1990s Thierry Mugler Activ

Fashion as sculpture, as avant-garde expression, as spectacle: Thierry Mugler’s career pushed the boundaries of what fashion design and clothing could mean.

Mugler, who went by Manfred in later years, founded his brand in 1973 with his first personal collection. By the late 1990s, he was more famous for his fragrances, thanks to the brand’s best seller Angel. But vintage Mugler dresses and gowns have recently returned to red carpets, worn by stars like Kim Kardashian, Cardi B and Hailey Bieber. 

Mugler’s penchant for performance, drama and costuming came from his background in ballet, having danced as a teenager with the Opéra national du Rhin in his hometown of Strasbourg, France. In the 1980s and ’90s, his couture shows were theatrical and futuristic, similar to those of his contemporaries Jean Paul Gaultier and Christian Lacroix.

In one of Mugler’s shows, the then-pregnant legendary supermodel Pat Cleveland (part of the coterie of glamorous muses associated with designer Halston) was suspended from the ceiling and then glided down the runway surrounded by clouds of smoke.

Mugler would become known for his immaculate tailoring as well as for his increasingly avant-garde designs that featured sharp cuts, sexy and fetishistic elements, an integration of metal and uniquely treated materials like PVC and leather. Recent years have seen Mugler’s archival designs, especially from his 1995 haute couture show, take center stage, coinciding with the resurgence of camp in fashion and the return of bodycon dresses.

The French cosmetics company Clarins SA acquired Mugler’s brand in 1997, and its founder stepped back from the label in 2002. The house’s roster of clients has included some of the most visionary figures in fashion, from David Bowie and Diana Ross to Beyoncé and Lady Gaga, and the founder’s influence on over-the-top fashion can be seen in the work of designers such as Jeremy Scott and Alexander McQueen.

Find vintage Thierry Mugler corset tops, suits, sunglasses and other clothing and accessories on 1stDibs.

For fashion lovers, the 1990s have become associated with styles adopted by today’s supermodels and influencers, who never wear the same thing twice. And because fast fashion didn’t yet exist, the design associated with 1990s fashion — vintage '90s handbags, clothing and accessories — has a quality appreciated by the millennial generation: authenticity.

If there was one concept unifying fashion in the 1990s, it was the lean silhouette. “Fashion is a game of proportion,” Alexander Fury wrote in the New York Times in 2016. “Narrow-shouldered and narrow-hipped, the ’90s were skinny.”

If it takes a practiced eye to identify that single concept, that’s because in truth, ’90s fashion was many things to many people. After the 1980s era of strong-shouldered working women, glossy aerobicized bodies and Madonna, fashion branched out.

The industry gained momentum from big-money relaunches of the great Paris houses Dior, Givenchy and Balenciaga, rescued at long last from the constraints of licensing. Japan and Belgium gave fashion new avant-garde ideas to play with. From America came denim, minimalism, '90s grunge fashion and hip-hop. From Italy came sex appeal. And Prada.

For the colorful corsets of her 1990 Portrait collection, audacious British designer Dame Vivienne Westwood drew on 18th-century oil paintings — her models donned the pearl choker necklaces that have become a social media star and a favorite of influencers and fashion lovers all over the world. For a jacket-and-shorts suit from her Fall/Winter 1996–97 Storm in a Teacup line, the designer used the extreme asymmetry of a tartan mash-up to confront, according to Westwood, “the horror of uniformity and minimalism.”

“The ethos of the time was, you could have style, you could be into all kinds of cool stuff. It wasn’t about money, it wasn’t about status,” says Katy Rodriguez, cofounder of Resurrection. In contrast, “our last 10 years have seen the domination of nonstop luxury, money and status.”

Vintage 1990s Chanel bags, for example, are among the most prized of the brand’s offerings — at Newfound Luxury, proprietor L. Kiyana Macon has "clients who only buy ’90s Chanel because they recognize that it is the best quality.” 

Things were different in the ’90s, and the difference is reflected in the clothes. Pull up any recent “How to Do the 1990s” fashion article (or look at photos of current supermodels Gigi, Kendall and Bella), and you’ll see iconic '90s outfits — knee socks, cardigans, fanny packs, fishnet stockings, slip dresses, flannel shirts and combat boots.

Rodriguez has recently noticed something similar happening. Before COVID, customers searched 1990s stock “for very sexy Galliano, Dior, Cavalli — that kind of thing,” she explains, noting that just a few months ago, “people were posting [on social media] the poshest things they could.” Now, in the age of shutdown, “that would just look out of touch.”

Instead, people are looking for “things that are cool but also easy and comfortable, not necessarily super-luxe,” Rodriguez continues. They’re “heading back to the more avant-garde, anti-fashion designers, like Helmut Lang, [Martin] Margiela and [Ann] Demeulemeester.”

Late designer Franco Moschino shocked and titillated the ’80s fashion elite with his whimsical, irreverent parodies of bourgeois finery. Whether emblazoning a sober blazer with smiley faces or embellishing a skirt suit with cutlery, Moschino rendered high style with a hearty wink. He famously said, “If you can’t be elegant, at least be extravagant” — words that, with all due respect to Susan Sontag, epitomize the essence of camp.

Vintage Moschino pants, jackets and other '90s Moschino garments remain so bold and fresh today that even the house's former creative director, Jeremy Scott, drew on the brand's past and the pop culture of the decade for his debut collection in 2014.

Find vintage 90s dresses, skirts, sweaters and other clothing and accessories on 1stDibs — shop Thierry Mugler, Miuccia Prada, Jean Paul Gaultier and more today.

From museum-worthy vintage Oscar de la Renta evening dresses and jackets to audacious T-shirts and trousers from provocative punk designer Vivienne Westwood, one thing is abundantly clear: If the clothing available on 1stDibs could talk, it would certainly make a statement. 

For fashion lovers, the 1990s have become associated with styles adopted by today’s supermodels and influencers — think Galliano and Cavalli — but maybe ‘80s accessories are among your (guilty?) pleasures. Playful, boldly colored coats and outerwear from Moschino and other titans of the era can take a simpler ensemble to the next level, while chic and practical suits from the likes of Christian Dior and Chanel remain classic for haute couture advocates and beyond. By exploring the vast array of vintage collections on these pages, you can transform your closet into a retreat that is as retro as it is royal. 

Velvet cocktail dresses and silk evening gowns designed by French-born American couturiere Pauline Trigère — who dressed Wallis Simpson, the Duchess of Windsor — have proven timeless since their mid-century debut, while an overcoat by Alexander McQueen is the perfect finishing touch. In fact, an emerald one stays in rotation for Kate Middleton, Duchess of Cambridge.

Those seeking modern high-fashion brands are also in luck. Turn your day-to-day into a runway with selections from Dolce & Gabbana, Yves Saint Laurent and Versace or complete that fresh look with stunning footwear classics from the likes of Gucci and Christian Louboutin. The future — and glamorous past — of fashion is yours for the wearing. 

Build your collection of covetable and iconic vintage garments by shopping on 1stDibs. No matter where you roam, our diverse apparel and accessories will keep you covered in the hottest styles and comfiest black hoodie imaginable.