6 trends from your 90s childhood that are suddenly super cool
Not sure if you’re in on the secret, but it’s a wonderful time to be alive. You can now acquire 9/10 of your desired wardrobe pieces at Costco. Literally.
I can remember a time when we’d look back at photos from the early 2000s with intent to learn from our mistakes. Now, however, we’re looking back at our eight year-old selves for outfit inspo. Who’d have known we were so ahead of the times?
Just as we’ve talked about things that used to be really cool and are now obsolete, we’re flipping the switch and taking a look at things that we never (and we mean never) thought would be cool and that, historically, were never cool to begin with. Fashion has a funny way of throwing us all for a loop and surprising us. Something you once got made fun of for wearing in fifth grade could be on the cover of Italian Vogue tomorrow.
It’s kind of messed up, but also the greatest thing about fashion. It has a way of throwing us all for a loop, and we never see these “trends” coming until they’re like fully happening. That being said, it’s important to reflect and attempt to retroactively assess how these ostensible sartorial crimes have redeemed themselves.
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Those headbands things your mom used to buy in bulk at The Children’s Place or Costco
I feel like we can agree that something is taking off when an established fashion blogger wears it on purpose. These thick-stretchy headbands have been actually everywhere as of late, and it’s so funny and ironic because I feel like I have distinct memories of my mother holding me down and forcing these thingies onto my head so as to keep my hair in place all day.
I truly think of these headbands as the antithesis of glamour… or I guess, thought. These accessories now fall under the dicey category of effortless-but-also-extremely-trendy headgear. And they are officially acceptable to wear to fancy dinners. I wonder what my eight year old self would have to say about this.
READ ALSO: Our 5 favorite trends from NYFW 2018
Tube socks… actual tube socks
Yeah, so we talked about how socks are now a thing you have to consciously think about because they matter and people will look at them now (I say this only half-sarcastically). You would think that if socks were having a moment as they are right now, it’d be the objectively nice, cute, appealing socks. You know, the frilly ones or those glitter ones that every UNIF wearing Instagram girl seems to have (come to think of it, maybe the socks are just UNIF, lol).
But no. Mid-ankle length, thick, white tube socks that you would also go with your parents to buy in bulk at Costco have taken precedent. Of course, Balenciaga and Vetements are partially to blame for this. Okay, cool… next.
Those colored tights that you’d buy for your American Girl Doll
So I remember when rather than collecting vintage handbags or the hearts of my enemies (joke), my ultimate priority was to amass as many colored tights as possible. I’m not entirely sure as to why this is, given that there are only so many colors (that we know of) and also tights are itchy. But I grew out of this once I kind of felt that colored tights, as well as tights in general, were more or less irrelevant.
Well, here they are, back to clear their name or whatever. Colored tights are back, as seen at the Saks presentation. Though initially hesitant to embrace this trend, I now see how colored tights can be used for good and not evil… as seen in exhibit A pictured above.
READ ALSO: If you can’t get Kylie’s Weather Collection, buy this from Lime Crime instead
Clogs.
Balenciaga seems to have fully embraced the clog, which we all know means that we’ll be doing the same, and in fact already have been. The brand first debuted their collaboration with Crocs as part of their S/S 18 show in Paris, and the shoes sold out before they even hit the market.
It seems as though this practical footwear is making a sneaky comeback. Which is wonderful, as it follows the narrative of people trading in pinching, uncomfortable footwear for comfier alternatives (enter: the dad sneaker).
Low rise pants
I know that low rise pants were the norm for most of recent history and high and mid-rise pants were the controversial look when they were first both introduced, but that being said, high waisted pants have likely stuck around because they make a lot of sense. From my experience, they’re superior in terms of comfort, fit, and versatility.
At the very least it’s safe to say that we haven’t been seeing low-rise just-above-hip-level jeans being worn with cropped shirts in a minute, but 2018 seems to have different plans. We’re making Britney’s 2000s relevant again and embracing that area of skin below the naval and above the hip.
Hot pink
Hot pink seems to be a very polarizing color for one reason or another. I remember being in middle school somehow knowing intrinsically (aka being socially conditioned, but that’s an entirely different article) that it was cool to hate hot pink because it was a girly color for GIRLY girls and if you liked hot pink you were ~like other girls~ and you wanted to be ~not like other girls~. Besides the highly problematic nature of that thought process, hot pink is a pretty aggressive color. It’s super unapologetic and bold: but that’s what we’re embracing about it now. Shiona Turini looks good in literally anything, but she shows us how it’s done above.
The moral of the story is: never say never. You may laugh at the idea of neon orange leg-warmers coming into style or dried produce being worn as earrings (oh wait, that’s entirely a thing now) but people will always surprise you.
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