I think the cyclical nature of fashion and pop culture is fascinating, especially since it often seems to follow a 20-year loop. For example, there was a resurgence of ’50s love in the ’70s, when Laverne & Shirley and Happy Days became huge hits and saddleshoes made a comeback. The ’80s brought a hankering for the ’60s; suddenly there was an explosion of Vietnam-themed movies and TV shows, peace signs, and hippie fashions. The ’70s returned in the ’90s; I remember when listening to classic rock became popular and platforms and bell bottoms started reappearing.
Now, in the ’00s, we’re seeing a return of ’80s and even early ’90s fashions and pop culture detritus (the cycle seems to be speeding up!). I walk into Claire’s and suddenly it’s a time warp from my childhood and early teens. Michael’s is selling a “Make your own Thriller jacket with duct tape” kit. Countless ’80s movies and TV shows are being remade (a lack of originality in Hollywood is hardly new, may I add). Oh, and the toys, the toys! Strawberry Shortcake, Care Bears, Cabbage Patch Kids, Pound Puppies...all the toys I loved and owned are back. It’s surreal to see my childhood suddenly reappear on store shelves. My five-year-old niece loves it, though; she loves the fact that I’ve got Cabbage Patch Kids, a Care Bear, a Pound Puppy, and a Hello Kitty in a box in one of my closets.
Anyway, the other day Terry pointed out to me that he’s seeing the same gigantic black-rimmed glasses I wore in high school popping up in American Apparel ads. Apparently hipsters are now flaunting the gigantic glasses look, while mainstream folks are resurrecting pegged (ie, tight-rolled) jeans and, god help us all, stirrup pants and harem (aka MC Hammer) pants.
Now, in the ’00s, we’re seeing a return of ’80s and even early ’90s fashions and pop culture detritus (the cycle seems to be speeding up!). I walk into Claire’s and suddenly it’s a time warp from my childhood and early teens. Michael’s is selling a “Make your own Thriller jacket with duct tape” kit. Countless ’80s movies and TV shows are being remade (a lack of originality in Hollywood is hardly new, may I add). Oh, and the toys, the toys! Strawberry Shortcake, Care Bears, Cabbage Patch Kids, Pound Puppies...all the toys I loved and owned are back. It’s surreal to see my childhood suddenly reappear on store shelves. My five-year-old niece loves it, though; she loves the fact that I’ve got Cabbage Patch Kids, a Care Bear, a Pound Puppy, and a Hello Kitty in a box in one of my closets.
Anyway, the other day Terry pointed out to me that he’s seeing the same gigantic black-rimmed glasses I wore in high school popping up in American Apparel ads. Apparently hipsters are now flaunting the gigantic glasses look, while mainstream folks are resurrecting pegged (ie, tight-rolled) jeans and, god help us all, stirrup pants and harem (aka MC Hammer) pants.
The big, black glasses in question. The photo on the left is me in 1991.
The middle photo is me on New Year’s 1992-93.
The photo in the right is a modern-day hipster.
Even the pale-framed glasses I wore in junior
high (right) are making a comeback!
Katie Holmes shocked me when she started stepping out inpegged jeans in 2008. On the left is a photo of some of my friends taken in 1992.
No less than three of them are sporting pegged jeans in this shot, and plenty more
of us not in this photo were doing the same thing.
How do bad fashions come back into style? Who decides these things? Is it completely random? Is it the result of an inside joke between fashion industry types? Does one hipster walk around in a Members Only jacket to be ironic and unintentionally ignite a firestorm of trendiness? I’m honestly very curious about this.
I think 9th grade was the last time I stopped following fashion trends. By 10th grade I was settling into a groove of wearing what I wanted to wear, most of which was black and oversized. Yeah, I did the grunge thing, but that wasn’t because grunge was trendy. It’s because I liked being sloppy and unwashed. To this day, I continue to wear what I want to wear, and I keep most of my clothes for a very long time, through countless fashion eras. Sometimes I love a trend (be it flared jeans or a long belted sweater) and jump on the bandwagon, not because I want to blend in but simply because I love the style. And I continue to wear that style long past its heyday, for as long as I continue to love it and as long as it continues to make me feel good. I just can’t imagine spending a fortune on a new wardrobe every year in order to stay in fashion. Perish the thought!
I think 9th grade was the last time I stopped following fashion trends. By 10th grade I was settling into a groove of wearing what I wanted to wear, most of which was black and oversized. Yeah, I did the grunge thing, but that wasn’t because grunge was trendy. It’s because I liked being sloppy and unwashed. To this day, I continue to wear what I want to wear, and I keep most of my clothes for a very long time, through countless fashion eras. Sometimes I love a trend (be it flared jeans or a long belted sweater) and jump on the bandwagon, not because I want to blend in but simply because I love the style. And I continue to wear that style long past its heyday, for as long as I continue to love it and as long as it continues to make me feel good. I just can’t imagine spending a fortune on a new wardrobe every year in order to stay in fashion. Perish the thought!
song heard most recently before posting:
Soul Cake—Sting
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1 comment:
Ahhh, the huge glasses! I had a pair with rhinestones on them. I wonder where they are.. I could sell them on ebay.
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