The Dayz of Denim: Definitely Not Dead

As Vogue puts it, “Fashion cycles and recycles.” About every 20 years fashion trends will resurface with a fresh take on an old favorite. Twenty years ago I was 14 and a freshman in high school. That fall for my homecoming dance, I wore a deep burgundy Paris Sport Club brand velvet dress with a black choker. That same year on the weekends, I rocked bib overalls, flannel, and Tommy Hilfiger brand T-shirts. 

Working on a college campus, I am surrounded by young women who are wearing clothes that could have been pulled straight out of my closet circa 1998.  Nonetheless, I am in serious denial that I am old enough to be living a fashion revival, but each day when I look out my office window, take a lap around Target, or hit up a Starbucks I am reminded of my youth. 

The Fashion Revival is Real

After seeing so many wardrobe similarities, I did a quick search and found my entire high school wardrobe available today at major retailers. Some retailers went as far as describing the clothes as vintage or even nineties inspired. When I was wearing my Doc Marten combat books and scrunchies in high school, I had little regard that these were fashion statements. To me, they were practical and comfortable. Today, these are fashion choices. 

Style the second time around

Some fashion trends make you so nostalgic that you can pick them up right where you left off. We wore them in the nineties and we can wear them again, well maybe we should leave a few in our memories. Here is my take on a few of the comeback styles I think deserve another fashion lap. 

  • My junior high days years were planked by neon colored first day of school pictures and neon summer swimsuits. I was a big fan of anything neon. Rather than dressing head to toe in neon like I did, try ramping up outfits with a neon accent. 
  • Denim skirts and denim jackets are making a comeback which makes me so excited. Denim skirts and jackets fit any age or body type and there isn’t much you can mess up when wearing these two staples. 
  • Mom jeans are back! These comfortable, breathable, cotton denim pants that sit so nicely at the waist (you know right below your belly button). They are perfect for disguising any extra baby weight…or in my case preschool weight that I have left lingering. 
  • I firmly believe backpack purses should never have gone out of style, but alas, they did.  Bring them back and rock them on your errands, to the office, or to the park with the kids. This is every mom’s dream: hands-free daily life in style. 
  • Maxi cardigans are the current term but I remember them as dusters. These comfortable, warm, and slightly unflattering cardigans deserve a second lap. Try pairing them with a slim fitting shirt and heeled booties to give the cardigan a more tailored look, and to give yourself some height. 
  • Scrunchies, oh scrunchies. I have a love-hate relationship with these elastic circular cloth hair ties. I am leaving this one up to you; I just can’t bring myself to wear this accessory. 

So, all you 90’s moms dig deep into your closet and bring those high wasted jeans and velvet back to the streets of Omaha.

Rebekah
Becka is an Iowa native who moved to Omaha in June 2015. She is one half of a higher education couple, a mom to identical twin boys (Avery and Elliot 2014) and two sassy wiener dogs (Nora and Knox). Becka enjoys the craziness of twins and the unpredictability of each day. Even with three degrees, most recently a doctorate in higher education, she continues to find herself googling things like “pachycephalosaurus + herbivore” or “excavator vs digger.” With two very energetic and curious preschoolers at home Becka enjoys the peacefulness of her daily commute to Lincoln where she is a coordinator in the Nebraska Business Honors Academy. Becka loves being outdoors in her garden, on the lake with her family, or sitting on the patio with a friend. Her kryptonite is diet coke, peanut m&m’s and a kid free Target trip.