plunging body suits, and overall skimpier bralettes and tops. Many of these statements were fabricated just recently, to go along with the rebirth of edginess often associated with ‘90s grunge. However, these two years also remediated several concepts dating way back from the ‘50s all the way up to a millennial’s early childhood. Approaching summer of 2017, I could not believe my eyes as I began noticing my favorite middle school shoes appear all over social media, and all over campus months later – the notorious black and white checkerboard Vans slip-on sneakers (mine were brown and blush pink). It was then that I realized the extent to which trends could make a comeback and no longer be considered “fads.” The return created a chain reaction and other Vans sneakers started becoming worn more frequently, not to mention a spike in sales of New Balance “dad” sneakers. The “mom jean”— a staple that has remained in style for quite some time now. Years ago, we ridiculed the frumpy-looking denim jeans recognized in ‘90s sitcoms that failed to flatter one’s behind, but our patterns of evolving fashion have led retailers such as American Apparel, Urban Outfitters, and Topshop to regenerate their own pairs
of similar design. Knowing their market of teenagers and young adults concerned with accentuating their bodies, they adapted the “mom jean style” in a way that would appear more figure forming and flattering for the hips, butt and thighs. The same situation applied to high-waist shorts when they came into style around 2010; the original style of short fit comparably to the original “mom jeans,” but stores understood the need to adjust the lengths and dimensions in order to create appeal. The list of trends that have come back decades later is seemingly infinite. It is hard to avoid when time periods such as the ‘50s, ‘60s, ‘70s, ‘80s, and ‘90s are debatably distinguished by their corresponding fashion characteristics. We see leather jacket, we think of the 1940 and 1950 “greaser.” We see flowy pants and round sunglasses, we think of the 1960 hippie. In a sense, the 2000s is a miscellaneous conglomerate of all of these distinctive stages compiled into one. Fanny packs, the once laughable, yet practical pouch strapped across one’s hips, are now manufactured with funky patterns and embroidered sorority letters. One-piece swimsuits, periodically considered overly modest and
mundane, now come in a wide array of styles agreeable with the millennial generation. We should be thrilled to live in a generation existing among perhaps one of the most pivotal eras in fashion history. For the first time ever, not only are we shattering social norms and dressing in unconventional ways that free our bodies, but we are discovering ways to preserve iconic elements of style that have tragically dissolved throughout the years. Unlike what the Law of Thermodynamics says about energy, fashion can be created but it cannot be destroyed.
SPRING ISSUE 68