What Couture Fashion Week Looked Like in the '90s

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If you want to take an escape into a fashion dreamworld, might I suggest taking a look at Couture fashion week in the ’90s? It was an iconic time when supermodels like Claudia Schiffer, Naomi Campbell, Linda Evangelista, and Carla Bruni all walked the runways, and legendary designers like Yves Saint Laurent and Christian Lacroix were showcasing their designs each season in Paris.

What each of the couture houses conjured up is pretty extraordinary to look at. There are gowns with endless layers of tulle and lace, Pierre Balmain’s nod to Marie Antoinette’s outfits for the country at Petit Trianon, Laetitia Casta outfitted in an look crafted entirely out of silk flowers at YSL, and Karl Lagerfeld in his stride at Chanel. If you want to take a look at the most amazing couture dresses from the ’90s, we’ve rounded up some of the very best for you to lay your eyes on.

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Laetitia Casta at the Yves Saint Laurent S/S 99 Haute Couture show.

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A model at the 1994 Pierre Balmain Haute Couture show.

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Naomi Campbell at the 1997 Givenchy Haute Couture show.

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A model at the 1997 Christian Dior Haute Couture show.

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French designer Yves Saint Laurent with model Claudia Schiffer at his S/S 97 Haute Couture show.

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Gisele at the 1999 Valentino Haute Couture show.

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Kate Moss at the 1999 Chanel Haute Couture show.

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Claudia Schiffer at the 1993 Chanel Haute Couture show.

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Linda Evangelista at the 1992 Chanel Haute Couture show.

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Claudia Schiffer at the 1992 Chanel Haute Couture show.

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A model at the 1991 Pierre Balmain Haute Couture show.

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Models at the 1997 Christian Dior Haute Couture show.

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A model at the 1992 Christian Lacroix Haute Couture show.

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Claudia Schiffer at the 1990 Chanel Haute Couture show.

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Naomi Campbell at the 1997 Chanel Haute Couture show.

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Gisele at the 1999 Valentino Haute Couture show.

More on ’90s fashion right this way.

Associate Director, Special Projects

Kristen Nichols is the Associate Director, Special Projects at Who What Wear with over a decade of experience in fashion, editorial, and publishing. She oversees luxury content and wedding features, and covers fashion within the luxury market, runway reporting, shopping features, trends, and interviews with leading industry experts. She also contributes to podcast recordings, social media, and branded content initiatives. Kristen has worked with brands including Prada, Chanel, MyTheresa, and Luisa Via Roma, and rising designers such as Refine and Tove, and her style has been featured in publications including Vogue.com, Vogue France, WWD, and the CFDA. Before Who What Wear, Kristen began her career at Rodarte, where she worked on assistant styling, photo shoots, and runway shows, and at Allure, where she moved into print and digital editorial. She graduated from the University of Southern California, where she studied art history and business, and currently lives in New York.