If you love your mom like whoa and want to pay homage to her, why not show her your admiration by wearing your mom's '90s clothes today? While images of stone-washed jeans and massive shoulder pads might come to mind when contemplating the concept, there were just as many winners in most moms' closets as there were questionable disasters back then.
Flip back through your albums and you'll likely see your mom chasing you in the park while rocking a babydoll sunflower dress, getting as messy with dirt and woodchucks as you were. Perhaps you'll see her hanging out at a party while wearing a liquid silver jumpsuit, her perm swept back with clips; or maybe she preferred chilling with you on the couch, a high-necked sweater matching her bicycle shorts. All of these looks were fabulously mom-esque and, lucky for us, totally in style right now.
The '90s are having a huge moment this year, with everything grunge and vaguely Seinfeld-y making its way into many a wardrobe. So while you're busy stocking up on chokers and brown lipsticks, take a peak through the ol' family album and bookmark a couple of pieces that so clearly say "mom." Below are 11 ways to dress like your '90s mom in 2016. She'll love you for it, and your closet won't complain.
1. High-Neck Dress
Maxi Dress With '90s High Neck In Stripe, $21, ASOS
Plus Size Tank Dress, $15, Forever 21
Just because your mom had a toddler to tote around didn't mean she lived under a sartorial rock — she still had a bangin' '90s wardrobe. And that chic arsenal probably included high-neck, racer-front maxi dresses to chase you and your sticky fingers around in: The kind that was so very in vogue then and very much in right now.
2. Denim Cut-Offs
Denim Cut Off '90s Mom Short, $49, ASOS
Culotte Denim Shorts, $46, ASOS
I can't tell you how many pictures I have of my mom wearing these Bermuda cut-offs from back in the day. There's a sweet one of her watering her tomatoes while I'm screaming bloody murder behind her for some unknown reason, one of her all floury in the kitchen, another of her pushing my stroller through the zoo, and yet another of her helping me build a massive Lego cruise ship (my favorite thing to build, because I was bougie from the beginning). It was like these mom shorts were her staple. And now they can be ours, too.
3. Quarter-Sleeve Skater Dresses
'90s Skater Dress in Baby Rib with Poppers, $41, ASOS
Lace-Up Skater Dress, $12, Charlotte Russe
Once a dress boasts three-quarter sleeves, chances are you immediately get a wave of nostalgia — and with it an image of your mom with feathered bangs and coal eyeliner, smiling up at the camera. Channel your stylish mama with a skater dress of your own.
4. Drop Earrings
New Look '90s Sleek Circles Drop Earrings, $10, ASOS
These are so Dynasty, and so perfect for your jewelry box. Look back through your albums and notice that your mom rocked amazingly gaudy, perfectly stylish statement earrings every time she went out and put on a party dress. Do her proud with a couple of statement shapes of your own.
5. Denim Wrap Skirt
Wrap A-Line Denim Mini Skirt in Washed Black, $36, ASOS
Denim Wrap Skirt, $50, Loft
Skorts made it ridiculously easy to chase unruly pre-schoolers through the house, but if you don't want to go as far as a shorts-skirt hybrid, try this wrap skirt on for size, instead. It might feel a little more modern, but the nod to mom and her steeze is still there.
6. Denim Jumpsuits
Cropped Denim Tie Jumpsuit, $111, Eloquii
Vero Moda Tall Denim Cropped Jumpsuit, $68, ASOS
Mom's jumpsuit was paired with a perm and brown lipstick; ours is paired with an ombre dye job and... well, probably brown lipstick. Looks like our closets aren't that far away on the sartorial timeline after all. Bonus points if you can find her old one packed away in the basement — that way you won't have to spend a dime!
7. Big Polka Dot Prints
Studio Printed Wrap Jumpsuit, $140, Eloquii
Spot Pinny Bodycon Midi Dress, $46, ASOS
Whenever I see huge, dinner-plate polka dots I immediately think of my mom's closet in the '90s. That was her go-to print. She would wear babydoll tunics with bicycle shorts, Bermuda pants in big white spots, or boxy crop tops in that quirky pattern. Irene was all about the retro navy and white polkas.
8. Off-The-Shoulder Party Dress
Off the Shoulder Skater Dress, $100, Eloquii
Boohoo Off The Shoulder Body-Conscious Dress, $39, ASOS
Does it remind you of Julia Roberts reaching into a jewelry box for a diamond necklace, or your movie-star-glam mom stepping into a Buick for date night? They're one in the same, and now you can join in that long line of glamorous beauties with your own off-the-shoulder cocktail dress. The thing should immediately make you want to shimmy.
9. Mid Stone-Wash Denim Jacket
Western Jacket in Mid Stone-wash Blue with Frill Detail, $65, ASOS
Stylus Destructed Denim Jacket, $40, JC Penney
No '90s closet would be complete without a mid stone-wash denim jacket. It was a staple of that last era before the new millennium gave us Y2K fashion and velour tracksuits.
10. Platform Mules
New Look Platform Mule, $41, ASOS
Wide Fit Black Peep Toe Block Heel Mules, $26, New Look
Ah yes, the number one shoe of the early '90s. I know because I've done extensive research on the topic, in the form of me smearing on my mom's Mary Kay lipstick about once a week and clomping down our hallway in them.
11. Chiffon Floral Dress
Midi Tea Dress With Chiffon Insert in Ditsy Floral Print, $73, ASOS
Circle Sleeve Wrap Dress, $120, Eloquii
It was breezy, it was airy, and it had just a little hint of grunge with its dark blooms and moody navy color palettes. Mom looked fabulous in her rock chiffon dresses, and chances are you do, too.
So stock up on your favorite '90s looks and pay tribute to the beautiful woman who raised you. I bet it'll make both of you smile.
Images: Courtesy Brands
