1990s Colours

This week – and following on from previous posts about colour trends of the 1960s and ’70s -  I’ve posted some colour boards and trend influences from the 1980s and ’90s.

The 1980s became a decade of global economic boom, and the excess and exaggeration of the era expressed itself in largesse and strong style statements.

 Strong growth in the Japanese economy put  major companies Sony and Toyota on the global platform. The trend for Japanese fashion blossomed with the work of popular designers Issey Miyake, Rei Kawakubo and Yohji Yamamoto. Their stark fashion colour palettes strengthened the use of black and grey in design and more serious, strong colour palettes overall. In turn Japanese design influenced western graphic, furniture and architectural designers.

The huge success of ‘Uber’ TV soap Dallas and controversial advertising created for Calvin Klein jeans in the 1980s featuring a 15 year old Brooke Shields, popularised the marketing of jeans which encouraged designers to explore the ‘urban cowboy’ style.

The  fascination with the changing colours of the desert landscape of New Mexico inspired artist Georgia O’Keeffe, whose touring exhibition became phenomenally succesful across America. The casual mix of Old West, Native American and Spanish cultures caught on as a decorating look for interiors. The bleached out colour palette centred on earthy mauves, rich browns, sand and sage greens.

After the early recession period of the 1990s and as a result of the increase in media channels, the world emerged as a ‘global village’ and gave birth to the internet, meaning events, commerce and culture became internationalised. We became more aware of  turbulent happenings around the world too. The need to escape technology and disruption in the world led creatives to look for inspiration from other cultures.

The urge to retreat from the urbanised world influenced a more soothing and tranquil design style aiming to express the values of Zen Buddhism. The number of spas and spa services doubled around the world typified by a soft, ethereal, natural colour palette.

Mass media changed the face of luxury goods marketing. What we saw the rich and famous wearing – we wanted. Huge luxury corporations such as Louis Vuitton and Burberry saw an opportunity to grow by delivering ‘luxury for less’ accessibly priced, branded products for everyone. The term ‘bling’ was coined and style became a commodity.

Colour has meaning for us at an emotional level and is evocative of a mood or ”period’ with which we will associate it. Over these last few decades we can see how we have used colour to reflect and express the social, economic and cultural themes of the time.

With the increase in availability of fashions during the 1990s and the increase in the population, it becomes hard to identify a predominating silhouette or shape during the decade.  With the emergence of style tribes, people were dressing according to what their group deems stylish which results in many different apparel shapes.

Some style remained left over from the 1980’s including, neon colors and large shoulder pads, but it wasn’t until about 1992 that styles became to develop distinctively. Throughout the 1990’s shoulder lines became smaller and more natural and skirt lengths varied from very short in length to those that reached below the calf. Dresses were generally made with spandex stretch fiber blends allowing the garment to tightly fit the body and pant legs grew wider in comparison to the tight fitted pants of the 1980s. Jackets were long and usually worn with short, slim shirts or pants. Popular styles in evening wear included full-skirted, short, strapless dresses, lace or embroidery bustiers, long fitted dresses that were either strapless, sleeveless, one shouldered, or with peek-a-boo cutouts. Shirt styles ranged from tightly fitted to bare midriff. One of the most popular styles of the 90s was a frilly, blouse with large sleeves. Throughout the 1990’s the wrap coat and trench coat were popular as well as the ‘between season” coat.

Apparel Shapes of the 1990's

Popular men’s styles of the 1990’s were just as diverse as the women’s. With the increase in businesses adopting casual clothing policies, the demand for suits decreased. Suits became more structured and were paired with broad variety of colored dress shirts. Striped shirts with patterned neckties were popular. The Casual Friday trend led to an increase in men pairing informal shirts with business suits which increased the popularity of denim suits. Sport jackets were a popular alternative to the suit jacket and were available in checks, tweed, and plaids. Pant styles of the 1990s include slim, narrow at ankle, wide all the way to the hem, cargo style with large patch pockets on the side, high-waisted and tapered to the ankle, and casual with suspender buttons and no cuffs. Shirt styles for men were basic and among the most popular were t-shirts, polo shirts, and woven short-sleeved styles.

Early 1990s Color Palette

Much like the apparel shapes of the early 1990s, the primarily neon colors lingered on until about 1990. As the economy began to fall, consumers began to retreat to more muted colors. With price being the factor in many purchases, consumers were more likely to buy clothing in basic colors to the simple fact that they would get more use out of the garment. Taupes, pastel pinks, olives, grays, browns, subdued rusts, grayed navy, sand and camel were some of the popular colors during the first half of the decade. Around 1997, brighter colors began to make a comeback as the stock market was once again thriving and people were comfortable in terms of finances. Pink became the dominating color for women and green became popular primarily due to the green movement that had been gaining popularity.  As the decade grew to a close and the new millennium began to set in, people panicked and Cerulean Blue, the color of sea and sky, was pronounced the “Color of the Millennium” by Pantone.

Color Trends of the 1990s

Resources:

Survey of Historic Costume by Phyllis G. Tortora and Keith Eubank

Fashion Since 1900 by Valerie Mendes and Amy de la Haye

Icons of Fashion: The 20^th Century by Gerda Buxbaum

Very Vintage: A Guide to Vintage Patterns and Clothing by Iain Bromley and Dorota Wojchiechowska

Who’s Who in Fashion by Holly Price Alford and Anne Stegemeyer

Color trends of the nineties are harder to classify with so many trends, retro color schemes, and new fads. The color combos shown here fit no particular mold but contain combinations of shades popular throughout the 1990s and on into the new millennium.

C50M60 | C100M20K20 | C15M50Y55 | White
This peachy palette includes a mild purple and medium blue.

C90M50K30 | C70K25 | C10K40 | C100K40 | C100M90Y90
These blues and gray create a dark, conservative look.

M10Y20K15 | K45 | M40Y40K70 | White
Neutrals combine for an unusual look. Make the gray a splash of metallic silver ink and it's not so dull a combo as you might think.

A modern mix of peach, orange, yellow, and dusky purple.

M27Y100K6 | C100M43K18 | White
Opposites attract - blue and yellow - while white adds light to this slightly dark palette.

C40M5Y30 | C100M15Y80 | C50M30 | C67M75Y10K13 | C80M55 | C40K100 | White
Opposites of purple and green make an attractive match with black and white added to the party.

C10M100Y100 | C100M5Y100 | M10Y100 | C40K100
A red and green combo. Use lots of black and a bit of yellow to create an eye-popping look.

C100M75 | C80M5Y10 | C65M3Y10 | C15Y5 | M40Y75 | C100M50 | C40K100 | White
Brighten this combo of shades of blues with a dash of orange.

Y65 | C10M45Y45 | C40M30Y30 | White
This washed out combo of pale yellow, pale pink, gray, and white would usually be considered a bad combination but when anything goes...

Color Meanings and Mixing Colors
Discover the cultural meanings for these colors and more ways to mix and match colors.

• Color Meanings and Colors That Go Together

More Color Palettes
Explore more color palettes to evoke a certain mood or make a color statement.