Iconic blowout, unforgettable fashion & effortless chic - How Jennifer Aniston defined the 1900s Nicole Powell looks back at the impact of the 1990s fashion queen - Jennifer Aniston. 29 August 2025 Jennifer Aniston didn't just star in the '90s - she styled it. Jennifer Aniston As Rachel Green on Friends, Aniston turned a decade's loose brief of "keep it simple" into a global mood board of glossy hair, slip dresses and wearable minimalism that still loops the trend cycle today. Friends premiered in September 1994 and, almost overnight, Aniston's look became a cultural shorthand for aspirational, attainable cool. The blowout that launched a thousand round brushes Before TikTok tutorials, there was a living, weekly masterclass: the bouncy, face-framing finish that framed Aniston's layers. The earlier, choppier "Rachel" cut - created by her longtime stylist Chris McMillan - was the gateway, a high-lift, high-maintenance shag that women booked months out to copy. Aniston later admitted she never loved that cut, but the silhouette it unlocked became the era's hair ideal and evolved into her signature blowout. Minimalism made mainstream On screen, Rachel Green became the patron saint of '90s minimalism: leather blazers shrugged over tees, slim knits, straight-leg denim, Mary Jane pumps and a rotation of slip dresses that took the CK runway and translated it to Central Perk. That quiet polish was the point. Vogue has repeatedly traced the decade's sleek aesthetic through Aniston's wardrobe; in turn, a new wave of It-girls spent the 2010s and 2020s re-channelling those same Rachel-coded staples. YOU MAY ALSO LIKE: Courture dresses, sourdough breads and brilliant marketing: How Nara Smith reinvented the 'trad wife' aesthetic The slip dress effect No single garment captures Aniston's influence like the slip. She wore them every which way - bias-cut and bare for red carpets, layered with tees or knits on screen, and pared back with strappy sandals. The Calvin Klein-era slip became a capsule-closet essential in part because stars like Aniston normalised its day-to-night versatility. Its afterlife has been long, with fashion press still placing her among the form's definitive wearers. Off-duty as a dress code Off camera, Aniston's street style cemented the decade's blueprint for "effortless": ribbed tanks, low-key camis, straight-leg jeans that read more 501 than jegging, and a rotation of black - always black - anchoring the look. Publications still point to her easy formulas as the closest thing to a universally flattering weekend uniform. Why it stuck Aniston's impact endures because it was never about chasing the loudest trend; it was about editing. The '90s prized purity of form - slips without fuss, straight-cut button-ups, clean tailoring - and she wore those codes with an ease that made them feel personal. Even her hair evolution tells that story: from the fussy layers of the "Rachel" to the softly blown-out lengths she's favoured since, the through-line is wearable polish. That's why, three decades on, the references keep cycling back. Some looks age but Aniston's simply reloads. MORE FROM NICOLE POWELL: Taylor Swift to release new album 'The Life of a Showgirl' Tagged in Friends Jennifer Aniston fashion