Fashion has always been cyclical, and recently there has been a return of 1980s and 1990s fashion trends. From neon accents, off-the-shoulder oversized T-shirts, and baggy denim, to crop tops, bold hair styles, and sweatsuit outfits, these trends are back. While they are bigger on the runways, social media, and city streets, they are also becoming a hit here in our small town. Driven by comfort, style, and culture, a new generation is bringing back old styles. What’s even more attention-grabbing is that while some were intentional, others didn’t even know their fashion was a callback to the 80s and 90s.
Ayva Yager, a senior at Potosi, is one student known for always wearing sweats anywhere she goes. Ayva knew that sweats hadn't been worn as much since the 80s and 90s, but she did not realize how big a trend it had been in the past. She did not know that wearing sweats every day was connected to the comeback of fashion trends from those decades. Ayva did not wear sweats to be part of the comeback trends, but simply because they were comfortable and relaxing. “Wearing sweats is comfortable, and when I am comfortable at school, it makes it more enjoyable,” she explained.
For those who never knew sweats went out of style, they indeed did from the early 2000s until more recently. The style between then and now was not based as much on comfort. One of the fashion trends in the 2000s was for students to dress up as nicely as they could and not focus on comfort as much. Some trends for younger kids during that time were patterned leggings and mismatched outfits. While interviewing Ayva, she claimed, “I feel bad for when sweats weren’t in fashion, because sweats are great!”
Ayva has also noticed some of the more prominent comeback trends, which have been headbands and fluffed-up hair. Both Ryleigh Meier and Madi Cooley have been noticed for wearing what they call “squiggly” headbands. They both started by wearing these on 80s day for homecoming and thought they were cute as well as functional, so they continued to wear them. They both enjoyed being pointed out by other students for their participation in bringing back these trends. “It makes me feel good to be pointed out for wearing these because maybe I can encourage others to step out of their comfort zone and try different trends.” She likes that her peers are trying something new, or in this case, old.
Finally, at Potosi, Allie Kaufman is recognized for her baggy denim, another big comeback from the 80s and 90s. She found her inspiration on social media, specifically TikTok. Allie saw it was becoming more of a trend, and she wanted to be involved in it and wear that style because she enjoyed it. She started wearing them more and more. She has seen some of the other trends mentioned, but noticed that a big change in trends was the ripped jeans. Ripped jeans were popular and in style for a while, but have drifted out of style since the 80s and 90s trends started to be brought back.
Parents have also noticed and pointed out these trends. My mom, Julia Schaller, has noticed that many trends from her own childhood have come back. She has seen trends like sweats as a daily wear, flare-leg denim, crop tops, headbands, and really baggy ripped jeans come back from when she was in school. She joked that she could have always stayed in style. Julia also noticed that we have crimped hair now, which her generation also had, but over time, crimped hair isn’t the same as it was then. For us, it is more of a wave, whereas for her generation, it was like their hair was bent back and forth. “Seeing these trends back in style makes me reminisce about my childhood.”
Julia finds that modern style is more comfortable, and people are less concerned about always being dressed up. She believes the trends are less about bringing back an old style and more about being comfortable in their style for young people now. The style trends both then and now are not strict or one style; they are more a combination of multiple styles. “Trends aren’t trends because they are trying to bring back or copy styles; it’s more about comfort.”
Trends always circle back around; they adapt and change over time, but the ideas seem to always come back around. Fashion is a big part of society, and understanding it can be important to how you see your own time period and the past. Some students knew about the trends being from the 80s and 90s, but some didn’t; they just adopted what has become popular again today.