Tumblr in 2012

There was a time when Tumblr, fashion blogs, and Lookbook had a chokehold on the internet and in the magazine world. The year was 2012 - before Grimes met Elon Musk, Rihanna was still making music, Lana del Rey wore flower crowns and actually used professional photos for her album covers, and it was socially acceptable to wear galaxy patterned leggings.

Issues of Nylon Magazine flew off newsstands and Barnes and Noble bookshelves, wide brimmed hats were all the rage, and everyone had Jeffrey Campbell Litas on their wish list. All the celebrities wore distressed denim and fringe handbags to Coachella and if you were slightly edgier than the typical Tumblr girl, you wore UNIF Hellbounds and towered over any normie who gave you the side eye. A lot of us admired the style, and not many were brave enough to execute it into reality.

And then there were the ones who wandered off into the soft grunge section of Tumblr - when the Coachella aesthetic felt too free spirited and we were in the winter of our souls, soft grunge posed as a safe haven for the more introverted Tumblr girlies. The amazing thing was that we didn’t have to surrender the Ombré hair or the leather jackets, we just had to trade the denim shorts for something a little more sophisticated and bookish, like a pleated skirt. And instead of looking for inspiration through Miley’s outfits, you were urged to take the indie route and read “It Girl” by Alexa Chung, who was dating Arctic Monkeys frontman Alex Turner around that time.

Alexa Chung wasn’t the only Brit we American girls looked up to: we completely idolized Kaya Scodelario’s character Effy in the UK hit series “Skins.”

We were all a little broken inside from the Emo era, and we wanted to let the world know we were tortured sensitive souls (Nirvana was the most popular band when we were born, which ultimately shaped our childhoods whether we knew it or not.) Wearing 3 day old eyeliner and brooding through the days like Effy made us look deep, but it was ridiculous considering how easy we had it.

This is an era I like to analyze and revisit so much because we truly had no idea that it was going to change so dramatically. Tumblr is alive but collecting Tumbleweeds, Lookbook is in heaven with MySpace, American Apparel went out of business, and Nylon is no longer in print. We are approaching a full decade since 2012, and I’ve been finding myself tearfully and pathetically scrolling through my own Tumblr archives. Gone are the days of heavy silver jewelry, flowy kimonos over bustier tops, midi skirts, and Sky Ferreira’s music career.

I had to throw away/donate my collection of tights and skater skirts as the trends started favoring Athleisure and monochromatic fits (which I’m not against, as I’m 27 years old now and prioritizing practicality and mobility more than ever.)

Still, I will always miss seeing this level of subtle diversity within the micro trends, witnessing experiments in real time (a moment of silence for the pearl studs sewn onto peter pan collars), and bleaching the ends of my hair. I yearn for the days of burgundy lipstick, flower crowns, and distressed band tees. Music videos set in deserts and 24 hour diners, living in a reality where you could escape reality, spending hours flipping through magazines. There was a certain level of carefree escapism and ennui that wouldn’t fly in today’s social climate.

All good things have to come to an end, and we had to start tending to the harsh realities of our unsustainable habits. Hyper-cycling through trends no longer posed as a feasible or planet-friendly option: we moved on to curating consciousness into our wardrobes. This meant purchasing staple items, taking clothing quality into heavy consideration (those flimsy American Apparel tights were simply not built to last), and crafting uniforms instead of costumes.

I’m not opposed to this stage in our collective style evolution - I find it to be refined and mature. As much as I miss standing out, I love the anonymity of blending in. I don’t miss tugging at my short skirt or breaking out into rashes at the expense of my excessive and cheap jewelry. I prefer to keep a low profile with the neutral and muted color palette, and I love that it’s considered stylish to wear oversized sweaters, bike shorts, and dad sneakers the way Princess Diana did on her off days. Simplicity is timeless and underrated.

But that doesn’t make time-specific trends overrated, either.

On the contrary, time-specific trends serve their purpose and can always be referenced in an effort to express sentimentality and show gratitude. I personally have been finding myself hunting for a used pair of Jeffrey Campbell Litas on eBay and Poshmark with the intention of bringing them back, 10 years later. While 2006 makes its own glorious comeback with the Juicy Couture tracksuits and Louis Vuitton pochettes (which is not lost on the Louis Vuitton company, as that purse in particular has become the target of a 25% price hike within the last year), I fantasize about infiltrating the sphere of influence by dressing the way Rihanna and Lindsay Lohan did in 2012.

Most, if not all, trends die with the intention of being reincarnated.

No matter which trend I decide to revive, I’m confident that it will be met with adoration, because I understand that Nostalgia is a highly appreciated concept in the fashion world. People love being reminded of specific times in their lives, and the lives before them. Some trends die before they can fully meet their potential, and it’s up to us to breathe life back into them.

With all that being said, my search for the perfect pair of broken-in Litas continues.