Let's Discuss TV Shows that Influenced Our Style... (It Was a 90s Thing)

I want this blog space to be a forum for discussing fun topics, not just fashion or Vivian Rose Boutique. So, that being said, let's start the ridiculousness by discussing TV shows that had a direct influence on my early style (or non-style).

The 90s and very early 2000s were a strange time, as you will see below. It was a simpler time. We didn't have cell phones until about the time I was in college (gasp!) There was no Pinterest or YouTube. Only birds tweeted, and Justin Bieber was merely a twinkle in his mother's eye.

In order to make this post 100% more fun, I asked for assistance from my dear friend, Kenzie. (She is also smarter and wittier and has better hair, but that's beside the point.) Let's get started.

Clarissa Explains It All

(Image: Garcia, K. [Kelsey]. Popsugar.com [Pinterest post]. Retrieved December 15, 2016 from: https://www.pinterest.com/pin/137289488618971753/)

Kenzie: This show. Any time we talk about our questionable fashion sense growing up, I HAVE to bring up my Clarissa Explains it All phase. Sweet fancy Moses. I realize now, as an adult, that her wacky fashion sense was something of a punchline on that show, but as a kid? All I saw was a quirky, confident, unique, non-conformist girl I wanted to be EXACTLY LIKE. Yes. Irony. Sixth grade me was rocking hunter green shorts with blazing yellow tights, topped off with hiking boots and a sunflower vest. I wore berets for a while. I don’t know.

Sharry: Ugh, I am convinced that I would have loved this show! Alas, I grew up in the country and that time, we didn’t have access to “fancy channels” such as Nickelodeon. I would like to admit that during this era I wore bike shorts with oversized t-shirts ALL OF THE TIME. Let's blame Clarissa.

Please note that Melissa Joan Hart also went on to star in Melissa and Joey featuring Joey Lawrence. Joey also starred in Blossom, which we discuss below. It's like a game of 7 degrees of separation from Melissa Joan Hart here.

My So-Called Life

(Image: Muha, S. [Santina]. Hello Giggles [Pinterest post]. Retrieved December 15, 2016 from: https://www.pinterest.com/pin/49961877090755177/)

Kenzie: This is one of those shows that lived on the periphery of my attention in junior high. I didn’t really watch it regularly, but it was enough a part of peer conversations that I sort of knew what the deal was. And I knew that anything that meant I could wear flannels, comfortable jeans, and clunky mens’ shoes on my size 12 feet was a very good thing. I also really dug Rayanne’s crazy hairdos. Maybe it wasn’t her specifically, but something in the mid-90s inspired me to just start randomly pinning up sections of my hair to make a “messy updo.” I don’t even know how I did that at 16 because now I can barely get a bobby pin to stay in my hair in the first place.

Sharry: Yes, to the yes. Bring on all of the angst. Here’s the thing. I felt like I should have been able to the be the “Angela” of my own life. However, I was EVERYONE’s Sharon. Sharon was an academic goody-goody who wore the same hairstyle all of the time. Looking back, it was clear that my friends were correct. I was an Honor Society kid who studied a lot and wore the same hair style (yes, it was the same as Sharon’s) for nearly two year. (TWO years people-just let that marinate…)

Still, despite some of my youthful ultra-conservativeness,my friends loved me, so I had that going. This was also the era of the small floral print, scrunchies, and all things Delia’s. I rocked this look so hard. To this day, I can’t wear a small floral print without having flashbacks to riding the school bus and begging my mom for money to get the newest Tori Amos CD.

Kenzie: Deeeeep. OMG. Sharon.

Friends

(Image: Buzzfeed. [Pinterest post]. Retrieved December 15, 2016 from: https://www.pinterest.com/pin/106819822386452970/)

Kenzie: Friends. Everyone wanted to be Rachel or Monica, and I wanted to be Phoebe. She wore what she liked, she had some crazy cool hairdos, and she gave zero time to worrying about what was “cool.” (I feel like there’s a pattern here and it’s making me a little self-conscious…) Phoebe was my jam because she was tall like me and she wore those really cool long skirts that I definitely had like five of, and wore at all possible opportunities. She was kind of a hippie, new-agey type and junior high/high school me was WAY into that. I had incense and beaded curtains. I had dream encyclopedias and an actual set of rune stones that you were supposed to use to tell your fortune. I did a research paper once on astral projection.

Sharry: For some reason, I don't really recall watching this show all that much until it was in reruns. I was probably too busy listening to Ace of Base. I think this was about the time I was big into wearing No Fear t-shirts. This was an interesting choice given the fact that I was nonathletic.

Interesting note on your admiration of Phoebe. I can see the Phoebe-ness to you. I wish that we knew each other then…Wait, you probably already KNEW that we were going to meet some day, thanks to your stones.

Kenzie: Obviously. The runes don’t lie. I got those at the Mall of America, so they were definitely authentic.

Blossom

(Image: Buzzfeed. [Pinterest post]. Retrieved December 15, 2016 from:https://www.pinterest.com/pin/507992032950458715/)

Kenzie: The hats. The funky outfits. There is a picture of me in fourth grade with a bad perm, a denim Blossom hat with a gigantic red rose, and a BANGLE in my hair. I even remember that day. I felt SO BEAUTIFUL. Like all the fourth grade boys were going to just stop in their tracks and realize I was the most amazing girl they’d ever seen. What can I say? Childhood is a magical time.

Sharry: BLOSSOM! Whoa! You were beautiful. Also, I must see this picture.

I loved this show, and I sooo wanted to be Blossom (or Six) and have that effortlessly cool quality about me.

During this phase of my life I lived in overalls, denim jackets, and believed that everything should be bedazzled. (FYI, I still believe that.) I believe this was also about the time that I had this garish, thrift-store, old-man vest that I wore with everything. WHY???

Fun fact: After my brother and I would get off the school bus, we would race down the driveway home so we wouldn’t miss Blossom (in repeat). What can I say? We were sheltered country kids thinking that Blossom was so trendy and cool.

Northern Exposure

(Image: tv.com. [Pinterest post]. Retrieved December 15, 2016 from:https://www.pinterest.com/pin/550846598143922154/)

Kenzie: This never shows up on any fashion lists, but I had (still have) a deep fondness for all things cozy and northwoods-y, and Maggie’s style on Northern Exposure was literally everything I aspired to be. Maybe still is. She was fresh-faced and feminine, but low maintenance and she could definitely handle her own self, and her wardrobe reflected that. Plus, see above for my love of flannel and practical footwear.

Sharry: Fleischman!

While this didn't have the same impact on me, I will say that I think this show didn't get enough love. Also, I agree with your statements about Maggie. As I am typing this, I just realized that I had nearly an identical coat to the one she is wearing above. I think mine was navy blue, and it probably reeked of Sunflowers perfume- as did everything else I owned.

Boy Meets World

(Image: POPSUGAR Entertainment. [Pinterest post]. Retrieved December 15, 2016 from: https://www.pinterest.com/pin/2955555975245085/)

Kenzie: Didn’t we all want to be Topanga? Again with my fondness for that quirky, new-agey girl. She had the vests, the gorgeous hair, the sass. My insanely long 8th grade hair is all thanks to her. Then I got head lice (probably from trying on one too many Blossom hats) and it all came to an end.

Sharry: I am learning so much about you. Note to self: buy Kenzie a Blossom hat….

Kenzie: Just make sure it doesn’t have head lice. ;)

Dawson's Creek

(Image: Buzzfeed. [Pinterest post]. Retrieved December 15, 2016 from: https://www.pinterest.com/pin/241435229995699476/)

Sharry: Dawson’s Creek. Can we all just take a moment to admire the fact that this spread is from the 1998 J.Crew catalog? We thought this was stylish?! You can't make this stuff up.

I loved this show beyond reason. I watched and taped (on VHS) this show religiously. I was totally Joey because I lived on a lake and had brown hair (obvs), and believe me, I wore plenty of khakis and plain tanks and tees. I thought her simplicity was the epitome of style. Also, I owned not one, but two pairs, of cargo pants, much like Miss Josephine Potter is wearing above. **Shudder**

Kenzie: I somehow missed most of Dawson’s Creek! (Honestly, what was I doing? Nothing that would make for an interesting plot on Dawson’s Creek, that’s for sure.)

Gap Ad

(Image: elizamagazine.com. [Pinterest post]. Retrieved December 15, 2016 from: https://www.pinterest.com/pin/17944098491116911/ )

Sharry: Side Note-does anyone remember the swing-dancing Gap ad featuring khakis? Why were they a thing? Why did I own 50 pairs? About this time I also wore those chunky white tennis shoes and lots of American Eagle apparel that was either too small or too big.

Kenzie: I wanted more khakis but I could never find them long enough! I think I had one pair of “tall” khakis and they were like the holy grail. But I remember this ad campaign and how much I wished I could find a pair that fit me right. Ill-fitting khakis are the unsexiest thing on the planet. And I think if we’ve established anything here, it’s that I spent a lot of high school trying to be sexy (note: that should be read in a voice dripping with sarcasm).

What do you think? What shows influenced your style? Stayed tuned because I am sure Kenzie and I will be discussing our college years and adulthood! (Whether you want to read it or not.)

Love,

s

#90sTelevision #TVShows #90s #Style #Influence #2000s