10 Fashion Statements That Made Ah Bengs & Ah Lians in the 90s Lit

Last Updated on 2023-03-13 , 7:03 pm

In retrospect, it’s amazing how we used to dress in the past: I mean, why would a pair of jeans that has large openings be fashionable?

Unless you’re in the industry, it’s hard to understand fashion. Here’re the 10 fashion statements in the 90s that we all have donned before and have felt extremely proud then, but now made our face red when we relooked at our old photographs.

Bell Bottom Jeans

This trend that used to be fashionable in the 70s suddenly resurfaced in the later part of the 90s and early 00s, turning any nerd who wore it into a hipster. And it was not just the girls: every Tom, Dick and Harry was wearing it too.

In fact, during that time, the wider the trouser leg was, the hipper you were. It was then a battle between bell bottoms and straight cut, and surprisingly, according to Wikipedia, the trend was taken over by skinny jeans in 2006. In other words, we were all still wearing this ten years ago!

C.I.D. Coat

You see, in the 90s, we watched TV, and we watched local dramas. And in the 90s, the cool scene of a police officer introducing himself as “C.I.D” (Criminal Investigation Department) was so cool that we dressed up like them.

In the dramas, they had often put on an outer shirt to hide their pistol below their armpit. And when they ran, the shirt would fly in the air, adding even more satki (煞气) points to this image.

So, we all bought a shirt and put it over a T-shirt, despite how hot Singapore is. In fact, you can still see some people with this style. They usually still watch TV.

Shirt tied around the waist

This was obviously for the females, but you’d be surprised that some guys did that as well. I can’t fathom the logic behind this: it doesn’t look good, it seems like the shirt will drop out any moment and it’s just weird. Thankfully, we don’t see this much often now.

Armstrong Yellow wristband

This used to be so hot that it was always out of stock–then companies started to make replicas but everyone just wanted the Armstrong version. If you’d taken a walk on the streets in the 90s, you’ll see almost everyone below the age of 20 wearing one of these, whether it was the original one or the replicas.

I even remembered buying a few from Yahoo! Auctions, the predecessor of Qoo10.

Extremely small Outdoor backpack

Firstly, they must be #small–so small, people might think that it’s part of your shirt. Secondly, there must be nothing inside the bag, because #small. Thirdly, make sure you tighten the straps to the tightest because you want to make sure that it looks #small.

Fourthly, carry it to school. Yeah, leave all the books and worksheets below your table, because what you put inside your Outdoor bag should just be air, because #small.

Sharp long comb

If you were a guy in the 90s, leaving home without having one of these badasses in your back pocket was a sin. Even if you’re bald, or you’re in BMT.

Because this isn’t a comb. It’s a statement.

Upturned collar

Well, kee chiu if you know why there’s a connection between this trend and Polo Ralph Lauren!

This trend came and went fast, like many of the food fads in Singapore. And for some reason, some people in Singapore are still popping their collars. Maybe they’re time travellers from the 90s?

Threadless T-shirt

Before online shopping became so mainstream, threadless.com came in and showed us that good-looking fashion could be crowdsourced and sold online. It got so popular that Singaporeans were either designing for threadless.com or buying T-shirt there.

And just for your info, the website is still going strong–with even over 888K Likes in their Facebook Page. In fact, it even opened a retail shop in 2007. So if you want to, you can bring back the fashion…just make sure you choose the 2016 design.

Waist Bag

Up until today, I’ve no idea why guys in the 90s had to put on this. People then could simply slot everything in their pockets; what’s the use of a waist bag?

Oh, wait. I think I know now. Fashion. It’s all about fashion. Don’t ever put fashion and functionality together.

Converse sandals

I had a hard time deciding between this and Converse sneakers, but decide to include this instead because no one wears it now.

If you had worn this in the 90s, you’re a rich guy, because most people wore this instead.

#truestory