Tag / Throwback Thursday

by Lexine

1996

This is the first installment of a three-part series that will be rolled out during this summer and fall where I look back on my life (and society at the time) 10, 20, and 30 years ago. What was going on with me and the world back in 1996? Read on and pass me some Werthers…

Still from the Macarena music video from 1996

I can hear this image. And what else defined 1996?

OK, a lot more happened that year than just a viral song and dance, but this retrospective will be based not on all the major events that happened in ’96, but on the year in the life of yours truly. You may be wondering how I still remember some things from 30 years ago, in spite of all the things I’ve gone through since then that may or may not have affected my ability to remember old stuff. Simply put: I just do. Not saying I remember 1996 like it happened yesterday, but some memories still stand out for me.

Also, clothes from that year were so damn fun.

*A Young Artist* 

I was eleven years old during most of ’96 and started off the year in sixth grade. I started off the year the same way I started off 1995: a chubby, awkward introvert who liked to draw, read, and write. Except one new thing popped into my life in late ’95 that threw me into a tizzy. I’ll give you a hint of what that was: I’ll likely be done with it in 8-10 years. (And I just realized I’m closer to finishing it than I am from when it started. 😱)

Because I was a chubby, awkward, introverted kid, I was a target for bullies, although it eased up when I entered sixth grade. I don’t know why, but I was grateful to not deal with those asswipes as much as before. (Sadly, they’d be back on my ass in the 7th and 8th grade.) And because I was a chubby, awkward, introverted kid, I thought I’d be a loner in school that year. By the end of the 6th grade, however, I actually made some good friends, and they weren’t make-believe for a change. 😆 I also finished the 6th grade as a young artist of sorts. A drawing of mine that I had done in class would be featured in a local art exhibit. And one of my prose pieces would get published in my local newspaper. (That prose became my very first work to be published.) Sadly, that drawing is long gone, and I had hoped my published prose would be found in the newspaper’s archives online, but that newspaper doesn’t even have an online archive to begin with. 😖

*The Look*

(From left to right: an image from the Delia’s catalog that shows the kind of clothes I wore this year, an image on colorful teen fashion from Seventeen magazine, and an ad for Revlon–one of the brands us pre-teens and teens wore. All from 1996.)

I started reading Seventeen magazine this year; coincidentally, I began to dress up. (No pics of young me here, but my fashion sense from ’95 vs. ’96 is like night and day. I went from frumpy to less frumpy!) One look that was “in” was the baby tee and wide-legged pants. I couldn’t roll in baby tees then (they were practically crop tops and I didn’t have the body for crop tops), so I settled for (as what I called them) “semi-baby tees” that were fitted but long enough to conceal what I wanted concealed, if you know what I mean. And I thrived in wide-legged pants. Anyone who thinks the Zoomers came up with the wide-legged pants trend needs to brush up on their history and read an issue of Seventeen from 30 years ago; Gen X and elder millennials wore them first. About my only issue with them was that many of those pants/jeans were too long for me. So what us “shorties” did then was cuff them up to the length that worked for us, then stapled it so it wouldn’t come loose. (Side note: I was a shortie then, and still a shortie now.)

One great thing about being a pre-teen/teen during the mid-90s was that our It brands were drugstore brands. It worked out for me because where I lived, we didn’t have a Sephora (Sephora kids in the 90s? They didn’t arrive in the States till 1998), and I didn’t have the pockets for brands like Estee Lauder and Chanel. (Those brands were also seen as brands our moms and aunts wore, and that wasn’t cool to us.) We thrived on stuff from Cover Girl, Maybelline, Neutrogena, and Noxzema. And our “clean girl” look then was a slick or two of Lip Smackers (bubble gum and cherry cola flavors for me!) and a few dabs of pressed powder to keep our mugs matte and that was it. The Sephora-addicted teens today could never.

A lot more after the cut…

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by Lexine

Now Playing (5.28.26)

It’s not every day I do back-to-back entries here on the same subject. But it happens to be the birthday today of the one true Kylie that’s still on top after all these years, so how about a post on some of her hits from way, way back? (Hey, it’s also Throwback Thursday!)

THE song that introduced me to her! I was only a kid, but whoever played the music at my birthday parties and family gatherings back then had pretty good taste because I remember hearing this. (And seeing the old folks at said family gatherings bust their hips to this 😆)

Her early 90s stuff gets so slept on, so I’m more than happy to boost them! Whoever said she never did a track with a rapper has never listened to “Shocked”.

And after seeing a bit of this on her Netflix docuseries, I had to include the full version here! Her and sister Dannii are pretty good here, and I’m always a sucker for campy 80s glamour.

by Lexine

Category Is: Spring 1996 Fashion

Cindy Crawford wearing Gucci, on US Elle magazine, March 1996

I touched on this in a previous entry, but the fashions of Spring 1996 really deserve its own entry! Not only did the runways that season boast color and prints across the board, the consensus seemed to be easygoing, natural, yet chic and modern. This was not fast fashion soaked in muted neutrals and mid quality (at best), nor was it frumpy, dumpy, or cheap-looking. Then again, unlike the past couple of years, 1996 was a pretty good year, if you ask me. (More about this later.) And pretty good times, coupled with an economy on the rise, call for pretty good fashion.

Versace Ready-to-Wear (RTW), Spring 1996 

(Amber Valetta was practically the face of spring ’96 fashion!) 

Chanel RTW, spring 1996 

(Also, Yasmeen Ghauri had THE body for all the clothes then!) 

Calvin Klein RTW, spring 1996

Todd Oldham RTW Spring 1996

Versus by Versace, spring 1996

Oscar de la Renta, Spring 1996

Valentino RTW, spring 1996

Ellen Tracy, spring 1996

Gucci RTW, Spring 1996

(This look above, by the way, is something I’ve tried to replicate for reals. I got plenty of black tops; it was trying to find a skirt that looked similar that was a challenge. Why are there so many frilly beige tradwife on the prairie-looking ass maxi skirts around?! Only until I went to a Bloomingdales did I find it–and on clearance! I paid around $25 for a colorful silk (?) A-line skirt that originally went for around $100. No thigh-high slit on the side, but it still works.)

The many geek chic looks of Prada RTW, spring 1996

Prior to spring 1996, there had been retro revivals in the previous collections, from the disco glamour of fall 1994, to Hollywood’s golden age for spring 1995, and 60’s mod style for fall 1995. Though the 90s arrived during the grunge era of the early 90s, I feel like the decade finally found its own glamour that spring.

The colors, the craftsmanship, the effortless chic…simply gorgeous and timeless. Give me all of it!

Note: the ad campaign pics were pulled from this website. Bookmark it if you’re a lover of 90s fashion ads/editorials like me! 

by Lexine

The Power Of Beauty

Penelope Cruz photographed by the late, great Herb Ritts for US Vogue, March 2001

When this cover hit newsstands 25 years ago this month, I gasped in awe. Not because of topless Penelope–that part didn’t catch my eye, actually. But it was the sultry pulchritude of Penelope with the blurb “The Power Of Beauty” that did. For as long as I’ve been reading women’s/fashion magazines, plenty of them, but especially Anna Wintour’s Vogue, have often touted beige-skinned, blue-eyed blondes with the thin lips and thinner hips as the “beauty ideal”. As a gullible teen who was none of that, there were times when those discriminating messages got to me. (Looking back at that, I wouldn’t be surprised if the ass-backwards rich white males that owned Conde Nast and Hearst influenced that racist bullshit in my fashion/women’s titles.) 

Then here comes Penelope, with her dark hair, brown eyes, sunkissed skin, and full lips, fronting Vogue’s March 2001 issue. Her look was the antithesis of the Paltrows and Kidmans of Hollywood, and I adored her upon first sight. Penelope instantly joined my list of beauty idols of the time: Lucy Liu (the lone female Asian star at the time), Jessica Alba, Tyra Banks, and Catherine Zeta-Jones (who would get her own Vogue cover later that year), to name a few. I think I bought two copies of that issue–one to read and one that I left sealed in its plastic wrapping for keepsakes. (These were days when Vogue’s March and September issues were, like, 700 pages and came with a supplemental issue, thus the plastic wrapping). I still have both issues to this day. 

By the way, I remember reading the readers’ letters of that issue (remember those sections?), and one reader did complain about Penelope being topless on the cover. For me, I found it a lot more tasteful and classy than, oh, Melania Trump wearing a full wedding gown on her cover in 2005. And don’t get me started on those who later got Vogue covers that shouldn’t have gotten them in the first place *cough*Nicki*cough*

(Side note: this could be the last month I do these throwback magazine cover posts, but if I find something good for next month…👀)

by Lexine

Sir Charles

Charles Barkley on George magazine, February/March 1996

I have this issue! Got it for $1 at Half Price Books a while back. Sir Charles looking like George Washington ready to hit the hardwood sans jersey caught my eye, but knowing Barkley and how opinionated he is, I had to read his (dated) interview. Here’s a snippet of it as he talks with the late John F. Kennedy Jr. about (among other things) wanting to run for Governor of Alabama (his home state), and what he thought about the OJ Simpson verdict:

Make what you will of this 30-year-old interview. Barkley has since been more critical of Repugs while supporting Democrats lately, but if there’s one constant, he’ll always have an opinion of whatever topic you throw at him.

This issue also has an article on how the possible presidential candidates of 1996 would benefit from some plastic surgery:

Never mind what their stance is on universal health care–let’s see how they’d look if they got an acid wash!

source for cover image, article pics are mine

by Lexine

Gia

I first heard of Gia Carangi in 1999, in the book Models: The Ugly Business of Beautiful Women by Michael Gross. That led me to finding an old Vanity Fair article on her, which led me to getting her biography Thing Of Beauty by Stephen Fried. Safe to say, I was fascinated by her. She had a look that drew me in, but she led a life that made me sit down and read all about it. A rough childhood that saw abuse, neglect, and a divorce from her parents. An adolescence where she would discover her true self (and sexuality). A fast rise in the modeling industry–a feat considering that blue-eyed blondes a la Christie Brinkley and Jerry Hall were the standard. A top model by nineteen, only for her vices and inner demons to get the best of her, resulting in her freefall from the industry by 22. She would be one of the first notable women to perish from AIDS in 1986 at just 26 years old. Yet amidst all the cautionary tales about models, hers still remains one of the more memorable.

I actually read about Gia first before watching her biopic starring Angelina Jolie. And seeing that she was openly bisexual intrigued teen me then, as I had begun questioning my own sexuality at the time. I knew I was attracted to guys, but girls started piquing my interest. (The movie was a double whammy for me when I would also find out that Angelina herself was also Bi.) I’d eventually come out as Bi in my early 20s, and to this day, Gia is one of my Bicons. She was attractive, problematic, and tragic, which all made her to be iconic in my book.

Today would’ve been Gia’s 66th birthday. 🕊️ And while I knew she was a major Blondie fan, TIL she appeared in the “Atomic” music video!

 

by Lexine

A Friendly January

The cast of Friends, on US magazine, January 1996

When I started posting vintage magazine covers here, I didn’t have a January entry as I started this thing in February. It didn’t take long to find a cover to complete the year of entries, and seeing this image has me thinking two things. One: remember when US magazine was a monthly entertainment title and not the tabloid rag that it devolved into? And two: that cover is as mid-1990s as you can get. I can smell the CK One perfume insert from here.

Also, RIP Matthew Perry. 🙁

Credit for the image goes to this eBay listing, which has more pics of what’s inside

by Lexine

Royal December

Princess Diana by Patrick Demarchelier for US Harper’s Bazaar, December 1995

One thing I noticed while doing these throwback cover entries is that almost every cover star I’ve talked about remains relevant to this day. Even if Britney and Christina never release another new album, they’re still icons and we still talk about them one way or another. Celebrity in the 90s/early 2000s remains top-tier, and Diana remains the most famous face of the 90s, IMO. It’s pure coincidence that she gave an exclusive cover story to Bazaar, which, thirty years later, would get an exclusive cover story from her future daughter-in-law, who herself is also globally famous and has faced her share of media scrutiny. (Side note: the Dec. 2025 issue of Bazaar was the only cover this month that was fine. All the others looked rough as hell. The same can be said for the comments about Meghan’s cover, but that’s another rant for another day.) 

by Lexine

By George

Cindy Crawford on the debut issue of George magazine, October/November 1995. 

There was something both fun yet absurd about George magazine. I understood why the magazine wanted to marry politics with celebrity/pop culture stuff of the time, but given what became of politics since its debut issue 30 years ago, maybe they should’ve left politics as usual aka boring, but functional and for the people. I have one back issue (the February/March 1996 issue, to be exact, and I’ll try to find a scan/post on this soon) that talked about how each of the 1996 would-be presidential candidates would benefit from some plastic surgery. Only in this country did (and still do) we need our politics to go the sensationalist, tabloid-esque route to get people’s attention, even if the issue at hand does not benefit the average American. Like, OK, Bob Dole would look better with “$6K veneer caps”. And what was his stance on universal health care again? 

However, I cannot tell a lie: George had some fire covers, their debut issue included. Cindy Crawford as George Washington in a midriff-baring outfit is just genius. Her wig game was even on-point!Â