Remember those silly rubber "Armstrong" wristbands? I had a million different ones and wore about 20 on each wrist to school and everywhere else. Yeah, I was pretty goddamn cool. 😎
When I was younger I fell for two - baggy jeans and llamas.
I remember in 5th grade I tried to joke about llamas with one kid and show him the llama song (because he loved llamas) and he said I was just copying him. In hindsight fuck you Hans, you didn't invent llamas, you were just copying others too, you tool!
I wore baggy jeans and oversized hoodies in the early 2000's. That's pretty much the last time I "followed a trend" that I can think of though there probably are other occasions too that just don't come to mind now. Most of the time I get into things either before they were cool or way after the wave has already passed.
Laundry detergent economy is more efficient if your bottom-layer clothing items have lower mass. You can fit more short-sleeve shirts in the washer than long-sleeve shirts. So it's better to have thin, short-sleeve t-shirts as the bottom layer and thick sweatshirts for the outer layer.
I'll go one even further. Before JNCO existed we'd just go to the thrift store and buy the largest size pants we could find. Pair a 48" waist pant with a XXL tshirt when you were 28" and youth large and you were at the height of skate fashion.
I dunno how much I'm about to date myself with this one but I still remember the heartbreak when my favorite squid shaped silly band snapped after I'd used it enough, whoever designed those was either a complete idiot for designing something that breakable for children, or a maniacal genius for designing something that would need to be replaced that often for children.
Either way, child targeted advertising should be completely illegal, that's just hitting the parents with emotional blackmail.
I did one of those Hey girls, did you know that um memes (and continued to make them) back in the day. Netted me niche internet micro celebrity status. I won't tell you which one, though.
Bro when I was a kid I was into it all. Tamagotchi, hyper colors everything, Pogs, Beanie Babies, Slap bracelets, scooters (not the razors scooters the earlier BMX scooters), friendship bracelets, that kickball with the plastic ring you bounced on, moon shoes, Jams, Big Dog, I'm a dude that loved him some Polly Pockets, windbreakers, bomber jackets, M.U.S.C.L.E, G.I. Joe, Pound Puppies, Garbage Pale Kids, those puffy monster balls you squeezed and their eyes popped out, Shrinky Dinks, and then by the late 90s I was walking around with 30" cuffs in my Kikwear and a Kangol.
Edit: Big Dawg changed to Big Dog, changed 80s to BMX.
I showed this to my friend and he reminded me of the time we got really into Swatch Watches but our parents wouldn't buy them for us so we stole one and passed it back and forth until we got caught.
“that kickball with the plastic ring you bounced on“
It was called a pogo-ball. I loved mine. I remember doing skate grabs etc with it. I also remember a trick where you spun it like a top with your feet, jumped up so your feet were disconnected from it, and then landed back on it to continue pogo balling. It was a weird but fun toy.
Wearing super preppy clothes to school/college. I was mistaken for a teacher in 11th grade. In college, I once wore a pencil skirt, black tights, white sweater, and high heels... to a regular Tuesday afternoon class, just because I wanted to.
Aw, thank you. I appreciate it but let's be real: I know it was stupid. Like, I thought that dressing smart means I'm smart. I did enjoy the feeling of being put together, but wearing my heavy backpack with heels was atrociously stupid.
If I had time and money I would invent dressy clothes that are practical, long-lasting and comfortable!
The problem was that I adopted the trend without thinking about my poor college student lifestyle (LOTS of bus-metro-walk and carrying heavy books). By the end of that day, the tights had runs, the heels were dirty and scuffed, and my feet were killing me. I looked and felt like crap.
Haha- it’s always the shoes, isn’t it? I walk a lot and it’s really driven my footwear choices over the years. There is little crossover between the truly comfortable (hello, plantar fasciitis) and fancy stylish.
Though back in the day I would wear heels and tights for my retail jobs. Definitely helped me sell more!