90s Comeback: As IF!!!

I never thought I would be an ‘80s kind of girl. In fact, in my youth, I went so far as to declare the ‘80s to be a horrible decade and said I hoped that sh*t NEVER came back in to style.

What an idiot I was.

However, now that I’ve embraced legwarmers and neon Flashdance shirts, I’ve transferred my old animosity for the 1980s to the 1990s. I look back at Lisa Turtle’s gear in old episodes of Saved By The Bell and think, thank god I’m not eleven anymore.

But if I have learned anything in my old age, it’s that fashion is 100% cyclical, and, inevitably, magazines and fashion designers will declare ‘90s style hot again and Forever 21 and Urban Outfitters will follow suit. Below is a list of items from Clinton Era Pt. 1 that I think are most likely to make a comeback in Clinton (and of course, Obama) Era Pt. 2…whether we’re ready for it or not.

The sweater vest – Dudes wore ‘em, chicks wore ‘em, and they were perfect for school pictures. If 90210 is coming back, these can’t be far behind.

Bib overalls – I have actually seen these in stores already, but I have yet to see someone actually wear them. I did, however, overhear a girl in Starbucks the other day say she wanted a pair for summer. Of course.

Loafers – Some may argue that loafers were never really out completely, but I’m talking the straight up penny variety. People love preppiness; people love kistch – these are preppy and kistch together. Unstoppable combo.

Flannel shirts – For the record, I actually saw a kid on the Lower East Side wearing one of these the other day. Tied around his waist. People just refuse to let go of Kurt Cobain, don’t they?

Drug rugs – You know what I’m talking about: those weird hoodies that looked like they were woven by Mexican Indians? Are these worthy of a comeback? Hell no. But I could totally see Marc Jacobs thinking he’s being cute and cheeky and throwing one of these in to a collection, and then it’ll be Game. Over.

Plaid skirts/knee socks/Mary Janes – Cher and Dionne totally rocked ‘em in Clueless, and after Kill Bill came out featuring Miss Fierce herself, Gogo the Killer School Girl, I expected a revival for sure. I’m thinking with the commencement of the new school year in the fall it’ll be on.

Cargo pants – I hope to GOD these don’t come back in to style, but they were such a staple for so many years, I really don’t see any way around it. *sigh* Well, at least we’ll have somewhere to keep our hacky sacks.

Giant bow barrettes and/or banana clips – Pair with a spiral perm, and ladies will be walking around like they’re me in the second grade. Yikes.

Hoodrat jewelry –I foresee an explosion in the near future of oversize ball-chain necklaces and belly button piercings. Though all my ladyfriends were totally in to it the first time around, I kind of missed out. Maybe I’ll even do the piercing myself. That’s still cool when you’re 22, right?

I’m sure there are some hot 90s trends I’m overlooking, and I more than welcome the contributions of others to this list. As for whether or not I actually want them to come back? Well…who am I kidding. I’ll do whatever Forever 21 tells me to do. Bring it on, Lisa Turtle!

[photo of overalls from, of course, Urban Outfitters]