I love looking at old photographs. In fact, just recently, my kids and I spent an entire evening rummaging through boxes of prints that spanned nearly a century of living. One of the things we got the most laughs out of was the various fashion trends that were apparent in many of the photos. One of my girls nearly needed a vice-grip to close her jaw as she gaped, wide-eyed at her mother sporting VERY BIG hair and electric blue eyeshadow!
I had to laugh at myself as I perused the historical image-evidence of my own sense (or lack) of fashion. For some reason, I must have had some sort of obsession about shirts and socks matching in color because almost every photo of me in the late 1980s and early 1990s included socks folded at the ankle (or scrunched) with the exact same hues as whatever shirt (often tank top over tank top) I happened to be wearing at the time.
As we laughed and shared memories evoked from our boxes of photos, I couldn’t help but notice another whimsical fact. Many of the current fashion trends that my kids think are new and in which they’ve been excitedly participating are really just styles from my day, reawakened.
Animal prints are a big comeback item, one that I never really got into on their first go around but have come to appreciate in certain contexts (pajamas perhaps or a cozy throw blanket). The 20-somethings crowd seems to be particularly taken with donning zebra or leopard prints wherever they go. In addition to the animal kingdom, another 80s trend that has found its way back to the top of the trendy fashion list has Madonna written all over it: the crop top. Back when she was being a material girl and the young ladies nowadays were either toddlers or not even born yet, crop tops made an appearance which some would say were not new even then but reincarnations of a 1960s go-go trend.
Back in the day, almost everyone had a blue-jean jacket in their closet. This is one resurfaced item I’m happy about because I think a jean jacket can be the perfect accessory to a great number of outfits, from cute flowy dresses or skirts to a pair of skinny jeans or capris. The renewed fashion trend I’m not so crazy about, however, is shoulder pads. Ugh.
Glittery-sequin-bling, off-the-shoulder sweaters and pant suit ensembles are making big comebacks as well. I love a sprinkling of bling here or there but I can’t say I (or my kids) have much use of pant suits these days.
If you want to know my overall fashion sensibility advice, it goes something like this:
Be modest. If you like it, wear it. If it’s in, great. If it’s not, who cares? Dress up sometimes; it’s fun and makes you feel good. Also, be realistic. While It’s cute to see some of the 1980s fashions on the teenagers of today, that doesn’t mean all the styles are appropriate for the over 50 crowd. Basically, you don’t want to step off the curb in anything that makes passersby wonder, “What on earth was she thinking?”
If you like something but feel it’s simply a bit too outdated to wear, just stick it in the back of your closet for a decade or so. Chances are, it’ll come back in style someday!
Writer Bio: Judy Dudich
Judy Dudich resides in the beautiful woods of Pennsylvania, where 24 acres of land and a home-office provide the perfect setting for her children’s home-education and her own homesteading and business ventures. Life is full of blessings (and challenges!) for Judy, as a wife, mother of 10 and Grammy to six. She is a published author, whose book, “I Surrender/A Study Guide for Women” continues to encourage and support others in Christian family lifestyles throughout the world. Judy has also previously worked in the online speaking circuit. Her passion for permaculture, re-purposing, foraging and organic gardening fills her days with learning and adventure that she loves to share.
