1990s Minimalism and Grunge

After the excess of the 1980s, the 1990s turned down the volume. Two reactions shaped the decade. Grunge rejected polish altogether, with worn, layered, second-hand clothes from the music scene of the American Pacific Northwest. Minimalism kept the polish but stripped away everything else, leaving clean lines, neutral colours and as few details as possible. Toward the end of the decade a softer, more decorative, bohemian style took over.

Grunge

Grunge came from the music scene around Seattle: flannel shirts, worn jeans, band T-shirts, cardigans, floral dresses with heavy boots, layers, and clothes that looked thrifted, because they often were. It was anti-fashion in spirit, which made its arrival on the catwalk notorious. Marc Jacobs showed a grunge-inspired collection for Perry Ellis for Spring/Summer 1993, putting silk versions of flannel shirts and thrift-store layering on the runway. It was criticised at the time, and, as FIT notes, he was later dismissed from Perry Ellis. The collection is now regarded as a landmark.

Minimalism

At the other extreme, designers including Calvin Klein, Jil Sander and Helmut Lang made clothes defined by what they left out: no prints, little colour, no visible decoration, precise cutting and good fabrics. Helmut Lang brought utilitarian pieces such as parkas and combat trousers into high fashion, and experimented with technical fabrics. FIT notes that the slip dress "epitomized the minimalist look", worn in silk as eveningwear or casually over a white T-shirt. Kate Moss became the face of a new, slighter, less glossy kind of model, and the "heroin chic" label attached to that look became controversial.

Branding didn't disappear: Tommy Hilfiger built a business on casual clothes with prominent logos, and Gap hoodies and cargo trousers became wardrobe staples for every age group.

The late-1990s turn

From around 1996, FIT notes, a bohemian look became the dominant trend, with ethnic embroidery, Eastern influences, layering and pattern returning. Combined with low-slung jeans and crop tops, it led into the 2000s.

The slip dress: a 1930s idea, simplified

The slip dress is a direct descendant of the 1930s bias-cut gown: the same 45-degree cut, the same reliance on drape rather than structure to shape the body, but shorter, plainer and often in cheaper fabrics. It's deceptively difficult for something so simple. With almost no seams or darts, there's nowhere to hide a fitting problem, so the bias cut and the body have to agree.

Sewing a bias slip dress

1. Fabric: silk or polyester charmeuse, crepe de chine, satin-back crepe, or a fluid rayon. Avoid stiff satins. A slip dress needs drape. See Silk Chiffon for handling slippery fabrics, and Bias for the cut.
2. Cutting: single layer, pattern grainline exactly parallel to the selvage, ideally over paper. Allow plenty of fabric for the bias layout.
3. Fit: cut generous seam allowances at the sides and fit after the pieces have hung, because they lengthen and narrow on the bias. Most fitting is done at the side seams and the bust, with darts or a small bust seam if the pattern has them.
4. Seams: French seams, sewn with a slight stretch.
5. Neckline: a bias facing or narrow bias binding, cut from the same fabric.
6. Straps: thin tubes of bias fabric (rouleaux), sewn and turned with a loop turner, or narrow ribbon. Attach them to the inside of the bodice and adjust the length on the body.
7. Hem: hang the dress for at least a day, level the hem, and finish with a narrow rolled hem.

Grunge and minimalism for the sewist

Grunge is mostly about styling and secondhand clothes, but a soft flannel shirt or a floral rayon tea dress makes a satisfying sewing project. Minimalism rewards precision: with no decoration to distract, clean cutting, accurate topstitching and invisible finishes are what make the garment.

It's striking how neatly the split maps onto the decade before: grunge rejected the 1980s polish entirely, while minimalism kept the polish but removed the structure and volume underneath it.