Sweet Nostalgia

If you expect me to shop out of a bin with a bunch of mall walking blue hairs and I love grandma t-shirts you’ve got another thing comin’

-Karen Walker

With all due respect to Karen Walker, I’d give anything to go back to that era - only this time as a grown-up. I’m a 90’s baby, 1991 to be exact, and there’s not much I wouldn’t give to go back to that time as an adult. I breathe that era. My nostalgia for it started when I came across an episode of Will and Grace. I was immediately engulfed in the fashion, lifestyle, and lingo of the '90s and didn’t want to let go.

Let’s begin with the psychology of why I think I’m in love with this decade. It was a safe space for me. I was a youngin’, privileged with two parents who kept me and my siblings happy and comfortable. We were free to love life without any of the worries of adulthood yet to come. The world was my oyster. So, naturally, as I’ve grown further and further into old age I’ve become more and more educated on the deep shadows of this world that haunt my nights and live rent-free in my mind. The '90s are my escape.

I cannot time travel, but I can immerse myself in all things '90s, which is basically the same thing. So, that's what I do with my fashion, home decor, entertainment choices, and food and drink when available. I’m lookin’ at you, Chef Boyardee.

Let me note that I live in the Midwest. If you came here for '90s high fashion, keep it movin'. These are not the droids you’re looking for. Not to say a woman in the Midwest can’t serve looks from lines from Yves Saint Laurent or Versace, just not THIS woman.

The '90s brought up to a time where we began toning down from the intensely fluorescent fashion that was the '80s. I’m seeing ashy, neutral colors. I’m seeing simple, basic designs. Colors whose purposes are to complement, not clash. I'm also seeing honed-in personal style. There will always be fads, that's what makes each generation unique, but I see more. I see men and women who have taken advantage of new freedoms and created a world in which a different fashion sense is encouraged, not frowned upon. I see an era when a woman can look and feel just as sexy in overalls, a flannel, and Doc Martins as she can in a crop top, mini skirt, and Louboutins.

The only thing better that this era gave birth to was the new idea that men and women could be defined by more than what read on their shirt tags. It became universally acceptable to dress for yourself instead of for what might deem you attractive. It opened doors for people of all shapes and sizes, ethnicity, religions, and occupations to wake up in the morning and be reminded that what they wear and what they look like should have no impact on what they are judged by.

I would like to personally thank the people of the '90s for their originality, inhibitions, and free spirit that segued into the world I reside in today. A world where I can laugh without fear of the future and dress without fear of the past.