highlights of the 90s urban fashion. The trend of denim shirts continued on from the late 1980s, which was even featured in one of Michael Jackson’s hit music video, “The Way You Make Me Feel”.

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Speed & The Shawshank Redemption

3. 90s Leather Jackets

90s fashion for men was all about looking like a rockstar! Leather jackets were a must have 90s male fashion trend, thanks to pop icons like George Michael, who started this trend in the late 80s with his hit music video “Faith” and Michael Jackson, whose supporting dancers sported them in “Bad”!

Also, the leather on leather look was popular. In fact, the king of pop, Michael Jackson, made the leather look quite popular with his stage performances! From military style jackets to plain jackets worn over plain white tee shirts, 90s pop culture was super stylish!

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Michael Jackson & George Michael started sporting leather jackets in late 80s, and the trend continued into the 90s

4. Hairstyles

The two most famous 90s hairstyles were tousled, made popular by Fight Club’s Brad Pitt, and floppy hair, of Titanic’s Leonardo DiCaprio. Tom Cruise also made short tousled haircut famous in Mission Impossible. The messy grunge hair look was at its peak and Johnny Depp’s hairstyle was in vogue. Also, George Michael’s voluminous upcombed hair is a classic 90s hairstyle.

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George Michael, Leonardo DiCaprio & Brad Pitt

5. Classic Black Suits

Men’s suits trends have evolved over the time but the classic black suits were really in vogue back in the 90s. From Richard Gere to Will Smith in movies Pretty Woman and Men in Black, they have popularized the 90s style fashion!

Also read:

Ultimate List of 1990s Movies

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Will Smith in Men in Black

90s Hip Hop Fashion for Men

1. Accessories

The 90s rap fashion was all about baggy clothing with chunky jewelry. Jay Z wore the oversized necklace with a dollar that was popular in the 90s black men’s fashion. The oversized rings and bracelets were fashionable. Also, the laceless and high top sneakers are back now. Wow, I’ll make sure to get my man a pair as he’s a hip hop fashion fan! The matching baseball caps were stylish, too.

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Jay Z

2. Oversized Tee Shirts

The oversized tee shirts with text or graphics were the trademark of 90s hip hop fashion for guys. Also, check out Snoop Dogg’s oversized shirt by Tommy Hilfiger! The slouchy hoodie trend was set by Eminem in the late 90s fashion!

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Eminem

3. Loose Tracksuit

Will Smith’s look in the famous TV series, The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, where he wore loose tracksuits became a cool 90s fashion trend. This refreshing style is making a comeback now.

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Will Smith in The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air

90s Punk Fashion

The 90s punk fashion was all about overly done spikes. Check out Sean O’Pry in the movie SLC Punk where he sported the spiked hairstyle in neon green. Like really?! How did the youngsters back then think it’s cool?!

The movie also popularized the mohawk haircut. In fact, its less-extreme version is trendy again! The 90s punk fashion for men also included spiked leather jackets.

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SLC Punk!

90s Grunge Fashion for Men

1. 90s Grunge Jeans

Big rips on jeans were the highlights of the 1990s fashion trends for men. The rips were big enough for a puppy to sneak in! 90s grunge men’s fashion also included pairing these jeans with sneakers or black tees and leather jackets.

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Nirvana

2. 90s Grunge Hairstyles

The greasy, messy long hair or the the unwashed hair look was at its peak. The famous Johnny Depp and Kate Moss made it a couple thing by sporting the grunge hairstyle.

Also read:

Grunge Style Basics: How to Rock Grunge Fashion

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Kate Moss & Johnny Depp

3. The Unshaven Look

Like the messy hair, the unshaven grunge look was considered to be macho. I hope this 90s male fashion trend doesn’t make a comeback!! So unpolished. Bleh! And again, Johnny Depp made the 90s grunge style famous! Brad Pitt also sported the unshaven look in the 90s.




4. Piercings

George Michael started the fad in the 80s, but piercings for men became an even cooler thing in the 90s. The ear piercings with tiny circular earrings were a common sight in the 90s!

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Johnny Depp

90s Rock Fashion

The iconic rock bands set the 90s fashion trends for teenagers! From bedhead hair to logo tee shirts to leather jackets, they all made a statement. The long hairstyle or the unwashed hair look prevailed throughout the 90s. That’s gross! Eww! Sorry, rock fashion fans out there. Spiked hair also became popular.

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Metallica

90s Summer & Winter Fashion

The 90s summer fashion for men was easy and casual. From Johnny Depp’s bandanas to graphic tee shirts to mesh shirts, they were super stylish. The 90s summer fashion included loose jeans paired with half sleeved or sleeveless shirt, tight tank tops and the high top sneakers. Wide leg jeans were also still in, but not hugely popular. Hoodies and basic tees were in, too, just like rappers such as Kanye West still wear.

Winter fashion included combat boots, plaid suit, tee shirt and flannel shirts worn over blazers and leather jackets. 90s winter fashion saw oversized long coats, turtleneck sweaters and waistcoats! Tom Cruise brought back the head-to-toe black look with his Mission Impossible outfit, consisting of black leather jacket, matching tee and jeans. Personally, I love winter fashion and the 90s are a perfect inspiration for men.

90s Preppy Fashion

This decade also saw polished and clean 90s men’s fashion. Of course, that’s what preppy fashion is all about. We saw lots of refined fashion in the movie, The Talented Mr. Ripley. Loose trousers were paired with button-up shirt worn over a plain tee shirt.

Also, the classic black suits ruled the 90s in movies like Titanic, School Ties, Men in Black and Scent of a Woman! Leonardo’s looks in Titanic are drool worthy, especially the ballroom dance outfit! Brad Pitt also made vests popular with his movie, A River Runs Through It.

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A River Runs Through It & The Talented Mr. Ripley

So, this was the complete guide to 90s men’s fashion! Are you a 90s kid? Did you feel nostalgic? Which 90s street fashion trends are your favorite and least favorite? Let us know! Tweet us @shilpa1ahuja!

Also check out:

The Most Popular 90s Actresses We’re Remembering
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Iconic 90s Jewelry Trends
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