90’s Gwen Stefani: Alternative & Rock Fashion Icon

Yesterday, I bleached my hair in preparation for dyeing it light blue, and this brief blonde moment has me reminiscing about one of my biggest style icons from my early teens.

Growing up in the the late 90s, No Doubt’s Tragic Kingdom album was one of my very first CDs. I’d listen to it on repeat, and I still know almost every word to every song to this day. The Don’t Speak music video played frequently on MTV, and I loved the band’s style, especially the lead singer, Gwen Stefani’s.

Rocking a mid-drift exposing tank top paired with baggy track pants that looked like they belonged to a boyfriend, Gwen looked incredibly cool to me, an awkward 15-year-old girl. Her platinum-bleached blonde hair perfectly contrasted with her signature dark, pencil-thin brows, while a smokey-silver eye look—accented by bold winged liner and a gem bindi centered on her forehead—completed the ensemble.

With my blonde short hair, I decided to re-create one of Gwen’s iconic makeup looks using whatever products I had on hand.

Pictured: My Gwen-inspired makeup look featuring a silver smokey eye, bold liner, and red lips.

Gwen’s feminine makeup and tops paired with loose-fitting bottoms really appealed to me. I was tiny as a teen, and most shopping trips had me looking back in the children’s department to find something that fit. As I approached my mid-teens I became less and less enthused with wearing children’s clothing, which was not available in styles I liked.

In comes Avril Lavigne, wearing men's knee-length skater shorts, inspiring me to check out the other side of the PacSun at the local mall. There, I found brands like Dickie’s making size 26 and 28 waist shorts that actually fit me. They sat nice and low on my hips (like Gwen wore her pants) without any risk of slipping right off my boyish hips. For the first time, I felt cute and girl-ish despite my lack of curves. Thinking back, it’s kind of ironic that wearing men’s shorts made me feel more feminine as a teen.

I completed the look with some stacked rings that I could picture Gwen wearing. Mixing black and silver, some skull accents and sparkling moissanite, I think I was able to match the tough and pretty look I think Gwen would love.

Pictured: Silver Heart Skull Ring, Large Skull Eternity Ring, Moissanite Bezel Eternity Ring, Black Moissanite Half-eternity Ring, and Triangle Moissanite Ring.

I'll try to re-create other inspiring looks in the future as my random hair colors inspire!