Like many cool cats from my generation, I have a soft spot for the 90’s. Whether it’s binge watching episodes of Animaniacs (and Friends-holla!) or pulling out my trusty ole Skip It (yes, I still have mine, it’s purple and all dinged up but I mustn’t let it go, if for nothing else but to see the look of pure bewilderment on my future children’s faces, when I whip it out), I just have so much love and nostalgia wrapped up in that decade.

Admittedly, while the 90’s had some strange and in my opinion, unfortunate trends (see skinny brows, blue eyeshadow overload, mini buns, and porcupine updo’s), the 90’s was also chock full of trends that would make returns and a few timeless, dare I say, classics.

For starters, tousled hair. I back this bad boy up 110%, give or take, infinity. I love my hair to look slightly unkempt and boho-chic and basically, I love any excuse to be lazy about it. This look allows me to do just that! Meritorious beyond belief homies aka all that and a bag of chips. Cue slow walk, wink, and finger gun pose.

 Chokers. Cut. It. Out. To be honest, I didn’t realized how much I missed this jewelry trend, until it made a reappearance lately. Chokers are quintessential 90’s, in my mind anyway and remind me of all those cool girls like Buffy, Sabrina, and Phoebe (Charmed), who we wanted to be just like (well, I know I did). And I used to feel pretty damn rad wearing those plastic tattoo chokers and am terribly close to picking myself up another because how much longer can I even resist? Nonetheless, I am really enjoying this trend and pairing a choker with a delicate necklace, to help balance out the look, is what I am all about. It’s so fun to pair this style with a white t-shirt and skinnies or a crop top and high slit maxi skirt for that sophisticated, sexy, and fun look.

Brown lipstick, come to mama. I am endlessly glad for this one, it’s the perfect balance of bold, yet understated and looks good on just about anybody. By using neutral tones, it can be a soft and daring look all the same, depending on the shade of brown you go with. I am generally partial to the neutral to warmer tones like Bow N’ Arrow by Kat Von D but I also can appreciate a good brown with red/orange undertones like Lolita II by Kat Von D, which feels insanely reminiscent of 90’s.

For the love of flannel! In combination with a good choker, this is 90’s grunge at its best and I love every minute of it. While the look is slightly more refined and polished these days, this trend has made a comeback in a pretty significant way and praise to the fashion Overlords for that. Flannels paired with your favorite cutoffs and tights, will satisfy any nostalgic yearning you may be experiencing for 90’s grunge. I also fancy tying a good flannel around my waist with a form-fitting dress to play around with the balance of femininity and masculinity or while you’re at it, go ahead and tie one around your waist with a good pair of denim, a t-shirt, and a leather jacket and THAT is pretty killer combination as well.

Last but certainly not least in this list of 90’s magic is crop tops. I’ll spare you the sappy and lengthy details but I could write whole sagas about my love for crop tops, it’s out of control, really. Digression averted, crop tops. These tummy-bearing shirts epitomized the 90's, I’ll never forget Shania Twain in her Any Man of Mine music video, I still love that outfit today! Or probably, the much more relevant and let’s face it memorable (for most), outfit Britney Spears wore in Baby One More Time Video. More than a comeback, crop tops have almost had more of a revival, in an elevated and sophisticated way. Between cropped sweaters, tees, and jackets, I can find a way to incorporate this style year around, especially when paired with high-waisted cutoffs, skinnies, or skirts and that makes this girl insanely happy.

And this concludes your 90’s time travel session, please exit through the gift shop-aka-the interwebs (which is no longer being powered by dial-up, props to wi-fi) and get yourself a few more wonderfully 90’s-inspired pieces! I’m outtie 5000!

xoxo, your 90’s grunge-loving pal

We have very similar taste in clothes. Very. We share, and hand-me-down to each other, although pants are a little tricky - we wear the same size, but Mallory is 5'11" and Lauren is 5'2" (AND a quarter, don't forget it!), so that can pose a bit of a challenge but that's never stopped us before.

With that being said, we think a lot about clothes, no, we are certainly not stylists - just two girls who love clothes. But we love to notice what others are wearing, research on the latest trends and compare items, look at things like price and fabric composition to determine what's the better call. Specifically we both love finding items to add to our collection of "pieces that feel like me". We both joke about leaving items in shopping carts on multiples sites for days, maybe even weeks on end, trying to determine an item's merit towards our limited closet space. Truthfully, we bond over the amount of work we've put into creating our own personal uniforms. What we like to think of as pieces that are quintessential to our look, that on any given day, make us feel like ourselves.

So, we have each rounded up a list of items that make up our own uniforms, there may be several of the same pieces in varying colors but these different colors, even in the same item, can make an outfit look totally different, these items give you varying mileage, they're essential items, that are universal and can help us each to feel like ourselves in our look.

Without further ado ...


Lo's 10:

Sweaters - chunky, sweatshirt style, you name it. Specifically in gray but honestly, give me all the neutrals: black, crème, navy, striped. And if they are cropped, even better!

T-Shirts white v-necks and gray t-shirts (no surprises here). Again, any neutral color, serves me well, I’m also partial to a good olive green and make it heathered, while you’re at it. Crop tops are a must, to go along with my high waisted shorts and pants. P.S. a good logo/graphic t-shirt make for good company in a t-shirt collection

Skinnies a few good pairs of basic skinny jeans, primarily, black and blue, will take me a long way (aka fewer loads of laundry aka lazy). As mentioned, I am high waisted kind of girl, so I always reach for those and definitely a few distressed pairs as well, because well, badassery factor.

Shorts I am a sucker for high waisted cutoffs, is all you need to know.

Skirts I prefer them in the mini or pencil variety and pull that waist right on up! Plus a good black maxi skirt, with a high slit and waist, pair that with a knotted t-shirt and it's one of my favorite go-to bohemian-inspired looks. I think of myself typically as a minimalist dresser, I like clean lines and I love to play around with the balance of masculinity and femininity with clothes, maybe by pairing a boxy t-shirt with a pencil skirt, etc.

Jackets a good leather or denim jacket can carry me through all the seasons. Although, there are other jackets I might grab depending on the look I’m going for and the weather, these two I consider must haves for looks I go to regularly.

Converses low or high tops, either will do. These puppies can dress down an outfit to perfection.

Booties if you ever want to see a really good eye roll, ask Cody what my bootie collection is numbering at. So many shades of brown, black, and tan. All the shades, please.

High heel Sandals and Wedges hand me a chunky high heel wedge or mule and I’m happy as a clam at high tide. And a nude pair of heels for skinny jean dreams.

Flats a good pair of d’orsay flats can Audrey Hepburn my outfit right on up and I’m a softie for a retro feel through and through.

Mal's 10:

Plaid the perfect piece for the spring and fall. You can throw it over a tank or a tee and get a bit of warmth when the nights are cooler, but you can easily tie it around your waist during the day (thank goodness this is back in style)!

Black Skinnies these may be my #1 in my arsenal. I can't live without at least one pair of black skinnies. They can be dressed up, down, way down, you name it

Boyfriend Tees ok, full disclosure, I may own approximately 100 boyfriend tees. They are the perfect casual top in my closet. You can just leave it baggy for a super casual look, tie up the front or side with a rubber band for a more polished finish, or even tuck one side in to hop on the trend train. When in doubt for me - black skinnies and a boyfriend tee

Booties I am embarrassed to admit my closet is full of booties, but I still feel like I need MORE MORE MORE. I love to pair these bad boys with skinnies, shorts, dresses - you name it. They are feminine enough to remind me that I can be a girl sometimes, but not wearing stilettos on a regular basis. Love.

Nude Heels these are a must for every girl out there. A nude heel can pair with literally anything, and any color. White, Black, Blue, Pink. When in doubt, if I am dressing up for anything I reach for a pair of nude heels to finish off my look

Black Dress this one seems super cliché, but I literally love a good black dress. It can be dressed up or down, depending on what you pair with it. Add a floral kimono and some nice sandals or heels and you are ready for a dinner out. Add a plaid shirt (on or around the waist) and some lace-ups or sandals, and you are ready to conquer your day of errands!

Good, Versitile Shirt this is something everyone has, but no one ever thinks about; and it sounds super vague if you think about it. Most of my wardrobe is filled with neutral, versatile tops that can be dressed up or down. I can wear them to work, or out to the bar, or on an airplane. And I am all about that. I think every girl should own at least one good, versatile shirt that can smoothly transition from work to play

Jacket obviously, depending on where you live will depend on the importance of this one; obviously you Floridians may not necessarily have such a need, but for a girl like me who is ALWAYS cold anyways, a good jacket is a must. I look for style and warmth, which unfortunately is hard to find for a reasonable price sometimes, but ultimately I see these as great investments for my wardrobe

Lace-Ups my. everything. I love my Converse and Vans in particular. They are just the perfect casual shoe to run some errands in, travel, go to a concert (and please, please excuse the fact I literally haven't washed my Converses in God knows how long)

Chunky Sweaters I am ride-or-die for some chunky sweaters people. If I could live in cold weather forever, I would be the happiest girl. Chunky sweaters, skinny jeans, and boots ALL DAY

You may not have noticed, color is not particularly important in both of our wardrobes. We are both very Plain Jane when it comes to attire - neutrals rock our world. Blacks, Whites, GRAYS, Tans, with the occasional earthy-tone thrown in there. But that's how we roll. We have tweaked our wardrobes to fit how we feel, and to express who we are. Some things that make up our wardrobes are things we are just simply ride-or-die for, and we would not be "ourselves" in the fashion sense without them. These guys have and will continue to get many miles put onto them, and we are forever grateful for that.

And to quote Sofia Coppola in our MOST favorite way, "You're considered superficial and silly if you are interested in fashion, but I think you can be substantial and still be interested in frivolity"

What are your wardrobe essentials?! We would love to hear from you what you are ride-or-die for in your closet!

Love,
your shameless fashion-loving pals