The fashions of past decades return
What’s old is new again as college-aged fashionistas recycle trends from previous decades. Here are a few favorites spotted on St. Joe’s students.
Denim
Since jeans were first invented by Levi Strauss in the 1870s, denim has never really gone out of style. Today, high-rise (or “mom”) jeans, overalls and jean jackets are the height of denim fashion. All three of these clothing items were made popular in the late 1980s and 1990s by celebrities such as actress Jennifer Aniston and singer/actor Will Smith. Britney Spears and Justin Timberlake also wore matching head to toe denim at the 2001 MTV Video Music Awards, sparking the trend of wearing an excess amount of jean material, also known as “double denim.”
“Double denim is really in right now for both girls and boys. And really just denim in general,” said Anthony Savarese ’20.
Savarese said everyone he knows owns at least one pair of jeans or a jean jacket. He says a lot of his friends have high-waisted jeans as well.
“That material is crazy popular,” Savarese said. “One of my friends even has a denim dress.”
Scrunchies
“Scrunchie” is an appropriate word for a large hair tie made out of scrunched-up fabric. They come in all colors, and some even have bold prints and patterns on them for individual customization.
Scrunchies first became stylish in the late 1980s, when women would wear them to work out. As they became more mainstream, teenage girls would wear them to school. Scrunchies started to die down in the mid 1990s, but they have made a comeback in recent years.
“My favorite trend right now is definitely scrunchies,” said Emily Blumetti ’20. “I have two on my wrist right now.”
Blumetti pulled up her sleeve to display two brightly colored bands of fabric. One had small prints of pugs on it and the other was decorated with Christmas trees.
“I love them because there’s such a large variety,” Blumetti said. “Your scrunchie pattern says a lot about you. For instance, I love pugs and Christmas.”
Converse
Another trend that has had its ups and downs throughout the past century is Converse sneakers. In the 1920s, they were nicknamed “Chuck Taylors” or “Chucks,” after basketball player Chuck Taylor began wearing Converse sneakers during games. Fans soon began to copy his style, with the company even adopting his name.
While these sneakers were mildly popular during the majority of the 20th century, they reached their peak in the 1980s, with multiple styles and colors available. They died down in the late 1990s into the early 2000s, but came back again in the last five years.
“I wore white Converse in college, so it’s crazy to see my college students wearing white converse as well,” said Laura Grace Pattillo, Ph.D., assistant professor of English.
Converse can be spotted on students of all genders, races, and ages on St. Joe’s campus. They are worn both to class and out on the weekends.
“Converse are really cool because they can be either dressed up or dressed down,” said Blumetti. “I can wear them with sweatpants, but I can also wear them with skirts. And it’s so weird because my parents used to wear them, too.”
Chokers
Chokers are necklaces that are tight around the neck and don’t hang. There are chokers made out of all types of material such as thin plastic, metal and even velvet. They have been spotted on a range of celebrities, from Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen in the 1990s to Kim Kardashian in 2017.
“The best thing about chokers is that there’s a style for every occasion,” said Catharine Coogan ’20. “If I’m going to class, I can wear one of those wire ones. But if I’m going out, I can wear a pretty velvet choker.”
Coogan also said this type of accessory is especially convenient for her because her mother also wears them. If she can’t find a choker that matches her outfit, she can always raid her mother’s jewelry box to find one that complements her style.
