By Staff
Leada Gore, Editor
The premise of the article was simple: there have been 10 major fashion and style trends in the last 30 years or so and 99.9 percent of us fell victim to at least one.
"Not me," I said. "I didn't just go along with the crowd. I went my own way."
And then I started reading and discovered that I, indeed, was a fashion lemming. One by one, I checked off the list of trends and realized I was as guilty as everyone on Mr. Blackwell's worst dressed list.
Number 10 example: "miniskirts." I was once the proud owner of a leather-looking snakeskin miniskirt. I wore it one time, felt like I was wearing an iguana, and relegated it to the back of my closet.
Or, No. 9, the power suit. I wore a red suit with giant shoulder pads to my first job interview out of college. I looked more like a linebacker for the Chicago Bears than an aspiring reporter.
The list just went on and on:
No. 8 – Workout wear worn outside the gym. Yep, did that. I owned a pair of leg warmers and stirrup pants.
No. 7 – Anti-establishment attire. I guess my "Students for Peace" shirt in college would qualify, as well as those old, holey jeans I wore during my thankfully brief grunge period.
No. 6- Prime Time Hair. From a Dorothy Hammill cut to attempts at Farrah Fawcett wings, I've tried them all. I even sat through a week's worth of "Friends" episodes just so I could see how Rachel's hair was cut in the back.
No. 5 – Disco attire. Thanks to my age and the non-disconess of my parents, I almost escaped this one. However, I did own a red T-shirt with "Disco Diva" written in glitter on the front. I was an elementary school fashion victim.
No. 4 – Sneakers. Much to the shock of many who know me, I have owned several pairs in my life. I even searched all over town once for a pair with interchangable side logos that could be switched out to match your outfit. If you look in the dictionary under "fashion victim" you will see a photo of me in these shoes.
No. 3. – The preppy look. I owned a copy of the "Preppy Handbook" and used it to determine what I would wear. My Izod was as precious to me as my red notebook covered in scratch and sniff stickers.
No. 2. – Urban apparel. Again, I almost escaped this one. However, I do own a hoody sweat suit. This doesn't exactly qualify me for the cover of "Vibe" magazine, but it's close.
And, No. 1 – Designer jeans. From Jordasche to Gloria Vanderbilts, I loved my designer jeans. It tooks months to talk my parents into buying me a pair of expensive denim, but they eventually did. I would have worn them every day if my mother would have let me. Eventually, of course, those jeans went out of style, though I don't remember throwing them out. Who knows? They are probably in the back of my closet hanging next to the iguana skirt.