
The 1990s Silhouette Returns, From Milan Runways to Buenos Aires Salons
Long overcoats, capri pants, and polished mid-length cuts are being revived and reinterpreted for a new generation, with stylists offering precise advice on how to wear them today.
On a Milan runway this season, models at Max Mara and Totême walked in long, clean-lined overcoats of camel, grey, black, and chocolate brown. The garments were not costume pieces but a deliberate revival, Italian stylists said, of a silhouette that once filled the wardrobes of mothers and grandmothers across Argentina and beyond. The overcoat’s return, they noted, is tied to the rise of “quiet luxury” and a growing demand for durable, easy-to-combine pieces that transcend fleeting seasons.
The same impulse is reshaping summer wardrobes. Capri pants, the mid-calf trousers that dominated the late 1990s and early 2000s, have reappeared on runways at Miu Miu, Jacquemus, and Alaïa, and on celebrities like Bella Hadid and Dua Lipa. The challenge, as Indonesian fashion observers point out, is to avoid looking dated or shortening the leg. The solution lies in footwear: ballet flats, kitten heels, and thin-soled sneakers, never chunky shoes. A loose, oversized top balances the tight cut, creating a proportion that feels current rather than retro.
In Buenos Aires salons, the “media melena pulida” — a polished, mid-length cut that was a fury in the 1980s — is back. Stylists describe it as a collarbone-grazing length that removes weight and creates the illusion of density, particularly suited to fine hair. It is versatile enough to be worn sleek or with soft waves, and its resurgence is confirmed on red carpets and street-style looks internationally. For women over 60 with rounder faces, Spanish stylist Noelia Jiménez recommends the “bixie” cut, a layered, irregular style that adds height at the crown and frames the jaw without the harsh horizontal line of a blunt bob.
Underpinning these aesthetic choices is a growing demand for low-maintenance, long-term solutions. In Brazilian aesthetic clinics, facial laser hair removal is surging among women dealing with hormonal imbalances that cause thick chin and jawline hair, and among men seeking to prevent folliculitis from shaving. Specialist Tálona Nayla de Marco notes that the treatment goes beyond vanity: for women, it addresses conditions like polycystic ovary syndrome; for men, it is therapeutic, reducing painful inflammation. The protocol requires rigorous sun protection and forbids waxing or tweezing between sessions, as the laser needs the hair root intact to work.
What links these disparate trends is a shared logic: a return to classic forms, but with updated rules. The long overcoat is worn open over a white T-shirt and straight jeans with white trainers, not as a stiff period piece. The capri pant demands a precise shoe, not the chunky platforms of its first iteration. The polished mid-length cut is adapted to each face shape, and the bixie offers a visual lift without sacrificing femininity. Even the laser hair removal is a quiet, cumulative process, not a dramatic transformation. As the southern hemisphere winter approaches, the long coat is already appearing on Buenos Aires streets, a familiar silhouette made new again.
How the same story is told elsewhere.
2 editorial groups · 3 languages
Capri pants are back, and with the right styling they can be a chic addition to any wardrobe. The key is to balance proportions and choose modern footwear to avoid a dated look. This practical guide shows how to embrace the 90s revival with confidence.
The long coat that every Argentine woman wore in the 90s is back as the most elegant piece of 2026, according to Milan stylists. But the return isn't about copying the past exactly; it's about adapting the silhouette with modern fabrics and a relaxed attitude. The trend promises sophistication without sacrificing comfort.
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