Are 90s Hairstyles Making A Comeback?

Are 90s Hairstyles Making A Comeback?

The UK's Guardian, is reporting a return to the 90s and it's decade of anti-fashion, major grunge and heavily tousled hairstyles.

Are we seriously headed for round two of The Rachel (Jennifer Aniston), Donna Mills or Meg Ryan's famous tousled shag or Demi Moore's shaved head (GI Jane)?

Or what about the various renditions of the bob hairstyle which was very popular for those wanting to achieve a more finished style than some of the popular grunge inspired hair.

Donna Mills was one of the stars of TV's Knots Landing which ended its long run in 1993.   Her early 90s shaggy hairstyle was much admired for it teased sexy layers and heavily frosted edges.

Johnny Davis, deputy editor of Esquire and former editor of The Face told The Guardian "Trends have a tendency to move in 20-year cycles," says "In retrospect, we've come to realise that the 1990s was a very fertile period."

Return of Versace

It's not really surprising that there's a renewed interest in the 90s.  Recently there's been a proliferation of grunge on the catwalk.  For spring/summer 2012, D&G sent its models down the catwalk in signature 90s printed handkerchiefs worn as dresses. Isabel Marant re-purposed 90s-style hi-top trainers alongside over-sized flannel shirts.  Archetypal 90s label Versace was back doing couture for the first time in 15 years.

Of course when a period is revived it often returns with an updated viewpoint.  Although Beverly Hills 90219, Melrose Place and Friends were popular in the 90s, will the 2012 version of hair line up with The Rachel, Phoebe Bouffet's long hippie inspired tresses or long wave inspired hairstyle.

90s Movie Revivals

Thelma & Louise hit movie screens in 1991.  Who can forget Geena Davis (Thelma Dickinson) with her big head of curly hair which almost looked fake.  The actress actually has naturally curly hair.  For the movie it was styled to reflect the big teased curls of the era.

90s style movies such as Men in Black III, Scary Movie 5 and a follow-up to American Pie are all scheduled to hit cinemas in 2012.  These sequels bring back the golden age in cinema for teens which also included the wildly popular Clueless (1995) and Scream.

Kay Barron, fashion features editor at Harper's Bazaar, thinks the 90s revival has been brewing for a few seasons, but "its moment is now".

She adds: "The decade was all about extremes, and that is what we are seeing again now. Where Versace were bringing out the supermodels and sending them down the catwalk in neon, at the same time Marc Jacobs was focusing on grunge, with flannel shirts and beanies.

Some fashion watchers believe that returning to the 90s dovetails nicely with current social mood which calls for validation.

Return Of  Super Models

The 90s were ripe with super models such as Naomi Campbell, Helena Christensen and Linda Evangelista, to name a few.   During the 90s Evangelista was famous for her array of vibrantly colored short hairstyles which were often combined with an array of short eyebrow skimming bangs.

All three are back in various new roles which also heralds the return to the 90s.  Campbell has signed with Roberto Cavalli, Christensen is modelling for Reebok and Linda Evangelista is modelling for magazine covers.

Women's Hair

As the 1990s dawned, the big teased curly hairstyles gave way to sleeker curls with less backcombing.  Hair historians note that the hairstyles worn between early 1990 and 1995 were actually a revival of hairstyles favored in the 1960s.  As 1995 took hold, natural texture was replaced by straight, sleek, smooth hair.

Crops, chops and the pixie cut were also popular in the 1990s.  The Pixie was also an updated 1960s reinvention from the popular pixies of Twiggy and Mia Farrow in Rosemary's Baby.

The Rachel haircut reportedly resembled elements of the Marlo Thomas haircut from TV's That Girl.

Straight hair was  often styled with a short fringe cut just above the eyebrows.  This hairstyle is sometimes referred to as a hime cut.  Women with naturally textured or curly hair would rely on  relaxers to achieve sleek straight hair. In the mid 1990s this style went out or fashion until its revival in the late-2000s.

Men's Hairstyles

Men's hair became increasingly shorter from the early 1990s onwards. In the early 90s curtained hair (sometimes dyed blond) and small ponytails were popular among certain groups of men.

Side-partings were briefly popular in the mid-1990s before head-shaving had become an acceptable way of dealing with male pattern baldness. In the late 1990s variants of the quiff became popular among young professional men.

Teen Hairstyles

Long hair was popular for teens in the early to mid-1990s.  This included collar-length curtained hair, shaggy surfer hair popular among some Britpop fans and hard core dreadlocks.  This pattern changed in the mid-1990s when the bowl cut became a fad among skaters.

Hip-hop fans wore a variant of the flattop known as the Hi-top fade.

In the late 1990s hair was usually buzzed very short for an athletic look although a few grunge fans grew their hair long in reaction to this.

Headbands and ponytail elastics, known as scrunchies, were popular with girls throughout most of the 1990s.  Popular hairstyles included side ponytails and bangs.

Summary

Will the hairstyles of the 1990s again become popular with women, men and teens?  It may already be happening.

Emma Watson has been named as the celebrity with the best hair for her super short pixie.    Men are also starting to sport much longer hairstyles and small ponytails are popping up in certain areas of the country.