Style lessons from 'Beverly Hills 90210'

There are questions to which every person who grew up in the 90s can answer: team Dylan or team Brandon? Kelly or Brenda? Hard choices that can reveal more than what could seem, especially about ourselves, our perception of life and the impact of Beverly Hills 902010 on that decade. In less than 6 days, in fact, social media and mass media have been invaded by two news: the announcement of the return of the series and the death of Luke Perry, perhaps the most beloved star on the show. The rumours have been circulating for a while, but the official confirmation came on Wednesday with a teaser with the claim "Guess who's coming home?" appearing on the guitar sound of the iconic original theme song.

Only a few words that allude to the Fox USA channel that starting from summer 2019, as it did for the first time in 1990, will broadcast 6 new episodes. The details are scarce and confused. It would be a kind of fake documentary in which the OG cast will reinterpret a sort of amplified version of itself alternating with clips from the show. The only clear thing right now is that Shannen Doherty and Luke Perry will not participate in the project underway. 

 

The plot

Brandon (Jason Priestley) and Brenda (Shannen Doherty) aka the Walsh twins leave the cold Minnesota and land in the sunny and sophisticated Beverly Hills, finishing in the city's most prestigious high school: the West Beverly High. Here they enter a crew of kids, beautiful and always wearing designer clothes, rich and bored: Kelly (Jennie Garth), the fragile and problematic queen of the school; the sweet and chaste Donna (Tori Spelling); Dylan (Luke Perry), cool, rebel and tormented; the great Steve (Ian Ziering, now known for the catastrophe movie saga Sharknado); the shy David (Brian Austin Green) who dreams of being a DJ; the smartass Andrea (Gabrielle Carteris, one who on the screen was supposed to be 16, but looked like a 50 years old woman). Around them alternate richness, exams, confraternities, parties, parent-child problems, drugs, AIDS, sexuality, flirts, love triangles (Brenda-Dylan-Kelly or Brandon-Kelly-Dylan). 

From teen series to generational phenomenon

Let's go back to the 90s, when American producer Aaron Spelling decided to give life to a TV series for teenagers, certainly not imaging the turnout, becoming a cult capable of influencing entire generations. The first episode aired in the States in October 1990, the last one in May 2000. In these ten years, the vast majority of young people around the world remained glued to the screen, impatient to know what will happen to that irritating Brandon, if poor David managed to have sex with Donna (it seems that Spelling, father of the actress and producer of the show, had vetoed it) and if Dylan will ever decide who loves more between Kelly and Brenda, replaced at some point on the show by her cousin Valerie (Tiffani-Amber Thiessen aka Kelly from Saved by the bell).

The devastating success of this crew of teenagers is fueled, for the first time, by a colossal variety of merchandising: backpacks, briefcases, pencil cases, albums of stickers, Barbie, watches, t-shirts and, of course, posters, perhaps the most common accessory in every teenager's room at the time. The magazines that published any kind of news about the characters of Beverly Hills and every detail about the show, things like the reason of the departure of Brenda from the series, due to the fact that all the cast detested Doherty. The teenagers of the 90s started to slavishly imitate the look of the crew of friends of Beverly High. From the hair of Brandon and Dylan to the crop tops by Donna and Kelly, from jeans, better if paired with a denim jacket, to the masculine look.

In honour of the return of the most iconic TV series of the '90s, we remember the most significant trends launched by brothers Walsh & Co.

 

Crop top 

Nowadays it's a staple item in every girl's closet, proposed in every possible version from low-cost chains and luxury brands, but in the 90s to wear it and make it popular are Donna Martin, Kelly Taylor, Brenda Walsh and the other teenagers of the Fox show.

 

Mom Jeans & denim fever

 

Mom jeans were part of the Beverly High crew's daily uniform, along with tees and often paired with a denim jacket, for a total denim look.

 

Plain white tee

From James Dean onwards the world of fashion and then the world population has understood that there is only one indispensable item, versatile and able to make you feel at ease: the white tees. The ultimate must-have. 

 

Tomboy look

Men's cut blazer, often oversized and with squared shoulders (a bit similar to the ones seen on the catwalk by Balenciaga), shirt and maybe a tie. Brenda Walsh is one of the characters who played with tomboy outfits with extreme style.

 

Mini dress

Coloured, black, printed. The girls of Beverly have worn them of all kinds, better if super short and tight.

 

Sideburns

Look carefully at the images of Brandon and Dylan. Their haircut has long been the most imitated by the boys, achieved in the female version by Rachel's bob in Friends.