Tamara McConnell

Writer

From donning bright disco-era scrunchies to sporting retro 80’s shoe brands like Vans, students at Marlow High School are bringing back generational trends while incorporating their own unique styles.

Students at MHS and around the nation have taken to bringing back the fashions of early American decades, from the early dance generations of the 1960s and 70s to the muted simple styles of the 1980s and 90s.

Vans, a skater oriented shoe that debuted in 1977 that was recently modernized by the pop culture phenomenon of the Netflix original television series Stranger Things, are amongst the fashion trends that have become “all the rage” in today’s teenagers.

Along with Vans, scrunchies were first popularized in the era of disco during the 1970s and are now being worn by many of the younger generations today.

Thanks to pop culture media Scrunchies have once again become a fashion icon and are usually favored being fastened around the wrist or tied loosely in the hair for a simple yet stylish hairdo.

During the summer heat, students such as senior Olivia Cantwell favor a cooler alternative to sneakers and athletic shoes, such as strap-on Chacos, while maintaining a trend-setting appearance.

“Chacos are definitely my favorite type of trending shoes,” Cantwell said. “They are extremely comfy, cute and durable.”      

The thin straps made on Chacos give way to intricate and overlapping tan lines that developed a trend among youths to post their designs on different social media apps.                                                                   

As the weather shifts from the summer warmth and students adjust to the colder air, many seasonal trends such as mom jeans and chunky sneakers are surging back amongst the newest generation.

Mom jeans, or otherwise known as boyfriend jeans, are high-waisted oversized jeans that fit loosely at the waist and ankles. 

The trendy jeans were a popular fad back in the 1980s and early 1990s while usually being worn by young and middle-aged women.

As the next century ushered in, the fashionable jeans lost favor amongst the early 2000s age of teenagers and were worn by women well into adulthood; however, mom jeans would not be sought after by the younger generation until nearly a decade later.

Having a strong sense of fashion that reflects both the past and present generations, senior Melissa Cooper described her views on the reappearance of mom jeans.

“I really like mom and boyfriend jeans,” Cooper said. “They look so much like the jeans my mom used to wear in high school and are just super cute.”  

Adorning the feet of modern youngsters are chunky neutral-colored sneakers, more aptly known as “mom shoes,” that were often paired with the chic mom jeans back in the 1990s and early 2000s.

These “mom shoes” were worn to combat the cooler air that comes with the winter season along with form-fitting turtlenecks of different colors and sizes that have a unisex look all genders can enjoy.

Doc Martens are being paired with the famous turtlenecks and are a clunky style of boots that ride a few inches above the ankle and were often a symbol of the working class in the early years of the 1960s.

Subsequently, most high school boys in today’s world of trends are rocking the 1990s “jogger pants,” softer clothed pants that cinch at the waist and ankles, while becoming especially popular during the chilly winter period and are usually paired with graphic t-shirts and form-fitting hoodies.

Younger male teens, particularly those with a more country upbringing, are also sporting the infamous 1980s hairstyle of mullets and have put a modern twist on the “party in the back” hairdo with perming solution, bringing about an updated and voluminous look.

According to Holloway Express, a fashion blog based in the United Kingdom, the massive surge in outdated trends coming back in style during the modern age has largely to do with the amount of technology being created, allowing greater information sharing between people coming from different generations.

Social media apps such as Instagram and TikTok have also greatly contributed to the return of old fashion styles, modernizing pierced ears and painted nails on the male population, a concept not widely accepted before the 2000s.

Being an owner of the Instagram app, senior Aubrey Topping explained her thoughts on how the internet affects the way people dress.

“I think social media can sometimes be negative regarding self-image and having the trendiest clothing,” Topping said. “But having the internet brings back the nostalgia of our parents and grandparents and allows their memories to live on in our generation.” 

Topping also concluded that younger generations receive a better understanding of the previous generations by wearing their fashion styles.

 “Old fashion trends are literally a representation of what people felt in history,” Topping said. “By bringing back these fashion trends, we get an insight as to what people in the past were thinking or feeling during their time.” 

While many trends of the olden American decades are consistently being brought back into the mainstream fashion world, students at MHS will continue to build on their own trends that will set them apart in the years to come.