Oyster Magazine has put together a lovely photo retrospective of Gwen’s fabulous and trend-setting fashions through the years-we couldn’t agree more with them that she is one landmark and always-stylish lady!
From her early days championing the revival of ska-pop in No Doubt, before their hit ‘Don’t Speak’ catapulted them into the blistering limelight of mainstream stardom to her solo days as the white-blonde queen of Harajuku, Gwen Stefani is one landmark lady. Since No Doubt have been back in the studio with Major Lazer of late, we’ve decided to take a look back at the midriff that took the world by storm, tracking her chameleonic, inimitable style (and six-pack) from the early nineties until today.
1997: The year that No Doubt was being recognised as great new talent saw Gwen swing from Madonna-esque to a somewhat aggressive hippie chic
1998: ‘Don’t Speak’ was winning awards left right and centre, as well as sticking to the number one position in multiple territories. Gwen had teenage girls sticking bindis in between their brows and twisting their hair into raver plaits, donning baggy-ass bottoms and teeny-weeny crop tops that meant a completely different thing than when Britney did it.
2000: During the Return To Saturn tour Gwen was mainstreaming coloured hair, and making us all want to dip-dye our hair (the first time round), leading countless girls to get their one-shoulder top on and wrap their waists in studded belts.
2001: Thanks to the video clip of Jamaican dancehall flavoured ‘Hey Baby’, all of a sudden, it was cool to be taking liquid paper to your jeans and writing shit all over them whilst slinging a zillion chains to your belt loops. Fashionable credence was also given to oversized black and white houndstooth accented with red.
2003: We all knew she polished up well as evidenced in the video for ‘Don’t Speak’, where she re-claimed the red lip and fingerwaved bombshell blond locks as her very own. 2003 saw Gwen return to this look (not that she ever wavers too far); and even when she’s off duty, she owns an effortless cool that so many covet. So she decided to capitalise on this and launch her label LAMB that same year.
2004: Since LAMB enabled Gwen to more fully explore her Harajuku and Japanese obsession, this year, the Harajuku Rococo Barbie came into full effect to adorn her midriff of steel.
2005: Bye bye to that steely six pack and hello baby bump. Like any expectant mother, Gwen found an empire waist to be a great friend.
2007: Chicer and sleeker. Love it when she reverts back to multi-mini-buns.
2009: Back into shape like lightning and more slender than ever, Gwen gets back on stage
2011: Still with the bindi!