A Look Back at TLC's '90s Fashion and Most Iconic Moments

The first single and music video TLC ever released, “Ain't 2 Proud 2 Beg” showcased many memorable looks starting with Left Eye’s huge yellow sunglasses in the beginning, which she paired with a green hat, a colorful white t-shirt, and red baggy pants. T-Boz wore a white tee with baggy pants in that opening segment as well, with Chilli donning red baggy overalls overtop a loose green t-shirt and purple ball cap. Later on in the video we would see different variations of the loose tees, overalls, and baggy pants, as the group made a statement that they “weren’t like the rest of em.”

The year 1994 saw a very different TLC from what we were used to. Make no mistake, they were still very much true to their identity of rocking the baggy fits, but at the same time the group's style matured into something that was a little sexier and a little more feminine. For their sophomore effort, the trio adopted different personas with Left Eye being “Crazy,” Chilli being “Sexy” and T-Boz being “Cool,” thus birthing the name of the record. The first single released from the CrazySexyCool album was “Creep” where we saw T-Boz, Left Eye and Chilli wearing silk pajamas for majority of the video, which has since become iconic. 

And while it may be an obvious choice to put “Waterfalls” on this list, the song, video, and outfits rightfully deserves a spot on here. The outfit choice for the “Waterfalls” music video was as simple as the video itself (which was filmed with the group members singing and dancing in water) with each member wearing cut off tops and sarongs. The costumes were also a different look for the trio as it was probably the first time since their debut that we had seen them in any type of “skirt.”

First of all, the  “Diggin on You LA Live Remix” (which is the version performed in the music video) is very underrated as we personally believe it’s one of the best remixes of all time. Second of all, the music video for “Diggin on You” is one of the most perfectly executed live music videos of all time (live music videos can either be a hit or miss in our opinion). And third of all, their outfits in the video were highly representative of who TLC was during that particular point in time.

You had Left Eye rocking the silver bodysuit and baggy silver pants, alongside T-Boz and Chilli who both wore silver cut belly tops and matching baggy pants. Simple, yet attention grabbing. 

The 1996 Grammys Award was another iconic moment for the group, and it wasn’t just because of their outfits or the fact that they had a big night in the award department. The 96 Grammys was also the place where TLC publicly announced the fact that despite all of their success in the music industry up to that point, they, in fact, were broke due to album debts, salaries, and payouts. One of these days we will definitely do a serious breakdown of that pivotal moment in the music industry and what it meant not just for the group, but for artists who would eventually follow in their footsteps.

While at the tail end of the 1990s (1999 to be exact), “No Scrubs” still counts, and in our opinion, it’s one of the most stylish videos ever in terms of the costumes, hair, and makeup. You had the legendary black outfits that the trio wore in the main scenes. Then there was Chilli’s fuzzy halter top and baggy pants for her opening verse. Next you had T-Boz’s futuristic white outfit that can’t even be properly described, along with the blue metallic robot outfit Left Eye wore during her rap verse. Oh, and the hair and makeup was out of this world as well. TLC was really an integral part of initiating that intergalactic theme that was oh so popular in music videos and performances during the 2000s.

And last but not least, a red version of the outfits worn during the main scenes of the “No Scrubs” video for the 1999 VMAs.