Understanding 90s Street Fashion: How to Style Jewelry with Your Fit

Why 90s Street Fashion Still Runs the Game

The 90s are considered hip-hop’s “golden era,” but they were a golden era of fashion as a whole. The blend of music, sports, fashion, and street culture created a style that is still very much alive today. People still dress like it's 1998, 90s themed parties are everywhere, and some trends became staples in culture. Here’s GLD’s breakdown of 90s fashion, and how to style jewelry with your vintage fit.

Who Started 90s Fashion?

Pioneers who started 90s fashion include Missy Elliott, Tupac Shakur, The Notorious B.I.G., Aaliyah, Wu-Tang Clan, Diddy, TLC, Jay-Z, street drug dealers, and more. These figures were at the forefront of 90s fashion and each brought something unique to the space. Aaliyah wore baggy pants with Tommy Hilfiger crop-tops and hoop earrings, Missy Elliott wore futuristic oversized fits with statement pieces like rope bracelets, Jay-Z wore jerseys with durags and diamond stud earrings, and drug dealers made flashy jewelry popular, all styles you still see today in streets around the world. Here’s a quick chart breaking down the figures responsible for trends that became staples in fashion.

 

How did 90s Street Fashion Become Mainstream?

 

Fashion trends began in the inner cities of America and hit the mainstream through music, videos, movies, magazines, and sports. Unlike today's corporate streetwear, 90s streetwear brands were built by the culture, for the culture, including brands like Rocawear or FUBU, which was worn by the likes of LL Cool J paired with hoop earrings, watches, and bracelets. Luxury brands were repurposed by icons like Dapper Dan and worn by hip-hop legends including Fat Joe, who paired these fits with large coin pendants. Movies and music videos put style on the big screens for people to emulate and eventually, 90s street fashion went from being a niche, “if you know, you know” thing to simply becoming how people dressed.

What did people wear in the 90s?

People wore baggy jeans, oversized tees, jerseys, bomber jackets, denim jackets, tracksuits, sneakers, snapbacks, bucket hats, and lots of jewelry in the 90s. Here’s a detailed breakdown of classic 90s pieces.

Baggy Jeans & Pants

Baggy jeans and pants were go-to fashion pieces in 90s fashion. Oversized clothes were the norm, popularized by artists and skaters, and if you look back to any photo of the time, this was the aesthetic. Girbaud jeans were so popular in the 90s that they were rapped about by legends like Outkast and Biggie, and are still mentioned today by superstars like A$AP Rocky and Drake. When you think of leading streetwear brands like Cortiez and Palace, baggy pants still dominate the modern look. Today, you see artists like Central Cee wearing baggy pants with large pendants on Cuban links.

 

Jerseys

The sports influence on 90s fashion spanned across regions, where jerseys weren’t exclusive to courts, fields, and rinks. Every corner of America was part of the wave, from the St Lunatics out of St. Louis, to the west coast, notably by Tupac Shakur, and in New York with Bad Boy artists rocking them. Athletes like Allen Iverson helped popularize jerseys in the 90s, and today you see them worn by the likes of Playboy Carti paired with iced ball chains. GLD’s design team intentionally kept this in mind when creating GLD hockey jerseys.

Bomber Jackets & Starter Jackets

Bomber jackets and Starter jackets naturally fit the oversized style of the 90s. Bold colors were essential, and the wide range of sports team options made Starter jackets easy go-to pieces. On TV, Will Smith rocked bomber jackets frequently and Martin Lawrence wore Pelle Pelle jackets on Martin. Nas wore Avirex jackets in the movie Belly and throughout the 90s, pairing them with iced ball bracelets.

Denim: Jackets and Overalls

Denim heavily contributed to the 90s rugged, oversized style that lives on today. The jackets were a key part of fashion and served as canvases for self-expression, as people patched them up and added pins to them. Beyond the jackets, jeans and overalls were popularized with groups like TLC and the likes of Tupac Shakur rocking them religiously. Denim pairs particularly well with yellow gold pieces, making the color shine through the blue contrast.

Tracksuits

Tracksuits were staples in the 90s, worn by Missy Elliott, LL Cool J, Will Smith, and more. They bridged fashion with comfort, and carried over from the 80s Run DMC influence. Tracksuits haven’t gone out of style either. Today, Nike tech fleece suits are popular everyday fits that you can pair with tennis chains.

Sneakers and Boots

The sneaker obsession of the 90s set the tone for the modern sneakerhead culture. They were and still are what complete your fit, along with boots. Jordans, Nike Air Max, Converse sneakers, and Timberland boots were staples of the time. They aren’t limited to specific jewelry pairings, but GLD recommends styling your sneakers with anklets to make your shoes stand out.

Headwear: Snapbacks, Bucket Hats, and Durags

Snapbacks, bucket hats, and durags ran the 90s. LL Cool J made Kangol bucket hats popular, wearing them with tracksuits and yellow gold rope chains. Eazy E wore LA Kings snapbacks with white tees and cross pendants hanging from his chains. Durags are also worth mentioning, as they showed up across culture with folks like Nelly, Eminem, and Method Man wearing them with their fits. You can wear snapbacks, bucket hats, and durags with rope, ball, or Cuban link chains to match the 90s aesthetic.

The Chains: Cuban Links, Rope Chains, and Pendants

The centerpieces of 90s fits were undoubtedly the jewels. Jewelry helped define the era, with Cuban links, rope chains, coin pendants, and hip-hop-inspired pendants at the forefront of fashion. The flashy style of jewelry was inspired by drug dealer culture, which trickled into hip-hop, and then to the masses. Some prime examples of this include Biggie rocking Coogi sweaters with religious pieces, rings, and watches, Slick Rick layering countless chains on top of each other, and Tupac wearing Death Row pendants on Cuban link chains.

GLD’s design team carries this key component of culture forward, creating classic pieces, partnering with iconic music labels like Death Row Records and Cash Money Records while innovating with new designs. Here’s GLD’s recommended jewelry pairings for your 90s fits:

90s Outfit-to-Jewelry Pairing Guide 

 

The 90s Bridge to Today

The 90s era introduced timeless components of fashion. The fits, paired with the right jewelry, create styles that still inspire modern-day fashion. Although we’re a quarter-century removed, fashion and jewelry still bridge the gap between the 90s and today. 

 

Frequently Asked Questions

 

What did people wear in the 90s? People wore baggy jeans, oversized tees, jerseys, bomber jackets, Starter jackets, tracksuits, denim, sneakers, and lots of jewelry in the 90s. These were typically paired with bold jewelry like Cuban links, rope chains, and coin or religious pendants.

What jewelry was popular in 90s street fashion? Cuban links, rope chains, coin pendants, religious pendants, hoop earrings, diamond studs, and ring stacks were the most popular jewelry in 90s street fashion. The flashy jewelry style was inspired by drug dealer culture, which spread into hip-hop and eventually the mainstream.

How do you style a 90s outfit today? To style a 90s outfit today, start with baggy jeans or pants, then add an oversized tee or jersey, and a clean pair of sneakers or Timberlands. Layer Cuban link or rope chains, and add a pendant. To complete the look, add a ring stack and a pair of hoops or diamond studs. 

What chains were people wearing in the 90s? Cuban links and rope chains were the dominant chains of 90s street fashion. They were often paired with religious or hip-hop inspired pendants. Layering multiple yellow gold chains was a signature look of the era. GLD's 5mm Miami Cuban and Rope Chain are the closest modern equivalents to the chains that represent the 90s.

What brands defined 90s street fashion? FUBU, Rocawear, Karl Kani, Tommy Hilfiger, Polo Ralph Lauren, Timberland, Nike, and Jordan Brand defined 90s street fashion. Dapper Dan remixed luxury brands like Gucci and Louis Vuitton for hip-hop legends before they went mainstream.

How do you pair jewelry with a 90s fit? Wear a 5mm Miami Cuban with a hip-hop pendant and a ring stack for baggy or oversized fits, wear a rope chain with a pendant with a tracksuit or bomber jacket, and pair yellow gold with your denim.

 

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John Polanco

John Polanco is a copywriter from the birthplace of hip-hop whose work spans jewelry, fashion, beauty, music, world-leading brands, and art institutions shaping the diaspora.