7 Trends From My Youth That Are Back In Style
It’s strange to be living in a time where the fashion cycle has already come back around to things I wore growing up. It feels like just yesterday I was wearing all of this stuff for better or worse. There are a few reasons why we are prone to embracing trends a few years after they have come and gone. They really all boil down to one thing: nostalgia. The “nostalgia pendulum” swings back and forth every 20 or 30 years so here we are.
Looking out into fashion land, there are plenty of these trends that I utterly hate and can’t understand why anyone would ever want to wear them. Even in the 90s they were pretty…questionable. Here’s a short list:
Fanny packs (what are you on a vacation to a theme park?)
Platform sneakers (Who doesn’t love a good ER visit!)
Chokers
Tiny sunglasses (What function can those POSSIBLY serve?)
Bucket Hats (Unless you’re the lead singer of New Radicals or Gilligan you really don’t need this)
Bike Shorts (for MANY reasons)
But there is a brightside to this series of trends. Typically, if a certain trend made you feel anxious or uncomfortable when it was originally in style, you’re more likely to avoid it now. This is because with nostalgia, you like remembering the better times and things that hold deep significance to you. So, in turn, you’re likely to gravitate towards trends that you embraced previously and that remind you of the better parts of youth. While this may be true, you won’t see me embracing overalls any time soon. That said, there are 7 main trends that I can justify embracing in one way or another. A few of them I embraced wholeheartedly and others I just never embraced.
Scrunchies, Bows, and Clips
Hair accessories are honestly one of the easiest trends to embrace. It lets you change up your look while boosting your mood cause they are just fun. Plus, scrunchies protect your hair from damage from hair ties (if you can deal with a loose ponytail all day.
Disney Everything
This one seems to be brought on by the surge of live action remakes of recent years including the Lion King, Dumbo, and now, the Little Mermaid. Sure, it’s also a little fun to wear an iconic piece of childhood on a tee or hoodie. To be fair, I had one killer pair of Snow White overalls back in the day that I practically lived in.
Denim Skirts
This one is one of my personal favorites and one I actually wore quite a bit back in the day. I still wish I had that button front Tommy Hilfiger skirt. An A-line denim skirt really is a classic piece that really doesn’t ever go out of style either.
Mini Backpacks
Ah, the days of walking the mall wearing a stylish mini backpack that held practically nothing. This one can actually be practical and useful. If you choose a good size one that is. Hey, I love a good mini backpack. I use mine right now for the gym.
Track Pants
I’m not really sure I can get behind this one in 2019. If you know me, you probably know my thoughts on this so called “street wear” trend. But, I feel a tinge of nostalgia for this one because I had a friend who wore the snap version of these and there is just one really funny moment that always comes to mind. I guess since we’ve all be practically living in leggings, this would be a logical progression. Just don’t forget to do that one same horrible bended knee post everyone does when they post their track pants on Instagram.
Graphic Tees
I have never really ever stopped wearing graphic tees. I have a pretty large collection of tees including band tees. I love a good graphic tee. But with this trend, it’s really focused on brands and logos of yesteryear rather than just any old graphic tee. I just tend to like music tees more than wearing a Coke logo.
Combat Boots
Despite Daria being one of my favorite things in the 90s, I surprisingly never owned a pair of combat boots. I watched MTV, listened to grunge, but I’m was still pretty young so it wasn’t easy to embrace. There is just something cool about them. That said, I do have a pretty nice pair as an adult so I’m all for this one.
