An Ode to dELiA*s Catalogs

It’s the late-90s. Dial-up Internet is booming. The Motorola Bag Phone in my dad’s truck is the only mobile phone my family of four uses. And I’m somewhere flipping through a brand new dELiA’s catalog. 

I can only look back on the tween and teen fashion of the 90s with complete fondness. The oversized snowboarder sweaters. The spaghetti strap tanks. The choker necklaces. The platform flip-flops. The cargo pockets. These are core memories. 

I’m curious: Girls of the ’90s, did you get dELiA’s catalogs? Are you as overcome with acute nostalgia for the days of catalog shopping as I am? Just for fun, here are some staple looks from those old dElia’s catalogs that we all loved…

1. Oversized Snowboarder Sweaters

Pictured above is the iconic oversized snowboarder sweater. I had one in every color.

Get the look: Navy ombre stripes, retro, quarter-zip, striped, and rainbow.

2. Shiny Jackets

Is it a windbreaker? A rain jacket? Maybe neither. Maybe both. I had a similar version with snap buttons up the front and contrast stitching.

Get the look: Bomber, metallic, varsity stripe, vintage hoodie, and vintage snap-front.

3. Spaghetti Strap Tanks

I had approximately one million of these.

Get the look: Contrast straps, ribbed, scoop neckline, seamless, and perfect for layering.

4. Messenger Bags

Do you remember when the switch from backpacks to messenger bags happened? It was like one day, we all woke up, and we had to have a messenger bag. There were no other acceptable options in our tween brains. On a practical note: Lots of pockets for our milky gel pens.

Get the look: Classic, color block, vinyl vintage, reflective stripes, and compact.

5. Nylon Velcro-Front Shorts

Going to class? The beach? To see a movie? Never was there an occasion unsuitable for the nylon velcro-front shorts. Believe me, I wore them everywhere.

Get the look: Checkered, floral, contrast stitching, and leaf print.

6. Puffy Vests

90s fashion or not — I would wear this exact puffy vest now.

Get the look: Oversized, pop of green, glossy color block, and cropped.

7. Chokers & Flower Clips

So many chokers. So many flower snap clips. The middle part is mandatory.

Get the look: Tattoo chokers, gold choker set, crochet flower choker, layering choker set, and dainty chokers; classic black metal snap clips, colorful snap clips, star snap clips, flower snap clips, and charm snap clips.

Also, who remembers the mini butterfly clips, like these and these?!

8. Printed Hip-Huggers

My printed hip-huggers had a blue plaid pattern, and I loved them. They were soft and stretchy, and felt like I was wearing pajama pants all day.

Get the look: Black and white checkers, micro-checkers, pinstripe, purple flowers, and straight-leg jeans.

9. Corduroy Jackets

This 90s wardrobe staple wasn’t quite my style, but you better believe I had one. It was a jean jacket style and dark brown.

Get the look: Cropped, shacket, hoodie, and trucker.

10. Chunky Shoes

The rule was: The chunkier the better. I had a few pairs of boots with big blocky heels and a pair of heeled loafers.

Get the look: Chelsea boots, penny loafers, color block loafers, Mary Janes, platform derby, and wingtip platform Oxford.

Bonus: Cargo Pants by Alloy

I also got the Alloy catalog — my second favorite behind the dELiA’s catalog. But I thought they had better cargo pants than dELiA’s.

Get the look: Slouchy, denim, parachute pants, outdoorsy, and wide-leg.

Thanks for taking this trip down memory lane with me! What other 90s fashion trends do you remember? What trend was your favorite?

PS. How to wear flares — another 90s trend.

(Photos by Jille Edge.)