10 of the Most Stylish Music Videos of the 1990's

I think all of these Throwback Thursday posts are making  me feel a bit nostalgic. Or maybe it's because I've been seeing a return to nineties fashions that I've been thinking back to that decade. As much as I think of the nineties as a grunge infused decade topped off with bad hair and fears of the new millennium, it was actually a very stylish time. These ten music music videos are a testament to nineties style -  even if a few of them borrow from earlier decades to do it.

Watch all of the videos after the jump...





Because I always wanted to be Casey Kasem, I'm going to roll the videos out in a countdown format. So, without further adieu, the tenth most stylish video of the nineties is ...



10. Too Much by Spice Girls: Of course any nineties roundup would have to include the Spice Girls! The video for Too Much features the Girls in various get-ups: Scary is some sort of cat lady, Ginger is old school glam and Sporty is an ass-kicking ninja. As they reinterpret old movies, the Girls get to show off all sorts of style. Of course it's cut with scenes from the Spice Movie, which is a 1990's style time capsule itself.

9. Walking on Broken Glass by Annie Lennox: Our dear Miss Lennox gets all Dangerous Liaisons in her video for Walking on Broken Glass. Back in the nineties I had a serious crush on John Malkovich, fueled in part on that 1988 film, which my help explain my fascination with this video.

8. Heartbreak Hotel by Whitney Houston: You may not associate Whitney with style, but she's dripping glamour in this video. Private plane, Rolls Royce, fur coats ... get it, girl!



7. Scream by Michael Jackson & Janet Jackson: Michael and Janet only collaborated on one song, 1995's Scream. The video served up a whole lot of future style, which apparently involves a lot of white interiors and black clothes. Hey, wait, maybe we're living in the future now!



6. Tonight Tonight by Smashing Pumpkins: Travel back in time to take a dirigible in this stylish video from Billy Corgin and the gang.



5. Common People by Pulp: The boys of Pulp were just too cool ... in that English rocker kind of way. This video has it all: cool clothes, bright colors and light up floors.



4. Criminal by Fiona Apple: Poor Fiona Apple. She's always getting in trouble. When this video was released in 1997, people were upset, saying that it was akin to child porn. It seems more like an extended Calvin Klein commercial to me. And by 2013 standards, it also seems really, really tame. Still, it's stylish in a way only a video from the nineties could be - a little sleazy, a little sweaty but totally cool.



3. Supermodel by Rupaul: I have one thing to say. You better work! I couldn't leave Rupaul's Supermodel off this list! Ru was my first introduction to drag queens ... and the impetus for letting my inner diva shine!



2. Express Yourself Vogue by Madonna: Choosing a Madonna video for this countdown was not easy. I mean, seriously, Madge's videos are always stylish! My first inclination was to include Vogue but after comparing it to Express Yourself, I decided that the latter is more stylish. Those colors! The 1930's styles! And that lace that showcased the boobs! As a couple of folks pointed out, Express Yourself was actually released in 1989 so it can't be included in this list. But that's cool. Vogue is one seriously stylish video. And, really, the song is an homage to style and elegance so it really is the best choice after all.

 And my choice for the most stylish music video of the 1990's is...



1. Too Funky by George Michael: The 90's were the era of the supermodel. Rupaul wrote a song about it and George Michael made not just one, but two videos featuring them. I had originally planned on including his Freedom video in this roundup but, actually, Too Funky is far more stylish. Supermodels? Check. Runway? Yup, it's there. Over the top fashions? Oh yes! (And, hello, the song includes a sample from The Graduate, a very stylish movie from the 60's.)

What do you think? Did I hit the mark with these nineties videos? Do you have a favorite stylish video from the last decade of the the last century? Share it in the comments below.

Images: As linked.