image via deliascatalogs.tumblr.com
Allow us to set the scene for you: It’s the mid-1990s, and life is good. You spend your day at school, you listen to your Nirvana cassette on the bus ride home, and as soon as you walk in the door, you spot the newest Delia’s catalog. You snatch it up, run to your room, and, among the posters and stuffed animals, you settle into your inflatable chair and begin to mark up page after page of clothes you want, no, need.
If you’re not familiar with Delia’s, it was the “it” brand throughout the ’90s and early 2000s. The retailer sold apparel and accessories geared toward young girls and teens. Unfortunately, the company went under in 2015, but Dolls Kill revived it in 2018. Today, we’re going to look at some pages from early Delia’s catalog to discuss: “How can we wear this today?” and ”What were we thinking?”
(image via deliascatalogs.tumblr.com)
This spread from Delia’s Winter 1996 catalog proves that fashion really does come back around. Imagine these rainbow-striped sweaters with a flannel or chambray top underneath tucked into a front-button miniskirt. We also love the flared jeans, chunky boots, thick chain necklace, and rainbow messenger bag. Not only can you snag these pieces at trendier retailers right now, but these Delia’s pieces can be snagged for cheap at thrift stores.
(image via deliascatalogs.tumblr.com)
Tell us Sporty Spice was your favorite Spice Girl without actually telling us she was your favorite. The mid-’90s were an interesting time for athleisure, mainly because everything had a stripe down the side and was made out of swishy material.
(image via it’s kitty’s girl)
If you owned a pair of these black platform slides from Delia’s Spring Break 1998 catalog, you were among the elite. We were also fans of those square flip-flops made out of straw or bamboo. Whatever, they were comfy and went with everything (or so we thought). Then, we have the sweet cardigan-and-skirt combo versus the boxy embroidered button-down look.
(image via ata blog)
Here we see the ’70s revival that happened during the ’90s. We love overalls, but all of that extra material at the bottom paired with those chunky boots? Not it. But we do love the multicolored cardigan sweater.
(image via mtv)
While we could probably write an entire book about Delia’s catalogs of yesteryear, we’ll leave you with this last spread. Questionable hairstyles aside, this maxi skirt and sneaker pairing is pretty on par with trends we’re seeing today. Then we have the retro tee – we can’t explain it, but it certainly fits the vibe.