Fashion is something that I've always enjoyed to some degree and following the style examples set by celebrities was always a hobby of mine. I remember being as young as 7 or 8, and insisting that my Mum sourced me outfits as similar to the ones Kylie Minogue wore in her pop music videos as humanly possible!
But it was when I was around 14 that I really got interested in fashion. I'd spend hours trawling through celebrity gossip magazines, clipping looks that I loved and making vision boards for myself full of my style inspiration icons. I'd then spend weekend after weekend going around the markets, trying to find the perfect pieces to create the looks I wanted. Searching for the perfect earrings to accessorise a new outfit, or the ideal nail polish match for a new top!
Now that my own niece is the same age, I've noticed that fashion and celebrity style icons have become a big interest of hers too so I thought It'd be interesting to compare the style stars I idolised back in the 90's with the ones she loves today.
I was 14 in 1994, so my icons of the time came mostly from TV shows such as Friends and movies such as Clueless.
Jennifer Aniston and Alicia Silverstone's characters famously wore a lot of plaid mini skirts and pop socks, which is a look that I would often try to recreate - I think I owned pop socks in pretty much every colour!
Another firm favorite of mine was Emma Bunton - her signature "Baby Spice" style from the mid-90s when the Spice Girls first took the charts by storm was usually pale pink or white shift-style dresses and mini skirts, paired with wedges and her signature bunch hairstyle - if you were to raid my mums photograph albums, you would no doubt find a lot of evidence of me rocking that very same look!
But how do these style icons of the 90's compare to todays fashionistas? I asked my niece to share her style icons with me and create some looks that she loves.
One thing that I notice immediately about my niece's fashion choices is how much more focused on comfort they are - she usually chooses loungewear and her outfits always look very cosy but still stylish and on trend.
Although she does usually opt for a cropped top to go alongside her stylish co-ord sets, the outfits on the whole are much more modest than the ones I coveted at a similar age.
Amelie tells us about her style icon in her own words...
"one of my favorite style icons is Millie Bobby Brown – a teenage, British actress who is very well known for her major part as Eleven in Netflix series Stranger Things. One of my favorite things about her style is she isn’t one of those celebrities who think they always need to look perfect and wear the most expensive and glamorous outfits, she just wears the clothes that she feels the most comfortable in and something that can express herself rather than something that’s going to make her look like a completely different person.
As a teen myself I feel like fashion is everything and I am a big fan of lounge wear, it makes me feel great and is always super trendy
The outfits that I had on today were all super comfortable and warm and I loved them all very much. They were both super soft inside and were my style of clothing."
With celebrities like Millie Bobby Brown and Billie Eilish opting for loose fitting loungewear and co-ord sets over short skirts and dresses, it's really interesting to see young girls today following their lead and wearing outfits that prioritise their comfort over all else.
I think Amelie's low-key look pulled together from Femmeluxe' extensive range of co-ord sets and loungewear is cute as well as casual and comfortable, the perfect combination for a teen of today.
Who were the fashion icons of your youth and how do they compare with the style icons of today?
