Today was slated by my oldest to be a ‘girls day’. When I asked her what that meant, she said she wasn’t completely sure what she wanted to accomplish, but she was certain that whatever we tackled, it would not involve her brother or her father or any male. Period. The girl needed some boy-free times. And as much as I adore the testosterone living under my roof, I downed some cough medicine to knock back my twice-stolen cold from the littles, and we were off.
As we made our way into town (ok, I must digress. I grew up in the country. Like way out. Like no neighbors except woods. Like going to get a gallon of milk was either a crap shoot in getting mugged at the 7-11 in the middle of nowhere or making the 20 minute drive into town. Yep, into town. So, I get that I now live on an island, and I cross a bridge to get to the mainland, but I’m still going to town. So there.)
As I was saying, we were making our way into town when my oldest pipes up that the main thing she wanted to accomplish today was finding her a choker necklace to wear. Because, they are all the rage. And they are in style. And they're NEW and trendy, and she really wants one. Then she looks at me and says “Mama, do you even know what I’m talking about?”
Now, yall. If you are under the age of 30, you won’t appreciate the irony here, but for my Nirvana listening, flannel wearing, Dr. Marten loving, mid-drift bearing soul sisters, I know a small smile just crept across your face and you leaned back, put in your Blackstreet cd, and closed your eyes to the fond memories of the 90s. That’s right ladies, the 90s are baaaaaack.
On the heels of turning 39 last month, I am now slapped in the face with the realization that I now have lived long enough to see the fashion joys of my college days recycled for the tween and teens of today. As I stepped foot into the mall, I was met with chokers and overalls and combat boots and mules and cropped shirts. They are back. They are loud. They are proud. And they are taking the 2017 tweens by storm.
I can remember being a teenager and making my way downstairs in a pair of flare jeans and a cropped shirt and my mama looking at me and laughing her butt off. When I asked her what was so dang funny, she just smiled and said, “Honey, fashion repeats itself. What you are wearing is what I wore 20 years ago. There’s nothing new. It’s just drug back out, dusted off, and sold to the new group eager to latch on.” In my infinite wisdom of 16, I rolled my eyes and secretly doubted my mother EVER wore a pair of flare jeans or, gasp, a mid-drift top. This stuff was new and cutting edge in my eyes. Obviously! I threw on my Birkenstocks, grabbed my macrame purse, and headed out. To town. The irony completely escaped me.
And then there I stood today, going through stacks and stacks of chokers, looking around as I am surrounded by flannel and overalls, and it hit me. Dammit. She was right. AGAIN. 1996 fashion, meet 2017. 2017, meet the glory days of my youth. Be gentle with her. We had some good times.
It’s funny how things cycle like this in life. Of course, we make progress and changes and innovations, but honestly, whether it be fashion or politics or relationships, there is a pattern. And the longer you live, the more you begin to see the pattern. Some of them make you slap ass crazy, because why in THE hell would anyone want to repeat that awful idea. But then some, like that little black, stretchy choker I held in my hands, serve as a reminder of fun times gone by and all of the silly and dumb things you did. That little choker reminded me that it’s my oldest’s turn now.
We had major successes today. We managed to come home with a selection of 6 chokers, because one must have a choker for each mood and/or outfit theme. I managed to convince my oldest that yes, in fact, her mama rocked some chokers back in the day, and, that around 2037, she’d see those bad boys reappear. And I was also reminded, once again, that your mama is always right.
As we were driving back from town, I popped in a little PM Dawn and taught my girl about the 90s. Cause, you know. Some things never go out of style. ✌🏼