Welcome to Elite-Clothes.com
|
It came back once already….does it have a 3rd Life ?
Many (most) people agree that fashion is cyclical. What
was once hot and modern eventually goes out of style.
But much in the same way a great song can be redone and
made relevant again, or a movie can be remade and generate
millions in box office, the same holds true with many
clothing fads. Eventually, a fashion trend can be given
new life.
The fad that we at |
elite-clothes.com can associate the most with is the
hippie/'60s clothing that became quite popular again in
the late 1980s and early 1990s. Tie-dye tee shirts exploded
back onto the scene.
{Concert shirts have never fallen into obscurity. Long
before the Steven Hyde character on television's That
'70s Show starting sporting (what are now) retro rock
band tees (but were meant as common everyday wear in the
show's setting), young adults have never stopped wearing
concert/rock T-shirts. When someone goes to see Van Halen
or AC/DC, they simply want others to know where they've
been}.
But in the late '80s and early'90s, tie-dyed tees became
quite the rage again. The Grateful Dead found new young
people in their audience with the radio hit Touch of Grey.
Even though most Deadheads find the tune poppy and quite
dismissible, it rejuvenated the band's touring and merchandising
clout. And other bands hit the road again like the Rolling
Stones (Steel Wheels), CSNY, and The Who (25 year anniversary
tour). What they all had in common was an abundance of
tie-dyed tee shirts at their merchandising stands. And
the nomad artists/merchants common to these bands' audiences
were offering similar choices out of their vans and car
trunks.
In my freshman year of college, I even witnessed several
tie-dye parties wherein a group of girls on a dorm floor
would get together and make the artsy shirts for themselves
and for friends. Much like today's more conservative bunco
gatherings and book clubs that my wife attends.
A lot of people were also wearing the hooded ponchos first
made popular in the '60s. They were often beige with some
colored rings or stripes on them. But they came in many
colors and were typically made of 100% acrylic and quite
warm. Some of these ponchos were made of hemp, but those
that led the commercial renaissance were usually acrylic.
They were great for sitting around fires or for backyard
keg parties. It seemed like almost everyone had one of
those on in the late'80s.
And sometimes, people accessorized their tie-dye shirt
and poncho with a colored bandana "do-rag" and
even rawhide moccasins. The moccasins were actually quite
uncomfortable for those accustomed to wearing shoes most
of the time. And you didn't want to get them very wet,
either. The bandanas have always been in use to keep the
head cool and absorb sweat on a manual job site or doing
lawn work. But when worn with the poncho, ripped jeans,
and moccasins, it was meant purely as the completion of
the entire '60s/hippie ensemble.
Throw in a friendship bracelet around your wrist or ankle,
and now you've donned the entire outfit.
The return of the dominant bands of the 60's along with
the re-emergence of reggae music, and the overall comfort
and casualness of the clothing led to this era's garb
becoming cool and relevant again. Perhaps another wave
of influences can give a 3rd life to this fashion statement.
Maybe it will be the poor economy forcing people to go
back to (their old) ripped jeans and faded bandanas instead
of new, higher-priced wear.
One never knows. But if mullets (late '90s/early 2000s)and
poodle skirts (the comeback of swing dancing) can have
second lives, don't rule out the popular hippie clothes
from making a third appearance! |
