97.9 The Hill's Staff Picks: Throwback Fashion

Welcome to the thirteenth edition of 97.9 The Hill’s Staff Picks!

This month, we asked our staff to bust out their scrapbooks and reflect on their favorite (and least favorite) fashion trends of the past. We looked back fondly on the coolest of our old Polaroids and yearbook photos, but we had just as much fun laughing at our most cringeworthy fashion faux pas.

If you have a photo of your own trendy (or regrettable) fashion choices, share a photo with us by tweeting us at @WCHLChapelboro or tagging us on Instagram!

Aubrey Williams, General Manager

What’s the expression? Fashions fade but style is eternal? I have lived through mock turtlenecks, lip-smackers, Love’s Baby Soft, crop tops, parachute pants, acid wash, peg-rolled jeans, Manic Panic, grunge, chokers, Doc Martins, Teen Spirit deodorant (remember “Smells Like Teen Spirit?” Yeah, he was talking about deodorant), Baja Hoodies, fanny packs, thrift shop cardigans, tube skirts, plaids, baby doll dresses, Steve Madden footwear the birth of the undercut hair style and so so much more. I mean, really, fashion trends are ever-evolving and re-emerging.

Now to be clear, just because I lived through the afore-mentioned styles, doesn’t mean I wore all of them. But I certainly wore a lot of them. And for the most part, I stand by my fashion choices through the years. If I were to say I regret any of them, it would be wearing men’s boxer shorts as shorts. In hindsight (get it?) it just wasn’t cute. Baggy bum with a gaping fly? WHY?? And secondly, if I could go back in time I would NOT get so TAN.

I am including a photo from July 23, 1991. I was 15, and I had taken the metro down to the passport office to get my passport so I could travel to France for an exchange program. My hair was often changing colors in these years, and this was a reddish shade from the box at CVS. The choker belonged to my older sister who had purchased it at a vintage store in Adams Morgan and I loved that necklace SO much. It used to infuriate my sister that I constantly wore it. I don’t recall what the other, long necklace was. My red t-shirt had the Danzig skull banner printed on the back (my brother made it for me with his home screen printing set up). See below for graphic, in case you don’t know. I was wearing a black tube skirt and three-hole oxblood Doc Martins. I know this was my outfit because I basically wore a version of this most days. In winter with tights and a sweater. Ha. Plus, I had to look good for my passport! Obvi.

Aaron Keck, Host of ‘This Morning with Aaron Keck’

I’m not one to jump on the fashion train, so I don’t have too many fashion regrets (or weird fashion photos). But hey, does anyone remember Hypercolor shirts? Oh man, for about two months in the 90s, these things were everywhere. They change color when the fabric gets warm! This is what the future’s going to be like, right? Check it out guys, watch what happens when I breathe onto my shirt!

Our high school yearbook had a Hypercolor cover in 1994. True story.

Elle Kehres, Assistant News Director

Oh man, middle school fashion for me was something to BEHOLD. A trend, in hindsight, that really was not cute was the double layering of everything – specifically tank tops. I’m not sure why you needed to be wearing AT LEAST two layers to look cool with your skinny jeans and chunky chokers, but it was not a good look.

A trend that I’m happy has already come back is plaid and vintage skirts! I wore my mom’s vintage plaid skirt all through middle school (with a mismatched polka dot shirt naturally) and now not only are those skirts back in style, but so is mixing patterns!

Thankfully, as I’ve gotten older, I don’t really follow the trends anymore and just wear what makes me happy instead of what I think will make me look “cool.” I tend to like a more retro 70s look with bright colors, converse and flared jeans as my uniform.

Below is a picture from my cringey, awkward middle school days (from an 8th grade dance competition when I thought I was looking FRESH). Neon was really in at the time. Please don’t make too much fun of me.

Ava Pukatch, Reporter

Which fashion trend do you regret jumping on?

I wore A LOT of graphic tees in late elementary school through middle school. Everything from “T-rex hates push-ups” to “I’m allergic to mornings.” The Delias wall was my kryptonite.

Which fashion trend would you like to see make a comeback?

Okay hear me out: socks with sandals. I’m a big fun sock person but also comfy shoes person. I love wearing my birkenstocks during the warm weather but i want to be able to show off my fun socks in the cooler weather while also wearing my comfy birks. We can market it as “BirkenSocks” and it’ll be amazing.

Ali Evans, Senior Account Executive

Which fashion trend do you regret jumping on?

Two words: Layered. Polos. I wish I could go tell 2005-Ali that duck lips are not cute in photos, Chad Michael Murray is the worst, and that one polo with the collar popped is more than enough.

Which fashion trend would you like to see make a comeback?

Those velour jumpsuits from the early 2000’s. I never personally owned one, but I think I’m destined to. Anything that can look so fabulous while also being at least 3% spandex is definitely meant for me.

As far as a photo, I started to scroll Facebook for something to share, and I got sick of my own fashion choices before I could get back to the beginning. If you think I’m braving my archived Myspace page that I’ve successfully buried in the depths of the internet, you’re wrong.

Brighton McConnell, News Director and Afternoon Host

Remember plaid cargo shorts? Yeah. Those are one of the worst fashion trends I participated in. Admittedly, it was a little more passable back in middle school than they are now. But…I don’t miss those shorts nor do I miss that pattern — they’re just too busy and don’t match well with anything.

Tracey Himmel, Account Executive

I grew up in New England, and we had a very conservative style of dress, very preppy. Last week when I was home in Connecticut to visit my elderly parents, I visited a dear friend from high school’s childhood home and we started to dig through a closet in the basement. What treasures we found! This dress was my friend’s homecoming dance dress, and you can see that our style was very sexy (not!) I think we were going for the Ruth Bader Ginsberg look!

I was pretty happy I could fit into it, however. I may actually pull it out for a Halloween costume!

Jack Carmichael, Programming Assistant

I believe I have become considerably more fashionable since my senior year of college, but that’s not to say I now identify as a particularly fashionable person. Before I hit my twenties, my clothing choices left a lot to be desired. I have a fair amount of regret for all the time I spent wearing long, baggy jean shorts as a teenager. For a couple years between the ages of 13 and 15, there was a particular grey beanie that I thought I looked very cool wearing (especially in the photo below). I’m pretty sure I only stopped wearing that beanie because I lost it, which was probably for the best.

When I wasn’t wearing jorts as a middle schooler/high schooler, you could count on catching me in my trusty cargo shorts. I’m not sure those were ever actually trendy, but I would love for them to come back into style. All I want is pockets! I say the twenties should become the decade of fashionable convenience. Who’s with me?