When it comes to icons of ’90s fashion, the conversation is not complete without a mention of the Spice Girls.
The British girl band — made up of Geri Halliwell-Horner, Emma Bunton, Melanie Chisholm, Melanie Brown and Victoria Beckham — wore some of the most memorable outfits of the 1990s and early 2000s while on stage singing their most iconic songs, including “Wannabe” and “Spice Up Your Life.”
Much like the Spice Girls’ music has stood the test of time, the fashions from the ’90s have as well, storming back onto the scene as of late like trends always do. Halliwell-Horner, who lived through it the first time around as Ginger Spice, is all too familiar with everything ’90s style entails.
Now, though, she’s seeing ’90s style with a whole new perspective — as a mom whose 17-year-old daughter, Bluebell, and her friends are exploring the trends for the first time ever.
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“I was looking at the girls who were getting these awards,” Halliwell-Horner tells PEOPLE of a recent outing to her daughter Bluebell’s school. “I was looking at the girls and they all had those baggy combat trousers. Then, they had chunky trainers and these tops. I’ve never given away my low-rider jeans!”
Halliwell-Horner says she looked around and realized all the teens were wearing everything that had previously been popular in the 1990s. While some people who have lived through the trends before are ready to see them die, Halliwell-Horner feels otherwise. She actually thinks it’s “nice” to see them some back around.
“The truth is, everything is cyclical,” she says. “If you think about it, in the Tudor times, they wore this Basque thing that sucked you in, pushed the boobs like that, but then, if you cut to the ’90s, it was replicated again in Vivienne Westwood.”
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It’s not just saved for the 1990s, though — trends from every decade come back in some shape or form. Every several years, flair from decades past will make its way into the mainstream again as fashion houses revive those trends, like Halliwell-Horner points out. It’s a trickle-down effect from there until the styles are in every store you see.
“We recycle our ideas, but tweak them a bit,” she tells PEOPLE of how fashion is constantly evolving.
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As a Spice Girl in the 1990s, Halliwell-Horner was at the forefront of the trends, alongside Baby Spice, Sporty Spice, Scary Spice and Posh Spice — aka the Spice Girls.
Whether they were wearing the tallest platform shoes, tiny little hotpants, space buns in their hair or the now iconic Union Jack minidress, the girl group was the blueprint for what was popular during the decade. But while her teeny-tiny clothes full of sparkle and glam may have been her go-to during the ’90s, Halliwell-Horner is quick to admit that it’s no longer her forte.
“I don’t know about you, but as you get older, you want to keep it simple,” Halliwell-Horner said during an appearance on Today with Hoda & Jenna on Oct. 4. “And one thing I’ll say is everything matches. It’s just, like, fast, fast.”
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She said these days she opts for a “calmer palette” when it comes to her clothes, rather than the bright colors and “loud, expressive” outfits she was once known for.
She likened it to how men often dress in more simple ensembles, which makes it easier for them to pick an outfit since there are so many different combinations with the basics.
“You look at the men who are always wearing these same things — a uniform,” she continued. “Can’t I do the same? Why not?”
