It may be hard to imagine the warm touch of the sun on your skin, but the season of light dresses is just around the corner – along with the triumphant return of 1990s silhouettes. And that means only one thing: it's time to decide which “those” dresses will become your favorites. After all, it's logical to look for inspiration in the 1990s – a decade that never seems to lose its fashion magic. Here are the key 1990s-style dresses you'll be wearing in 2026.
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Slip dress
Is there anything more quintessentially 1990s than a slip dress? Hardly. The lingerie style is once again taking the fashion community by storm. For a more grunge vibe, pair it with jeans or chunky boots. For a bolder look, wear the dress without a bra for maximum ease and freedom. A nice bonus: slip dresses are easy to find in vintage stores or on resale platforms at a very affordable price.
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Babydoll dress
Daisy Edgar-Jones is a big fan of ruffled babydoll dresses (her yellow minidress last spring has already become almost iconic), as is model and actress Kaia Gerber. However, the true icon of the babydoll aesthetic remains Courtney Love, who combined these dresses with deliberately carelessly styled hair and bright red lipstick, creating the same rebellious but incredibly stylish look.
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Dress with thin straps
Strapless dresses are a timeless spring and summer classic. If you need the perfect inspiration, just think of a young Kate Moss, who practically lived in them throughout the 1990s. Pair them with sneakers for daytime looks, and switch up your footwear for a dramatic look with chunky heels or boots for the evening.
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Velvet dress
Velvet is back. In the 2010s, many people had already outlived their era of 1990s-style velvet dresses with choker collars, and now the material is back in fashion. You can choose from a slouchy 2000s style or a long, more formal version in the style of Kate Middleton. Velvet is a versatile material that works in a variety of looks.
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Column dress
It's more of a cut than a style: a long, elongated, fitted dress that creates a clear vertical line. In the 1990s, the column dress was a wardrobe staple, especially on the red carpet. Jennifer Aniston wore variations of it to the Friends awards for most of the decade. Her looks remain a timeless source of inspiration today.
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Based on materials from vogue.in