90s office outfits | TheaterFire

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Loud-Feeling2410@reddit

This is a very unusual theme. Can I ask why it was chosen?

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Shanntuckymuffin@reddit

Just make sure you get that perm with piecey bangs on point!

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Loud-Feeling2410@reddit

you can do that look with cheap foam bendy rollers.

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GroverGemmon@reddit

Ally McBeal was also big though. The above looks more 80s to me. I had a suit with a shorter skirt that I considered my "professional" outfit for job interviews and such.

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galacticprincess@reddit

Ally McBeal would have been kicked out of a professional office in the 80's.

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GroverGemmon@reddit

Yeah I don't know if anyone actually wore skirts that short in a real law office in the 90s either.

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Illustrious_Low_4672@reddit

This look, but with bright white sneakers and a long wool overcoat for the commute ;)

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Deep-Ad4351@reddit

I’m positive I still wear pantyhose because of my xennial roots.

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I really hate not wearing them with a skirt or dress. At my first office job as a paralegal back in 2003, all the women were not wearing panty hose and I was kinda shocked by it. Of course, now that is the norm.

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CrazyIrina@reddit

I started wearing pantyhose at age 14, and never stopped. Some of us are trapped at the intersection of twilight zone of hosiery and fashion...Welcome to the Xennial Zone.

I get more than 2 feet away from pantyhose and I experience shortness of breath and heart palpitations.

And then waiting for a shipment of hosiery from Italy is induces more heart problems. Hehe. I love pantyhose so much, even my bestie jokes about it.

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animus218@reddit

I left healthcare for an office in 2018. I had to ask someone if it was appropriate to wear a skirt without nylons in the summer.

Also, shoulder pads. Hated them because I already have fairly straight/strong shoulders.

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Deep-Ad4351@reddit

I have small shoulders but I hate shoulder pads and will remove them from all my blazers.

Also, asking for a friend, IS it appropriate to wear a skirt without nylons in the summer?

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animus218@reddit

In that office, in 2018, it was absolutely fine. And that was a pretty old school, misogynistic company. So, yes! Nylons and makeup are, usually no longer obligatory in my neck of the woods.

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ferretherapy@reddit

Wait - makeup used to be obligatory too? I thought that was just what everyone did.

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animus218@reddit

It's not legal (anymore) and not common (anymore), but used to be expected. Treating a woman's natural face as unprofessional, not unlike treating people with type 3 or 4 hair as being unprofessional. Forced conformity to an arbitrary ideal of the people in power. Very gross.

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Deep-Ad4351@reddit

That’s great!

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TransportationOk657@reddit

My mom used to wear the shoulder pads back in the 80s and early 90s. I always thought that was such a terrible look for a woman. In most cases, it looked very unnatural.

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sassooal@reddit

It took me a very long time not to wear them.

I think I still would if I ever wore a skirt suit.

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_blooferlady@reddit

bonus points if it was sold in one of those plastic eggs!

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brzantium@reddit

L'eggs

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MOSbangtan@reddit

Yesssss

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Impossible_Turn_7627@reddit

Came here to say this. Also, I still love pantyhose.

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CrazyIrina@reddit

Yeah. I was 14 when my mom got me my first pantyhose. To keep my legs from getting cold.

I was hooked on them right away. Compression on them was amazing...I had no idea they did that.

35 years later, still pretty much a daily wear garment unless it is blazing hot....and even then I will put up with them most of the time.

I have 3300 pairs now and need to find a way to send some back though time for my previous self's skinny knees.

I don't mind. Some people get hooked on meth or cocaine or whatever. My thing is nylons. 0 calorie and also cardio approved.

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PuzzleheadedAbies678@reddit

I wore pantyhose once but the police were all "freeze you're under arrest for robbing that bank"

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ShirazGypsy@reddit

SHOULDERPADS = POWER SUIT

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Objective-Ad5620@reddit

gif

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Baby-cabbages@reddit

Watch Office Space?

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karatechop97@reddit

Shirt and tie with a loud sweater, maybe sweater vest.

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GrungeCheap56119@reddit

A clear house phone that light sup when it rings LOL

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3_dots@reddit

Oooo check out some video or stills of Elaine from Seinfeld for good examples.

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GroverGemmon@reddit

I guess I'm old because I don't think of 90s style as that distinct in terms of office wear. I wanted to be Ally McBeal!

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GroverGemmon@reddit

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MOSbangtan@reddit

A bright red lip

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laurenishere@reddit

A big chunky headband (for women). Oh, or a neutral-colored barrette or claw clip! A suit with pantyhose and white sneakers for commuting.

You could hold a leather / pleather portfolio. Or a personalized clipboard.

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CrazyIrina@reddit

Hehe. We wore Sorels.

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sal101010@reddit

Oh, the baggy jackets with shoulder pads that I wore!

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After_Match_5165@reddit

When I got my first job at 18 as an assistant at an investment firm I thought I'd wear quirky outfits like the secretary on NewsRadio, but I quickly chickened out and just wore black blazers with collared shirts and camisoles over black pants or long skirts. Usually leprechaun shoes for comfort. If I wasn't wearing the blazer, I usually sported something from the weird clothing store inside the subway station that had trouser sets. It was an odd time, but I felt really profesh.

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sorrymizzjackson@reddit

gif

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camptastic_plastic@reddit

This movie was my first thought too. So much good inspo for this theme!

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dryheat85000@reddit

The big scarf and French braid!

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gin_possum@reddit

For men: double breasted suit, with shoulder pads.

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ace_11235@reddit

Another suit option would be a 3 button suit. Make sure it's pretty boxy too.

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gin_possum@reddit

I was going to include this (there’s even a joke about it in Batman!) but then I wondered if it was a bit more early 2000s. Possibly I was just a bit behind the style curve…

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PuzzleheadedAbies678@reddit

I still have my Double Breasted pinstriped black suit from High school. (Not office in the 90s but Competed with DECA in it) I think it was the most expensive thing I owned until I bought my first used car 8 years after HS.

My first car - $100 was an 85 Sentra with 100k on the dash. My first suit - $250

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thizzdanz@reddit

Zack morris’ dad

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PuzzleheadedAbies678@reddit

gif

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xtlhogciao@reddit

I’ll come into the office dressed as Zak and call OP on the cell from 5 ft away and say “is this is the only way I can get you to talk to me?”

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PuzzleheadedAbies678@reddit

But wait it's not your dad just an actor you hired to fool Belding

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xtlhogciao@reddit

I can’t believe Blinkin from Men in Tights agreed to take the job.

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PuzzleheadedAbies678@reddit

Unlike other Zak morris' Dads.... he could speak with an English Accent

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unbalancedcentrifuge@reddit

A nice chunky heel pump and matching jacket and skirt set.

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rumblestripper@reddit

Check out Scully's outfits in the very early seasons of the X Files. Tapered pant suits, frilly blouses, oversized macs etc.

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lifeuncommon@reddit

Black skirt suit, jacket must be double-breasted with gaudy gold buttons. Cheap silky polyester is a win.

Panty hose

Stubby toe or round toe heels with chunky stacked keels.

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Embarrassed_Rate5518@reddit

google a picture of Melrose Place.

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Aught_To@reddit

Vests - men and women wore vests so much more than people cal.l out today.

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Inc-Roid@reddit

gif

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ace_11235@reddit

Bonus points if it's a sweater vest.

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fleetiebelle@reddit

Vests, chokers, and that kind of bowl cut that Demi Moore had.

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shrimpcreole@reddit

Pretty sure I still have my choker pendant. It's a reversible moon/sun face.

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elphaba00@reddit

My husband was wearing a vest and a white dress shirt in our engagement picture from 1999.

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Funkopedia@reddit

Wear a pager. You'll be the talk of the evening.

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sevalle13@reddit

Old Motorola flip phone

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Aught_To@reddit

in the 90's?

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WiseDirt@reddit

Uhh... Yeah? Motorola released the MicroTAC in 1989 and then the StarTAC in 1996

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Aught_To@reddit

Yeah, I was there, they were super uncommon

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Funkopedia@reddit

Everybody wanted one. Few could afford it. Same with the 2-way pager.

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WiseDirt@reddit

Because it was expensive. Anybody who actually needed a mobile phone for work, though, upgraded from their old brick as soon as they came out.

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Aught_To@reddit

So not exactly culturally pervasive enough to feature at a 90s party

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WiseDirt@reddit

Nah, still pretty culturally pervasive. Having a mobile phone at all was a bit more of a status symbol back then; but everybody knew what they were, would've recognized it if they saw one, and wanted one for themselves.

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sevalle13@reddit

Yup it's called a Motorola Star Tac

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Aught_To@reddit

Ehh. Not very common. The Nokia bricks were way more popular in the late 90s. But most people didn't really start getting them until the very very end of the 90s. Shit, I had a pager till 2000

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sevalle13@reddit

Not very common in the real world but very common in media...I always remember Zach Morris in Saved by the Bell having one...idk if I saw more than a handful in real life but I do remember them in movies and tv

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HOT__BOT@reddit

Suspenders with matching ties

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staircasegh0st@reddit

Beeper.

Pleated khakis.

Braided belt.

Polo tie.

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OtherlandGirl@reddit

Ooh, the braided belt! Fashion icon /s

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aboveaveragewife@reddit

It has to be at least 6 inches too long so you can flip it and have it dangle!

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staircasegh0st@reddit

if it's above the knee you're doing it wrong

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Adrasteia-One@reddit

Denim long sleeve shirt and tie with khakis.

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souvenirsuitcase@reddit

Baby doll dresses with Doc Martens.

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mama_snail@reddit

just google "hilary clinton first lady"

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dryheat85000@reddit

Ally McBeal look: polyester suit with VERY short skirt

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Grouchy-Reflection97@reddit

Worth flipping through Vogue's archive of back issues (you have to create an account, though):

https://archive.vogue.com/issues/1990

Or checking out Internet Archive for 90's glossy magazines (Cosmopolitan, Elle, Vanity Fair, etc) and playing with the filters.

People Magazine has some great images of 90's corporate types, plus any Google Images results from the OJ trial are a treasure trove of power suits. Especially Marcia Clark.

https://archive.org/details/people-magazine-1990-spring-c/page/72/mode/1up

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garden__gate@reddit

If you’re a guy: baggy slacks, a jewel-toned baggy dress shirt, a funky patterned tie. Wire rimmed glasses for extra points.

If you’re a woman, Elaine Benes from Seinfeld.

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sunchasinggirl@reddit

Oversized blazers!

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mid_1990s_death_doom@reddit

Dana scully x files

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ElizardbethBennet@reddit

Came here to say this. Scully was THE 90s corporate-girl blueprint

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shrimpcreole@reddit

Yeah. Wide lapels, shoulder pads, double-breast jackets, teased bangs.

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Important_silence@reddit

I really like the outfits worn on “Martin,” “Living Single” & “Ally McBeal”

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Important_silence@reddit

https://youtu.be/OTqVqXs4RqE?si=nD3-zMd2s6bKHoz7

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BigPoppaStrahd@reddit

Look up images from Friends and Seinfeld, and the Drew Carey show, those are definitive 90’s office style

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lisette729@reddit

I would also recommend the later seasons of Designing Women.

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Ok-Ad5495@reddit

Just watch an episode of Ally McBeal, you'll be set for ideas.

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TuckerCarlsonsOhface@reddit

For men: very blousy, loose fitting dress shirts tucked into high-wasted, loose fitting pants.

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divide_by_hero@reddit

Everything about 90s suits was horribly oversized

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SweetCosmicPope@reddit

My gramps retired in the 80s, but he continued consulting well into the 90s. I remember brown suits, off-white shirts, and really fat ties.

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fleetiebelle@reddit

My college dorm room decor was hunter green and maroon plaid. That color combo screams 90s to me.

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ToastyWonder@reddit

Yes, my sister redid my grandmother's bathroom and it was all maroon and hunter green. I think she would redone the whole house that way if she let her.

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S_A_R_K@reddit

Braided leather belts

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S_A_R_K@reddit

Shoulder pads

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Deep-Ad4351@reddit

If you or someone doesn’t go dressed up as either Lumbergh or Milton I’m going to be severely disappointed

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jtho78@reddit

Shoulder pads, ill-fitted suits, pleats, penny loafers, and a wide paisley tie.

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Reasonable-Wave8093@reddit

thats 80s

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jtho78@reddit

There was a lot of overlap.

Power suits (shoulder pads) started at the end of the 80s and lasted until mid-90s

Paisley patterns were popular on ties and silk/rayon shirts (Parker Lewis)

Pleats were the only option for slacks. Oversized baggy pants, shirts and jackets were also popular. People were swimming in their clothes.

Penny loafers without socks were big in the 80s but were very popular in the 90s.

The brick phone was probably only 80s. My knowledge on this is only from Saved by the Bell. lol

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Reasonable-Wave8093@reddit

My knowledge is life, Saved by the bell sucks

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BigPoppaStrahd@reddit

That’s also pretty much the 90’s too. Especially the ill fitting suit part. I just remember everything seemed so baggy in the 90’s

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Reasonable-Wave8093@reddit

nah bro, ladies office wear was straight from catalogues or the 90s jeans look. Chambray sirt. Jean shirt. Jean fluffy inside jacket.

Chunky jewelry & big earrings

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BigPoppaStrahd@reddit

And menswear was baggy ill fitting suits.

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WiseDirt@reddit

There was a lot of overlap. Shoulder pads and penny loafers were still very much a thing in the early/mid-90s

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nikkesen@reddit

Casual Fridays saw jeans and cowboy boots.

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Hanksta2@reddit

Just watch Office Space.

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EastTXJosh@reddit

I started working in offices in the late 90’s (law firms). I wore the same thing to work as I do now: polo shirts and jeans or khakis.

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CrazyIrina@reddit

Fitted skirt suit in black, charcoal, or navy. Standard black heels in 3-inch or less in almond toe.

Pantyhose: yep. Beige, nude, jet, off black. I always wore off black pantyhose when I got promoted to management...my boss wore them, so did I. L'eggs Sheer Energy, anything else is a false flag.

Simple ponytail, light makeup, lip balm. Extra points for driving a Honda.

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