Blog #11: Throwbacks

Outfits from the 70's, 80s', and 90's have been making a reappearance in today's culture. The baggy jeans, curly hair, and polo shirts were once the trend and is becoming a new trend once again. Many teenagers/ young adults remake these looks into their own original style.

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70'S FASHION

The 1970's were all about "freedom", "personal expression", and "identity". Everything was about individuality. Vogue even said “There are no rules in the fashion game now” in the early 1070's. Some common items include bell-bottom jeans and mini skirts that were popularized by hippies. Some disco and glam rock with bright colors and platform shoes with glitter was also a popular style. During the mid and late 70's, males and females started to wear tighter clothes on top with loose bottoms.

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80'S FASHION

1980's outfits had heavy emphasis on fashion accessories and expensive clothing. They tend to be very bright and flashy in appearance. Many women had shiny jewelry such as pearl necklaces, large gold earrings, and clothing items covered in sequins to show off their wealth. Punk fashion became a thing as a reaction against the hippie movement from the past decade and the materialistic values of the current decade. Early 1980's was quite different compared to the late 1980's, which is where the iconic 80's color scheme came to popularity. Many women had big and curly hairstyles. To go along with the hair, women also wore heavy and bright makeup. Everyday fashion in the 80's were basically light-colored lips with dark/thick lashes and pink/red blush.

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90'S FASHION

The 1990's had a shift in fashion, from the elaborate trends in the 80's, the 90's had a minimalist fashion. Tattoos became popular along with body piercings (besides ear piercings) and even to branding. Grunge and alternative rock helped bring in the simple but unkempt grunge look to popularity by 1994. The casual chic look also became popular. It consisted of a t-shirt, hoodie, jeans, and sneakers. This trend actually continued into 2000's.

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MODERNIZATION

As throwback outfits become popularized again, social media started a hashtag that allows them to post nostalgic photo. #throwbackthursday or #tbt is often used on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook. Not only that, but people couldn't get enough of throwback photocs and started another hashtag. #flashbackfriday or #fbf allowed people to post more photos if they missed thursday, or if they just want to post more of themselves. Flashback Friday was actually a popular hashtag several months before Throwback Thursday but since Friday comes after Thursday, it became the 2nd hashtag instead.

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DENIM

Denim was transitionally blue with indigo dye to make blue colored jeans. It has been used in America since the 19th century. Denim initially gained popularity in 1873 when a tailor from Nevada, Jacob W. Davis made the first pair of "rivet-reinforced" denim pants. Eventually denim kept its style throughout the years and became popular in the 80's. From denim jeans to denim jackets, people wore denim from head to toe. A popular item of clothing was denim overalls. The simple yet stylish look was what kept the youngsters alive during this time.

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Progress: My last blog for this quarter is about throwback styles and I think this is a good end because Clash of Classes just ended with one of the days being a hippie. After dressing up for that day, I realized how fun it actually was to be a hippie. So researching about these throwbacks were not too bad but I was confused at times at which came first. My timeline is a little off but overall I think that the fact that these styles were in chronological order makes it easier for me to understand what came first. The progress of changing styles were recycled from previous styles in the decade before, and they made that into a new style in the decade after.

Reflection: Personally I don't wear many throwback outfits, or anything of that sort. But I think it's very unique to bring back a style that was once super popular. Especially since our culture is very different now, it's difficult to find someone who is still stuck in the 90's. I have a lot of overalls so I can see why that is back in style. Since I am someone who prefers street wear, the mom jeans and collared shirts don't work for me. But I wish to try on these clothes and get a feel of what it was like before.