Once in a while, you may find yourself in wandering into Claire’s again, hunting for strange accessories to accent a costume you’re thinking about wearing to a theme party. You can’t help but feel a sense of nostalgia as you absorb the surrounding forbidden fruits of fashion, obnoxiously sparkling from their places on the shelves of your childhood. As a small kid, you got away with wearing what you liked without the pressure of fitting in (well, except maybe a mermaid fin).
Then came middle school, and you started adhering to society’s do’s and don’t of what to wear, succumbing to fleeting trends and tossing your denim overalls in the garbage. Today, you’re in college, and while you’ve come into your own enough to take some fashion risks (simply because you like them), you still find yourself keeping away from certain items, so as not to step too far out of the trend box. You window shop the children’s clothing sections in every store, secretly awaiting the day you can live vicariously through your own living dolls, dressing them in everything you wish you could still pull off. Some so-last-season (okay, a few seasons before that) items lie dormant in the bottom drawer of your dresser as you wait impatiently for the day when the fashion gods will declare them acceptable once again.
Her Campus UCF readers and staff were asked which ancient artifacts they wish they were brave enough to rock today.
I would totally go downtown in those. I mean, dancers wear them, and I will be dancing.
“Leg warmers and side pony tails!”
-Nanette, UCF student
“Neon!”
-Sarah
“That’s kind of hard…probably Capri’s because they are so not in anymore, but I thought they were cute with the right style top and body.”
-Heather, UCF student
“Tie-dye shirts…I don’t actually know if they’re in or out right now, but I love them and have so many!”
-Lindsey, UCF student while wearing a Tie-Dye shirt
“Definitely Laguna Beach style and Hollister stuff! I was all about that.”
-Lauren, UCF student
“Well I usually wear gym clothes everyday…was that ever in style?”
-Hilary, UCF student
Barbie AND lights? What were they thinking? Great things!
“Light-up sneakers! Every time I see a little kid with them, I wish it were socially acceptable to be 21 and run around in Barbie light-up sneakers.
-Jara Lipman, HCUCF PR Director
As for my picks, I am partial to many of the aforementioned trends gone by, but there is a whole lot more where that came from. I still love all things Sanrio, and I wish it were okay to have multiple virtual pet key chains clipped to my belt loop. I gasp when I come across anything The Little Mermaid or Belle. I want Vera Bradley backpacks to be replaced by stuffed animal bags, like the ones Lisa Frank used to have with the famous Golden Retriever. While we’re on the subject of Lisa Frank, I wouldn’t mind carrying a few of those bright and cute folders around campus, preferably while wearing a cute denim jacket. Those velour tracksuits never made much of a fashion statement in my opinion (Juicy Couture or not), but man were they comfortable. I have not gotten rid of any of my peasant skirts, and I love vests when appropriate. I wear some out-there socks under my boots since they aren’t seen, and I still have a ring watch in my jewelry collection. When worn with the right outfit, hippie style headbands around the forehead look pretty cute (If the hair on top doesn’t look like something out of Star Wars).
Some may be happy these trends have gone back in the time capsule, but if you’re one of the ones wanting to dig them up, you are not alone. A part of every girl wants to keep sparkling, glowing, or show some love to their favorite colors and characters. Hey, if we could go months wearing rubber bands shaped like animals on our wrists (while cutting off the blood supply to our hands), we could totally wear scrunchies. Actually, I take back the scrunchies, but why shouldn’t we break out those knee-highs socks once in a while? I mean, every trend has to start-or restart-somewhere, right? My tip is to keep it subtle. Don’t wear too many of these items at once. If someone asks you about the piece, confidently tell them where you got it and why you paired it with the rest of your ensemble. Who knows? Maybe you will see “karma beads” on everyone’s wrists in a few weeks. I for one, am going out in leg warmers and heels tonight.