The '90s are back, courtesy of Nora Fatehi's denim skirt moment

Fashion's relationship with the '90s has always been slightly obsessive, cropped, knotted, low-slung, unbothered. On Thursday, at a Mumbai event, Nora Fatehi didn't so much reference the decade as inhabit it, in a custom Surya Sarkar ensemble that understood exactly which notes to hit and which to leave alone.

The shirt was doing quiet, structural work. Cropped and cinched into a knot at the front, it left the midriff exposed without ever tipping into try-hard territory.

Also Read: ‘End of the day your body is your machine, your temple...’ Miss Universe India 2026 Kaziah Liz Mejo

The open collar and pushed-up sleeves read more thrown-on than styled, which is precisely the trick. A deep neckline cleared space for what was coming: gold and plenty of it.

The skirt is where the outfit stopped being polite. High-waisted through the hip, it split into an asymmetric panel tracked with gold buttons, then gave way to a thigh-high slit before pooling into a train at the back.

It's an odd, almost architectural piece of engineering, part power silhouette, red-carpet excess and it shouldn't have worked as cleanly as it did.

The face told its own version of the story. Makeup artist Elton J Fernandez skipped the modern reinterpretation entirely and went straight for the source material, a bronzed, sun-warmed base, cheeks flushed rather than contoured, brows filled with intention, eyes finished in a wing sharp enough to draw blood.

Also Read: The wildest wedding accessory? The handbag; for every bride and bridesmaid

The lip did the rest, a brownish-nude gloss so specifically of its era it practically came with a soundtrack.

Hair was swept up into an updo, a few pieces left loose, undone just enough to keep it human.

Then came the closing argument, vintage jewelry from Viange Vintage, heavy layered chains anchored by one commanding pendant, and earrings large enough to catch light from across the room.

Black Christian Louboutin heels grounded the whole thing, giving the skirt's excess somewhere serious to land.

Also Read: Rashmika Mandanna steals the show in a regal wine and green velvet Anarkali

Nothing about the look apologised for itself. That, more than the denim or the gold, is the most '90s thing about it.