25 Black TV icons whose fashion game was always on point

Moesha Mitchell – Moesha

What we know: Moesha is a whip-smart, young teenage girl who had been tasked of being the woman of the house for many years. Once her father got remarried, she had to relearn how to be a little more carefree and adolescent.

She was center of her friend group, but she eventually learned how to lighten up enough to have fun and occasionally get into a little trouble. She’s headstrong and could be stubborn at times, but she was also loyal and sweet, and most everyone loved her.

What we saw: 10th-grade wit.  The show first premiered in 1996, so there were lots of oversized jackets and high-waisted jeans. But Moesha found a fun balance with proportions and lengths. She showed off in bright colors and wasn’t afraid to push the envelope with see-through tops or low-cut jeans.

The show was on the air for five years, so of course, Moesha’s style evolved as she got older. As a young twenty-something, she still employed the cleverness of her early days, but she wasn’t afraid to work in some more overtly sexier pieces.

How to take it all in: You might have a bit of a time finding episodes of Moesha. Brandy is so charming in this series, it’s a shame that it’s not widely available. You can buy the DVD set on Amazon, and there are clips floating around YouTube. As a cultural artifact, this show is about as perfectly ’90s as you can get.