Throwback Runway Looks That Will Hopefully Return For Spring '17

When we first spot a new item, our gut reaction is to connect it to a past decade's aesthetic: "That's very '70s-ish," we'll say about a new cropped flare that tickles our fancy. Or, perhaps, "We're getting a '90s vibe," to describe basically any choker we've come across, ever. Nostalgic descriptors can become a lazy fallback. But designers frequently do, in fact, dig into fashion archives and trot out silhouettes, prints, and entire garments that would've looked dated a few years ago, perfectly normal a few decades ago, but are now trendy (yet again). We've seen it in our denim and jewelry, and it usually hits the runways before it arrives on racks.

As we gear up to devour a season's worth of new collections at Fashion Month beginning next week, take a look back at some of the seminal looks from actual '90s and early-aughts runways that could definitely make a comeback for spring '17 (or fall '16...or whatever designers want to call their "see-now, buy-now" presentations). These get-ups may be over a decade old, but the trends feel surprisingly relevant in 2016 — hey, we still can't get enough of slip dresses and good suiting; can you blame us?. Check out our favorites, ahead. (And while you're at it, relive some of our favorite '90s runway moments.)