I’m just gonna say it: I really love 90’s fashion. Now, the 90’s have made a small comeback in trends in these past few years, from tattoo chokers to track pants, but each time with an updated design that makes the piece appropriate for wear in 2018. But I love the original 90’s fashion. I love mom jeans with Doc Martens, brown lipstick, straight-cut overalls, and tartan mini skirts. Perhaps it’s partially nostalgia for the era I was born into, but I can guarantee you that I’m writing this with chocolate-colored lips and an oversized men’s flannel tied around my waist. Even as I revisited 90’s sitcoms as a slightly older child in the early 2000’s (you know, when I finally got the jokes), I still saw those girls on TV from a decade ago as the coolest damn girls I had ever seen. I admired them and their styles. I wanted to dress like Cher Horowitz and Ally McBeal, but most of all, I wanted to dress like Hillary Banks.
Hillary Banks was always such an unintentionally but lovably silly character. While much of The Fresh Prince of Bel Air would have you believe Hillary was there to be laughed at, I would argue that Hillary would make most of us laugh in an endearing way. She was naive, aloof, and just a tad self-absorbed, sure, but she was also hilarious and easy to love. And, of course, she was a total style icon and the ultimate 90’s fashionista. Here are some of my favorite throwbacks of Hillary’s looks:
The Strongest Hat Game
“Dad, I need $300.”
Hillary is first introduced as literally asking for $300 for. A. New. Hat. A $300 hat in the 90’s, mind you, is equal to over $580 in 2018. Let that sink in for a moment. That is how seriously Hillary Banks took her hat game, and unsurprisingly, she had one for nearly every ensemble. That is a level of wealth and commitment I can only aspire to reach one day.
Timeless in Red
Hillary had a lot of amazing LBDs, yes, but her little red ensembles were just as good, if not even better. I will always remember this press in particular, because not only does she look like a total smokeshow, but she was also pretty ahead of the curve with the mockneck/cut-out look. In all honesty, I would one hundred percent still wear this dress today.
Ultimate 90’s Goals
A lot of Hillary’s looks are very telling of the trends at the time, as is the case with Cher Horowitz & the Clueless gang. Taking a journey into Hillary’s neverending wardrobe would be like getting up close and personal with a little piece of fashion history and you can bet I would be first in line to do so.
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