Retro Style Aesthetic: Living Single 90’s Remix

We are living… single. In a 90s kind of world, I’m glad I’ve got my girl. Okay, so I’m not single. I’m also not living in a 90s kind of world, but one can dream. Am I the only person who misses the 90s… well, the good stuff about the 90s? I guess that’s the case for all generations. I think we all romanticize the good times and things that we experienced when we were younger. As long as you don’t forget and learn from the not-so-good, it’s fine to reminisce on the love you had. Do you see what I did there? I’m talking about the 90s and Reminisce was a song… nevermind. 

If the title and my long intro did not give it away, we’re talking about the 90s. Not just the 90s, but one of the best shows from the 90s—Living Single. Yes, I said it was one of the best if not the best and I stand on that. Living Single is one of only three shows that I can return to time and time again and still feel like the first time I watched it. Living Single is one of those shows that still feels fresh and fun. I was young when the show aired (probably too young to be watching it) and instantly fell in love with it. Here were four amazing black women who were funny, smart, and so cool. Not just cool, but uniquely cool in a way that I didn’t really appreciate until I was much older. Living Single was a show that I was glad to have grown up with and has been the inspiration for so many shows that came after it. No, I will not start the Friends argument. If you know, you know, and I think we all know. Okay, I’ll stop being a troublemaker. 

Something that I loved about Living Single is that each woman had such an influential style. Some of Khadijah’s androgynous workwear and oversized street style is still in fashion today. Maxine’s array of chic business suits was iconic and are still iconic. Sis knew her way around a pencil skirt and a pants suit. Synclaire was the quirky free thinker that expressed herself through her colorful boho dresses. Then there is the fashion diva herself—Regine. Regine was usually in a curve hugging dress or skirt. She loved to give a little leg — as well as cleavage—but was still the picture of class and sophistication. These women all had a style that defined their characters and gave viewers a starting place to decide which woman was most like themselves.

This month, I’ve been playing with the idea of being the main character. I want to explore how we can use different style aesthetics to become a different version of ourselves. For the retro style type, I didn’t want to just jump deep into styles from random decades. I wanted to do a time frame that was meaningful to my style journey and that’s the 90s. I also didn’t want to just put on retro clothes and say here is the 90s either. This decade was when I started to really play with and love style, so I wanted to do this big. That is when I got the idea to do an updated take on retro style, and what better array of characters to remix than the ladies of Living Single? Since Queen Latifah refuses to give us a remake, (it could be like the Belair remake, just saying, Queen) consider this my updated version of Living Single. Living Single 2022 edition. To guide me, I took inspo from 90s fashion and mixed it with the fashion of today. This is my take on if the show was remade today. If we redid Living Single, what would the ladies be wearing? Let’s get into it.

Khadijah James: 

Khadijah was basically a mirror image of Queen Latifah. Most of the time she was in causal workwear as she built her magazine Flava. When she was with her girls, she was in oversized graphic t-shirts and jeans. She also loved a good button down with fitted pants as well. 

If I remade the show, Khadijah would still have her trademark androgynous fashion for the office. She would also still own her own magazine, but it would probably be digital and have some type of successful video component along with it. Khadijah usually wore very loose-fitting clothes. This would be the one thing I would update by giving her a more tailored look.

To achieve this, I went with a monochromatic outfit in a brown tone. I remember her wearing a lot of tan and brown when she was at work. I like the neutral tones for her because they read early 90s, but wanted to make it a little more modern. I went with a fitted t-shirt and pants, but didn’t go too fitted. Khadijah never really showed a lot of skin, and I wanted to honor that. Khadijah was just naturally beautiful and kept it simple. I went with the same vibe and went with very little jewelry, only finishing the outfit with cognac loafers and no socks. I feel Khadijah of today would have a chill business casual dress code and this fits right in. This outfit is cool, modern, and ready to build a media empire. 

Synclaire James:

Synclaire was a little hippie dippy, and I loved that about her. Maybe because I’m a little hippy dippy too, who knows. Synclarie was Khadijah’s assistant, but by the end of the show, she was an actress. I would change that and make Synclaire an artist. She always had a very painter/photographer style—creative and unique. Now that I think of it, I’m pretty sure she tried both jobs and many others on her search to find herself. This was what I loved about Synclaire. She was sweet and adventurous. She was always trying new things and dancing to the beat of her own drum. I would also keep her free, bohemian style, with a few updates.

Synclaire was known for her maxi dresses, prints, and hats. She also occasionally wore jeans and colorful blouses, as well as biker shorts and too many vests. It was the dresses and hats that stick out as signature Synclaire attire. My girl loved prints, so I went with this free-flowing maxi dress with a floral print. The dress is a little sheer because in my redo Synclaire is less hippy dippy and more daring. Instead of her straw hat with a flower, I just went with a wide brim black hat, keeping with a more boho chic style. Finishing the outfit, I went with a heeled pair of combat boots. I feel they still give that 90s look and flair. This outfit is bohemian, creative, and fun—all the words that describe Synclaire. 

Maxine Shaw

Maxine Shaw was an attorney and self-proclaimed maverick. A quick Google search will tell you that a maverick is an unorthodox free thinker. I think that describes Max, more so in her personality and drive for work than it does for her clothes. Although, I could be wrong. She was rocking locs in a corporate job in the 90s. There are people in 2022 who can’t wear locs to work. Max was ahead of her time.

In my modern-day version, Max would still be ahead of her time and she would still be an attorney. She would have her own big firm where she was the boss. In the original show, Max put all of her creativity into her career and kept it simple with pants, suits and skirts. Max loved a good skirt with pencil and pleated skirts being a big part of what she wears. Her casual wear was usually something oversized and comfortable or a crop top and jeans. Did I mention that Sis also loved crop tops? Max’s style ranges from casual street style when she’s at play, and very sophisticated and classic at work, and Max loved to do both. 

Knowing these things, I went with this white blouse with a cute bow. I feel it gives a clean, sophisticated and in charge look while still reading feminine and graceful. This outfit still gives hints of Max’s power suits with a dash of girly flair that she only reserved for her free time with her friends or dates. This outfit mixes both sides, but still reads classic and smart. When I think of Max, I think about business attire, so that’s what I went with. Max loved to shine at work, and I feel modern day Max would be the same. The only thing I would change is the cut of her suits. Much like Khadijah, I went a little more form fitting as to keep with the cut of modern day workwear.

Regine Hunter

Regine was the glitz and glam amongst the ladies. She worked at a boutique, therefore she had her thumb on the fashion pulse. If I rebooted the show, I would give Regine the job she was born for—influencer. I think Regine would be a fashion and lifestyle influencer. Tell me you can’t see her doing OOTD’s and calling her audience her little smoochies. Regine always had a style that none of the other ladies could touch. It’s because of Regine’s trendsetting style that it was hard to pinpoint one aesthetic. Regine liked to dip her toe into a little of every style aesthetic and she looked good in them all—hence why she’d be a style blogger in my reboot. It takes a lot of work to go from street style to glam to boho to classic in one episode. We’re not even going to talk about the matching wigs that went with these style shifts. Regine is the epitome of style. 

Instead of going for one style type, I went for a silhouette. Regine LOVED a good form hugging skirt, dress, and blouse. She loved to show off the girls. The woman lived in pumps so she could show off the legs. Yet, she did all of this in the classiest way. Regine was never over exposed. She had just the right amount of skin exposed to bring the boys to the yard, and she had some of the cutest boys in the yard… or should I say, foyer. Honestly, all the women did. Anyway, Regine had a gift when it came to being sexy but classy. She used her clothes to express the type of person she wanted to be at that moment in time, which is my favorite thing about fashion too.

It’s with all of this in mind I went with this white bodycon dress. I thrifted this dress with no actual idea what to do with it. I don’t do bodycon type dresses, but this one looked brand new and was designer—Calvin Klein—for five dollars. So, I got it knowing that inspiration would strike. When I was planning this, I went through several outfits before I decided on this one for Regine. I didn’t think it was sexy enough for her character. However, it’s the subtle hints of sexy that would make it perfect for Regine. It doesn’t show too much, but it shows just enough. Plus, Calvin Klein was so popular in the 90s, and I’m sure Regine had a few of his form fitting minimalist style dresses in her closet. I went with a pair of white pumps, because my girl loved a good pump. This feels like a date outfit for Regine. She’d take a bunch of mirror selfies and then go to a fancy restaurant where she’d take even more pictures of her dinner. I’m telling you, Regine would be queen of the gram. 

So, those are the looks. If you’re a Living Single fan, tell me how I did with the style remix? Is there a show that you want me to do next? This was really just for fun, but I would love to try another show or movie. Let me know in the comments. Until next time stay bright, live true, and be vividly you.