I feel like my old, very “1999” party look — black, with a sprinkling of fun vintage dresses — is out of date, but I can’t afford to buy whole new outfits right now. Is there a way to introduce new pieces without looking like a pastiche of don’ts? — Suzanne, Seattle
First of all, as you might have noticed, the 1990s are pretty much the most au courant past moment of the moment. And Prince never really goes out of style.
Apple Martin, the daughter of Gwyneth Paltrow and Chris Martin and nepo baby extraordinaire, just wore her mother’s 1996 Calvin Klein black halter-neck dress to the New York premiere of “Marty Supreme,” reproducing her look from toe to updo. Demna’s just-dropped pre-fall Gucci collection was a quasi homage to the 1990s Gucci of Tom Ford. And Matthieu Blazy put some very grunge-y plaid shirts on his Chanel-in-the-subway runway show.
In other words, you may not need to update your 1990s look because your 1990s look is actually very 2025. What you may be experiencing, however, is déjà vu disassociation — that is, a cognitive style disorder that involves the feeling that when a fashion trend you lived through comes around again, you have become displaced in space and time. All the style cues you thought you understood suddenly mean something entirely new to a different generation, and you feel as if everyone thinks you are trying too hard to fit in, when obviously you cannot. You know, mutton dressed as lamb, etc., etc.
The good news is that there are some easy fixes, especially if the starting point is 1990s black minimalism. (Let’s put aside the fun vintage dresses for now.) After all, nothing screams “building block” like minimal black, be it an LBD or a slouchy Helmut Lang-style pantsuit. The point is to move it away from associations with the ’90s and situate the look in the present. And the easiest way to do that is through — yes — accessories. It may be a fashion cliché to offer accessories as the answer to any wardrobe update, but, as per Occam’s razor, the simplest solution to any problem is generally the right one.
And accessories are both more economical and easier than pretty much anything else. If you make them sufficiently eye-catching, no one will think about the decade-related associations of the rest of your outfit.
So choose the simplest pieces from your existing wardrobe. Add a pair of high-heel leopard pumps to a black suit or dress — animal prints are a major trend — and a big faux gold bangle or two or a pendant necklace, and you have an instant update. Ditto with a feathered or fringed handbag.
Another, even easier and often overlooked accessory for dresses: hosiery. Sheer stockings are making a comeback, and they come polka-dotted, in bright colors and otherwise embellished. Leandra Medine Cohen, the former Man Repeller and current author of the dressing newsletter The Cereal Aisle, collaborated on a pair of tiger-striped tights with Swedish Stockings (speaking of animal prints). For less expensive versions, check out Calzedonia.
Gloves are also an option. This week I was at the Oscar de la Renta 60th-anniversary show in the Dominican Republic, and Linda Fargo, the senior vice president of the fashion office and store presentation at Bergdorf Goodman, was wearing a soft pink dress and elbow-length pink opera gloves, which were like instant cool. (Also a fan of opera gloves: Pierpaolo Piccioli of Balenciaga, who paired them with most looks on his last runway.)
Whatever you pick, don’t go overboard — perhaps the only real don’t in this scenario. Maturity is having the perspective to know that one or two statement accessories is enough. If you are trying to combat fashion déjà vu disassociation, perspective is the best accessory, and antidote, of all.
Your Style Questions, Answered
Every week on Open Thread, Vanessa will answer a reader’s fashion-related question, which you can send to her anytime via email or X. Questions are edited and condensed.
Vanessa Friedman has been the fashion director and chief fashion critic for The Times since 2014.
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