Why Fashion Nostalgia Keeps Returning in Film
Reconstructing the Past: Fashion Nostalgia in Mid90’s and Lady Bird
If you were to ask me what it is I like about fashion, particularly in relation to film and television, I would tell you that I have always admired the cyclical nature of trends. Film has the ability to resurrect fashion from the past and turn it into cultural memory. Becoming fully immersed into the era portrayed on screen(regardless of when the film was made) is a subtle yet powerful experience that can leave a lasting impression on audiences.
Two films that capture this immersive quality are Jonah Hills Mid90’s (2018) and Lady Bird’ (2017) directed by Great Gerwig. Although both films were released in the late 2010’s, they evoke earlier moments in youth culture through clothing and visual style.
The Raw Nostalgia of Mid90’s
Mid90s follows a group of young skateboarders navigating adolescence. The film offers a very raw and honest depiction of Los Angeles California in the 1990s. Baggy jeans, oversized t-shirts, sneakers and thrifted layers dominate the film visual language. The clothing reflects not only downtown LA in the 1990s but also the carefree psyche of the teenage boys that the storyline follows.
The clothing does not appear curated or carefully styled; instead, it feels lived-in and practical, shaped by the everyday realities of skateboarding and teenage life. This understated wardrobe contributes to the film’s nostalgic tone, allowing audiences to recognise the textures and silhouettes that defined youth culture during the decade.
Still from Mid 90’s (2018), directed by Jonah Hill
The Quiet Realism of Lady Bird
Whilst Mid90’s captures the 90’s in a raw and unapologetic way, Greta evokes the subtle realism of the early 2000’s in Lady Bird. The films visual goal is to capture teenage fashion, in a simpler yet deeply recognisable way. The clothing worn by Christine the protagonist, is simultaneously simple yet layered.
Like Mid90s Lady Bird is a coming-of-age story. These films highlight the almost mundane yet universal experiences that shape us as we grow into adulthood.
Your first breakup at the time seems like the end of the world, just as your first kiss may seem like the most important event in your life when your seventeen. The clothing worn by Christine and her peers are a direct reflection of this ordinarily awkward stage of their lives.
Most of the clothes are thrifted dresses, layered tops, cardigans and worn denim. Unlike may styled teenage films, less of a statement is trying to be made and it is evident that the pieces chosen are supposed to capture the imperfect and experimental nature of teenage style.
Christine McPherson in Lady Bird (2017), directed by Greta Gerwig
Fashion as a Cultural Memory
Both films demonstrate how fashion can function as a form of cultural memory. Although released decades after the periods they depict, Mid 90s and Lady Bird. Successfully reconstruct earlier moments in time though clothing that feels authentic to the experiences of the protagonists of the films.
By focusing on pitting together authentic everyday pieces rather than dramatic costumes both films are able to transport you into a particular time and place. Baggy skatewear, thrifted dresses and worn denim become visual shorthand for entire eras of youth culture. In this way cinema does more than simply recreate the past. Through clothing it quietly shapes how audiences imagine or remember it.