Alright so this week I got hit hard with nostalgia scrolling through old rap videos and decided to recreate some iconic 90s Black fashion looks myself. No cap, trying to pull this off took way more effort than I thought. Here’s exactly how it went down.
Step 1: Hunting Down The Essentials
First thing Saturday morning, I raided my closet hoping my old stuff would work. Big L moment – nada. My 2010s skinny jeans weren’t cutting it. Headed downtown to every thrift spot imaginable. Must’ve flipped through a thousand racks before scoring anything decent.
My haul after three hours:
- One pair of ridiculous baggy jeans from Goodwill (three sizes too big but perfect)
- Two oversize rugby shirts from some sketchy basement store
- A fake leather Starter jacket that smells faintly of mothballs
- Bandanas in every color from this street vendor
Step 2: The Hair Struggles Were Real
Saturday night I tried doing box braids watching YouTube tutorials. Four hours later my hands were cramping and it looked like a toddler did it. Washed it out immediately. Sunday morning I went to Aunt Denise’s spot – she’s been doing hair since the 80s. Told her I needed that iconic high top fade/fro combo but she laughed and reminded me my hair grows sideways. Settled for freshly lined up temp fade with a durag to flatten the top for waves later.
Step 3: Actually Putting Fits Together
Monday after work I played dress up like I was 10 again. Started simple: baggy jeans, plain white tee, unbuttoned flannel shirt. Threw on some crisp white AF1s. Felt like I was cosplaying Kid from Kid N Play. Too basic though. Changed into the red rugby shirt over long john top with baggy jeans cuffed just right above the Timberlands. That hit different! Added the Starter jacket for that hip-hop video executive look. Bandana around the neck for Aaliyah vibes? Yeah.
What absolutely failed:
- Trying to curl my girl’s hair like Brandy with perm rods – turned into frizz city
- Fanny pack across the chest kept sliding off my shoulder
- Baggy jeans were SO long I tripped walking downstairs
Final Thoughts & Lessons
Honestly thought this would take half a day – nah. Spent Sunday through Tuesday tweaking looks before getting decent photos. Major respect for how effortless folks made it look back then. Forgot how heavy some of this gear is! The jackets, the boots, layered shirts – man was sweating buckets posing outside. But that feeling when you nail the right combo? Pure magic. Gotta give props to tailors too – without cuffing and pinning, I looked like a walking pile of laundry.
Biggest takeaway? It’s all about confidence. Wore my rugby fit to grab coffee and got stares, but felt like a million bucks. 10/10 would time-travel again, but next time I’m stealing Aunt Denise’s entire durag collection beforehand.
