Fashion Trends That Made a Comeback
1) Ray-Ban sunglasses…
Ray-Bans have been around for yonks, climbing in popularity over the decades (Marilyn Monroe, Andy Warhol, Audrey Hepburn) and climbing right back down again.
In the 1980s, it was The Blues Brothers and good-ole sofa-jumping scientologist Tom Cruise (in the film, Risky Business) who helped push the boat out where they were concerned.
Ray-Bans became cool again and sales shot through the roof.
In late 2006-2007, their popularity resurfaced what with the likes of Elle Macpherson, Drew Barrymore and Kate Moss seen sporting them.
2) Madonna leggings…
Madonna, amongst many things, gave us platinum blond hair, a string of bad bad films, concave bras …and leggings.
Yes, back in the 80s, thanks to the Material Girl, leggings became all the rage. Skinny legs, dumpy legs, thunder thighs and knocking knees all rose to her call with energy galore.
As with most things, the love affair ended and leggings legged their way to rubbish bins, charity shops and the bottom of people’s wardrobes. They were so not cool anymore (wear it at home or at the gym, but the buck stopped there, really).
Over 20 years later and they’re back, but this time in different lengths and more colours than you can shake a burger at. Nowadays, fashionistas pair them up with dresses and mini skirts rather than t-shirts or short tops.
3) Leg warmers…
Millions of women were right there with Irene Cara when she danced her heart out in the 80s film, Flash Dance – all decked out in her leotard and leg warmers, spinning, strutting and leaping round the room like her life depended on it.
So it’s little surprise that women went out in their droves and started rocking there own pair of legwarmers too.
It was only a matter of time before leg warmers would make a comeback and, yep, it happened a couple of decades later thanks to fashion houses like Chanel and pop stars like Rihanna giving it good PR.
4) Men’s cardigans…
Val Doonican in his cardie sitting in his rocking chair and crooning the life out of me. NOOOOO.
Starsky (in a cardie) and Hutch prancing about with their guns. Someone PLEASE slap me awake. (Thank you, kind person, for the black eye.)
Today’s cardigans are nothing like the old ones. Today’s cardies are modern, machine-knitted and everything. So it’s ok. Apparently.
As much as Mark Ronson, David Beckham and Daniel Craig may try to be shining examples of the modern cardigan, my dreams of Doonican in his rocking chair are too strong. I’m not convinced cardies won’t hurt me.
Please don’t hurt me, cardie. There’s a nice cardie. Good cardie. (as I inch my way towards the nearest exit).
5) Bill Cosby sweaters…
The Cosby Show was a very successful 80s American sitcom about a family called The Huxtables. It was kinda like the anti-thesis of the sitcom, Married with Children. Mum was a lawyer, dad was a doctor and the children were well adjusted.
Dr Huxtable, played by Bill Cosby, used to wear these thick log-cabin sweaters. For that time and for the men that wore them, well, they were ok (ish), erm, I guess…for the 80s (I might add) – just not in 2008 (which has been happening recently – in New York of all places).
No matter how you ‘update’ certain looks, well, they still cry out ‘dowdy’. I really hope this attempted revival doesn’t catch on, but if it’s already hit New York, then God help us all.
6) Bellbottoms…
Bellbottoms were very popular back in the late 60s and 70s. The wide trousers were initially part of the hippie culture, then spilled out into popular culture, running solidly through a big part of the 70s. The Carpenters, Sonny and Cher and Farah Fawcett regularly wore them so helped spread its popularity.
They made a comeback in the 90s and have never truly completely left. It only takes another Halloween or retro party to see people decked out in leather jackets, bad afro wigs and bellbottoms (or flares) walking drunkenly down the street.
7) Stone-wash jeans…
Three people deserve the electric chair: the person who invented guns, the great but dangerous mind that invented nuclear weapons, and the idiot who came up with the whole idea of stone-wash jeans. Yes, Mr, Mrs or whoever you are, you’re in the same league as the first two, NOW SIT DOWN.
These jeans were hideous then (but unfortunately popular), are hideous now and always will be.
Painful memories. Painful.
Damn you, Urban Outfitters, for backing the comeback, you blind muppets. Pat yourselves on the backs for making a wonderful contribution to the world of fashion in the 21st century. Can’t thank you enough. Really.
Ponchos…
With his pensive stare, that beard and the straw in his mouth, Clint Eastwood really knew how to rock a poncho in a spaghetti western. Standing completely still with ‘that stare’, you never knew when he was gonna pull out his gun from underneath it.
People went poncho crazy in the 70s. It was great for women who were self-conscious of their bodies. Rarely was there a woman that couldn’t fit into it as it was ‘one size fits all’.
Ponchos made a big return around 2003/04. Shops, teenagers and women were well into it.
However, I don’t know about you, (and there were some really gorgeous designs out there), but rather than covering up my wobbly bits, wearing a poncho made me feel like a cross between a bat and a shapeless so-and-so.
(…but lil miss adorable up there definitely knows how to rock a poncho. Too cute.)
