I broke in my first pair of Docs in the ’80s. They were de rigueur for my corner of the high school cafeteria and they went well with my Bauhaus tee, blood red lipstick and bad attitude.
(If you were wondering why I am here at Smith getting a bachelor’s degree in my 40s, assume what you will from that opening sentence and you will probably be right).
That suburban Atlanta high school cafeteria was decades ago. Prior to coming to Smith last year, I’d left most of my fashion interest behind in lieu of Carhartts and steel-toes or, alternately, yoga or hiking gear.
Landing on a college campus in Northampton, a town literally ten times bigger than the one I came from, was a culture shock; but I was thrilled to see that Docs are a thing again. I promptly went out and bought myself a new pair (this time though, I went for solid black with Virginia leather, because one thing I will never forget is the sheer hell of breaking in a pair of standard, smooth-leather Dr. Martens. I’m done suffering for fashion).
Since I’ve lived a couple decades longer than the majority of my fellow students, I noticed a few other trends that have made their way back into our shared reality, some of which I appreciate more than others.
Look, y’all … I’ve had a kid. I require and desire the bottom half of my shirts now, even if high-waist pants cover what the shirt doesn’t. I did my time in cropped tees and baggy jeans, my outfit of choice for the probably hundreds of raves I attended in the ’90s (and again, if you’re wondering why I am here at Smith getting a bachelor’s degree in my 40s, likely you’re also seeing a pattern now).
I will also admit that it took me a while to come around to the high-waist trend. That isn’t actually how we did it in the ’90s. Our baggy jeans were kind of saggy, hanging lower and lower until we hit 2000 or so, when things became fully hellish (Paris Hilton’s hip bones are forever burned into my memory). I hear low-waisted jeans are coming back again now too, but I’ll be leaving that trend completely alone this time around. No one, no one at all, needs to see that.
And here are a few more, though let me preface my following comments with this:
You do you, boo. Do you fully and don’t let anyone tell you otherwise. I’m not, at all, poking fun at anyone’s personal expressions. I appreciate that overall we seem to nurture a culture here that encourages us to, as we say in Smithspeak, “have agency,” whether it’s in speaking our minds or presenting ourselves. Most of us are here not simply because of our academic achievements or family wealth but because there’s something unique about us, and that’s definitely something to admire.
It’s just that I never thought I’d ever see the ’80s lesbian PE teacher mullet (or the buttcut) again. You really wear it well, though. As do you with the Jennifer Beal Flashdance hair, reminding me of that first inkling I had all those years ago that I might not be so straight. And also you, darlings with undercuts, queer signal of choice at least for the past two decades.
Maybe the biggest fashion rerun surprise yet though? One of my favorite trads, a person so brilliant I aspire to be like them, showed up to class wearing a Bauhaus t-shirt. Pretty sure there were also Docs involved.
