DON'T CALL IT A COMEBACK

By Mackenzie Caruso '22

How Some of KO's Most Popular Trends Have Been Around Longer Than We Have

If you take a walk around Kingswood Oxford’s campus, you will find yourself surrounded by a menagerie of decade-old trends. I’m talking about baggy jeans, retro sneakers, and lots of claw clips As chic and trendy as all of these pieces are, they are far from original to our high school experience. Our generation is putting our own spin on these styles from the decades, reclaiming them and making them stylish again. Why are we bringing back so many old fads, and which ones will we recover next?

During the sixties and seventies, flare pants had all the hype. People would wear crocheted tops to match their bell bottoms to go to discos, and in an uncanny way, this exact outfit could be worn out today without turning a single head. Aerie is becoming famous for their flare pants, which I have personally recommended to a large handful of our community. Their comfort along with cute look makes them irresistible, and can be seen more and more frequently around campus and the state. Similarly, loose “ mom jeans” are replacing skinny jeans in closets around the world, another fad stolen from the past.

I believe that the comeback of these styles is simply a comeback of comfort Gen Z is figuring out how to be comfortable and fashionable at the same time what could be better?

Perhaps my favorite “comeback trend” would have to be sneakers. Retro high tops were the go-to basketball shoe in the 80s, and now take the form of Nike Blazer Mid ‘77 Vintages and Air Jordan 1’s. However, rather than being worn on the court, these kicks can be seen dressed up or down with almost anything around campus Students are gravitating toward these shoes because they contain pops of color and can express originality. Personally, I have customized a few of my own pairs of Air Force 1’s in order to make them more "me".

Air Force 1’s have also been around for a while, first produced in 1982 and gaining popularity in 1986. From leggings to sweatpants to khakis, the neutrality of these “modern” sneakers make them a staple in any high schooler’s closet a timeless quality.

It would be silly for me to write an article about current trends at KO without mentioning claw clips. Inspired by the banana clip from the 80s, these accessories have made an exponential comeback since the Coronavirus lockdown during the spring of 2020. As society began attending school from home, comfort was everyone ’ s top priority Claw clips enable anyone with fairly long hair to keep it out of their face without leaving any indentations in the hair; additionally, face-framing pieces can even be kept out of the clip to create an even more fashionable look. This fad is far from gone, with countless claw clips attached to backpack straps on our very own campus.

Although it may come as a surprise to hear that your favorite looks are far from new, we all have the ability to put our own creative spin on anything we wear. Our outfits are an extension of our personality, and recovering these trends from the past enables us to have a wider variety of pieces to choose from I wonder what fads we’ll salvage next, and if future generations will look back on our outfits and feel inspired to follow in our footsteps So, next time you laugh at old photos of your parents with their leg warmers and pegged pants, just know that their questionable choices could be your next favorite thing.