“I used to wear that when I was your age!”

Recycling fashion trends every twenty years

By: Vishalli Alagappan

Recently, one of my favorite pastimes has been raiding my parents’ closet for older pieces like sweater vests and wide-leg trousers (I stopped wearing jeans during quarantine, and I refuse to go back). It’s just so nostalgic to root through the back of my sentimental hoarder mom’s closet and find clothing as old as I am. Every time I bring out a sweater I like, my mom has a story to go with it: “Oh, I used to wear that in college all the time,” or “I remember I waited in line for so long to get that piece, it was all the rage back then!” 

Mom jeans from the 50s, tie-dyes from the 60s, bell-bottoms from the 70s, shoulder pads of the 80s, and bomber jackets of the 90s have all made a comeback, and now it’s Y2K’s turn. I’m seeing bright monochromatic sweats mimicking the tracksuits of the ‘00s, bra tops as a refined alternative to baby tees, and low rise pants competing with the reigning high rise trend. It’s a nod to our infancy and childhood, and, can I just say,  it’s all that and a bag of chips (is that 90s? Still in vogue, though). 

We see fashion trends repeat every twenty to thirty years because designers take inspiration from older styles. The younger generation is influenced by their parents’ clothing and seeks to imbue the style with a “modern” twist that is reflective of their generation. In the 2020s, the trend seems to be an increased focus on durability and sustainable and ethical manufacturing of clothes in the background of wasteful consumption, climate change, and capitalist exploitation of laborers. Modular clothing like zip-off cargo pants and jackets with detachable sleeves, designed in a futuristic yet grounded style, has made the rounds in the fashion scene. 

I, for one, am super excited to reuse my parents’ old clothes and age enough to say to a teenager, “I used to wear that when I was your age!”