When the possibilities of PCs and the worldwide web were yet a huge mystery, a flick like this was considered wickedly cool ... but next to idiotic now that people carry computers in their pockets and spend most of the day online. You will just have to keep in mind that it was released at a time before it was considered a necessity to have an e-mail address.
Showing posts with label fashion. Show all posts
Showing posts with label fashion. Show all posts
friday flick fix:
hackers (1995)
When the possibilities of PCs and the worldwide web were yet a huge mystery, a flick like this was considered wickedly cool ... but next to idiotic now that people carry computers in their pockets and spend most of the day online. You will just have to keep in mind that it was released at a time before it was considered a necessity to have an e-mail address.
back when mark wahlberg was known as marky mark
Sometimes I wonder if he's trying to fool us into forgetting about what he did in the early '90s. But sorry Marky, you were already too ubiquitous back then for anyone not to remember. Feel the vibration, I say. Feel it, feel it.
Mark Wahlberg is today one of the most recognizable and well-respected actor-slash-producers. He was nominated for an Oscar and a Golden Globe in 2010 for his performance in The Fighter, and he was nominated in 2006 for The Departed.
He does well in dramatic or action movies, but if you've seen The Other Guys and Date Night, you'd say he's not so bad at comedy either.
Of course before any of that, he was that kid who loved showing off his underwear while he walked around with a mic in his hand. I don't just mean that his jeans were too low and made his boxers go peekaboo. He really showed off his underwear - more on that later. He was also known as the obnoxious little brother of Donnie, a.k.a., one of the guys in the boy-band that started it all, The New Kids On The Block.
Mark Wahlberg the Hollywood actor and Marky Mark the rapper seem like two different individuals. I don't blame him for transforming his persona so drastically. I mean, just look at that.
He was the archetypal '90's white rapper: ultra-low jeans, backwards cap, douchy duckfaced smirk and inane lyrics.
Images from here and here. He was the frontman for a group with one of the lamest names ever:
Image from here.
There he is, the one with the mandana.
Fortunately for the world, the Funky Bunch was a one-hit wonder. To their credit, their only hit remains one of the most easily identifiable tunes from the '90s. Good Vibrations is often used in movie soundtracks to this day, and some time ago it was done by the kids in Glee.
Showing off his muscular physique in Good Vibrations opened the door for more exposure, in what probably turned him into a star: those yummy Calvin Klein ads. Despite the rapping and the duckfaced poses, Marky was really hawt.
Calvin Klein ads nicked from here. 
On here with supermodel Kate Moss.
What's wrong with this picture?
Mark Wahlberg is 5'8", while Kate Moss is 5'7".
He's likely standing on a box or something.
I suppose it was due to those ads that he felt better naked in public and decided it was ok to parade around in his tightie whities during his live performances. Or perhaps it was in his contract with Calvin Klien to habitually showcase the product he was endorsing. Why, oh why did he think it was sexy to spew out white-rapper lyrics with his baggy pants around his ankles? No, not even the rock-hard pecs make up for the idiocy.
He made mothers nervous because he just really was far from the ideal role model. I don't recall if it was before or after he did some time in jail when he began to invade the movies.
From here.
Since he was used to dropping trou anyway, his earliest notable role was a struggling porn star screen-named Dirk Diggler in Boogie Nights (1997).
And here.
But I think he got more attention as Reese Witherspoon's psycho boyfriend in Fear.
Thank goodness, he's since evolved and repackaged himself as a serious actor and family man. Now that he's grown up and more importantly, cleaned up, I guess it's safe to say that the artist formerly known as Marky Mark is even more loved by the public, even without the Hershey-bar abs.
back when there were laceless running shoes that came in neon colors
Earlier today, the Hubby and I stopped by the mall and glimpsed a whole window display of neon-colored running shoes.
Are neon-colored footwear back in fashion? 0_o Wasn't there a time when we all thought they were hideous? Is there some social experiment going on to determine how many people will succumb to fads no matter how much of an eyesore they are?
While we espied a few pairs with an avante-garde take on shoelaces, the Hubby asked me if I remembered Puma Disc. Some time in the 1980s, Puma released running shoes that didn't have to be tied; they had this dial that you simply had to turn to adjust.
I don't remember Puma Disc at all actually. :p
Coming to think of it, it wasn't such a bad idea. I mean the dial-adjustment, not the neon colors.
Are neon-colored footwear back in fashion? 0_o Wasn't there a time when we all thought they were hideous? Is there some social experiment going on to determine how many people will succumb to fads no matter how much of an eyesore they are?
While we espied a few pairs with an avante-garde take on shoelaces, the Hubby asked me if I remembered Puma Disc. Some time in the 1980s, Puma released running shoes that didn't have to be tied; they had this dial that you simply had to turn to adjust.
I don't remember Puma Disc at all actually. :p
Coming to think of it, it wasn't such a bad idea. I mean the dial-adjustment, not the neon colors.
back when we wore things we would be mortified to be caught dead in now
I admit it. I used to think these fashion trends were cool. But they're hideous. They just seemed like a good idea at the time, but now that we are older (and supposedly wiser), it's quite embarrassing to recall how the need to project some sort of image often won over common sense. I'm pretty sure anyone who was alive at that time could come up with lengthier list of '90s fashion faux pas, but these are some of the most impractical and baffling.
1. Cycling shorts as casual wear
Image from here.
Cycling shorts are fine and absolutely appropriate at the gym - or well, when you're cycling. But how this was once considered sexy outerwear is beyond me. As if the tight fit and the sheerness of the fabric weren't enough to showcase your legs' deformities, designers thought of producing them in prints and bright colors.
Cycling shorts on men was particularly disturbing.
2. Platform sneakers, a.k.a., Spice Girls shoes
Platforms made a comeback from the '70s but the Spice Girls took them to absurd heights. Ladies in the '90s have Baby Spice to thank for many a twisted ankle.
Image from here.
Sandals, I get - they went with flared pants as part of the '70s retro thing going on in the '90s. But sneakers? The whole point of wearing sneakers is for added mobility; platform sneakers just don't make sense.
3. Matted hair
You would've rocked it if you were a grunge demigod making a huge dent in pop culture. It would've been rebelliously rad if you owned your unwashed hair, hopefully without smelling unwashed yourself. But whether you smelled nice or not, this sort of look is just unattractive, especially on a woman.
4. Sandals worn with socks and shorts
From here.
This is actually quite practical for wearing indoors during cold weather, when you just want to be comfy and at the same time warm. Wear this on a sunny day with shorts - the way we did back then - you would be a walking contradiction.
6. Tapered non-fit jeans
Nicked from here.
Shown here worn by the cast of the original cast of 90210. I cannot believe these people were considered cool.
Whenever I look at a photo from the '80s and early '90s of someone wearing tapered jeans, it makes me shudder. This trend is quite baffling. For one, it doesn't look comfortable at all. For another, it makes your pelvis appear longer and your a&& bigger. It makes your thighs and hips look chunkier, and your legs shorter.
7. Baggy, saggy pants
Nicked from here.
I don't think I have to explain why this is an atrocity.
1. Cycling shorts as casual wear
Image from here.
Cycling shorts are fine and absolutely appropriate at the gym - or well, when you're cycling. But how this was once considered sexy outerwear is beyond me. As if the tight fit and the sheerness of the fabric weren't enough to showcase your legs' deformities, designers thought of producing them in prints and bright colors.
Cycling shorts on men was particularly disturbing.
2. Platform sneakers, a.k.a., Spice Girls shoes
Platforms made a comeback from the '70s but the Spice Girls took them to absurd heights. Ladies in the '90s have Baby Spice to thank for many a twisted ankle.
Image from here. Sandals, I get - they went with flared pants as part of the '70s retro thing going on in the '90s. But sneakers? The whole point of wearing sneakers is for added mobility; platform sneakers just don't make sense.
3. Matted hair
You would've rocked it if you were a grunge demigod making a huge dent in pop culture. It would've been rebelliously rad if you owned your unwashed hair, hopefully without smelling unwashed yourself. But whether you smelled nice or not, this sort of look is just unattractive, especially on a woman.
4. Sandals worn with socks and shorts
From here.
This is actually quite practical for wearing indoors during cold weather, when you just want to be comfy and at the same time warm. Wear this on a sunny day with shorts - the way we did back then - you would be a walking contradiction.
6. Tapered non-fit jeans
Nicked from here. Shown here worn by the cast of the original cast of 90210. I cannot believe these people were considered cool.
Whenever I look at a photo from the '80s and early '90s of someone wearing tapered jeans, it makes me shudder. This trend is quite baffling. For one, it doesn't look comfortable at all. For another, it makes your pelvis appear longer and your a&& bigger. It makes your thighs and hips look chunkier, and your legs shorter.
7. Baggy, saggy pants
Nicked from here.
I don't think I have to explain why this is an atrocity.
back when fluffy, spiky bangs rocked
Variations of spiky hairstyles have been around through the years and are still preferred by some today (see pics of current spiky styles here). These days, the styles are a bit more polished and wispy.
Remember the way it was worn in the '80s?
Worn best by Billy Idol.
The pop-rock duo Roxette.
Sometime in the mid-'80s, the style evolved into hideous, fluffy, spiky fringes.
Fringes or bangs went all the way to the top of your head. The rest of your hair could be long and straight, but you had a fluffy crown, like so:
Kiefer Sutherland in The Lost Boys (1987).
David Bowie as Jareth in Labyrinth (1986).
The spikes weren't always so sleek, but were often worn all fluffy and tousled, sometimes even slightly curled:
With an asymmetrical cut, Cyndi Lauper just wanted to have fun.
Joan Jett sans the Blackhearts.
It wasn't just worn by rock artists and rebel-imaged celebrities; the style went mainstream. It was also sported by everyday people - moms, students, sidewalk vendors. People would tease their friends about having nests on their heads.
See more nest-heads:
Duran Duran.
Frankie Goes To Hollywood.
Relax.
Hair metal bands went overboard and wore it big and ultra-fluffy:
Cinderella
Motley Crue.
With a pre-Pamela Tommy Lee.
Poison.
Even Barbie sported the style for a time:
Rocker Barbie of the "Barbie and the Rockers" set.
And lastly, there was me:
Me, 1987 or 88.
I know, I know.
If you were alive in the '80s, you might also have a photo of your fluffy, spiky fringes that you are now ashamed of. I'd really love to deny I ever wore that hairstyle, but unfortunately I've got evidence against me.
Remember the way it was worn in the '80s?
Worn best by Billy Idol.This could actually still look good today, in a non-mainstream manner.
The pop-rock duo Roxette. Sometime in the mid-'80s, the style evolved into hideous, fluffy, spiky fringes.
Fringes or bangs went all the way to the top of your head. The rest of your hair could be long and straight, but you had a fluffy crown, like so:
Kiefer Sutherland in The Lost Boys (1987).
David Bowie as Jareth in Labyrinth (1986).The spikes weren't always so sleek, but were often worn all fluffy and tousled, sometimes even slightly curled:
With an asymmetrical cut, Cyndi Lauper just wanted to have fun.
Joan Jett sans the Blackhearts.It wasn't just worn by rock artists and rebel-imaged celebrities; the style went mainstream. It was also sported by everyday people - moms, students, sidewalk vendors. People would tease their friends about having nests on their heads.
See more nest-heads:
Duran Duran.
Frankie Goes To Hollywood.Relax.
Hair metal bands went overboard and wore it big and ultra-fluffy:
Cinderella
Motley Crue.With a pre-Pamela Tommy Lee.
Poison.Even Barbie sported the style for a time:
Rocker Barbie of the "Barbie and the Rockers" set.And lastly, there was me:
Me, 1987 or 88.I know, I know.
If you were alive in the '80s, you might also have a photo of your fluffy, spiky fringes that you are now ashamed of. I'd really love to deny I ever wore that hairstyle, but unfortunately I've got evidence against me.
back when sunflower hats were all the rage
If you were a teenage girl in the early '90s, you might now be hiding a picture of your young self wearing a hat with a big, bright, flamboyant flower.Blame it on Mayim Bialik, star of the TV hit Blossom.
Blossom and her colorfully-cardiganned friends sparked a worldwide fashion trend: flower hats. The most popular was the kind with an enormous sunflower or daisy.
Pretty soon sunflower hats cross-pollinated with other apparel and accessories: there were sunflower hair ties, sunflower pins, sunflower shirts, sun dresses, jumpsuits, pants, bags, Trapper Keepers and everything else. Bright yellow flowers were blooming everywhere.
In my junior year in our all-girls high school, we had this clothing tech class in which we were each supposed to design and sew a dress. At the end of the term, we were required to model our "creations" in our very own fashion show - concept, lighting, stage direction and all. One section went with a sunflower theme for their show, rocking their homemade threads with sunflower/ daisy hats and accessories (Our group didn't have much imagination - we had no theme. I remember I had a rushed, misshapen blue-and-silver dress that I decided to wear grunge-style with a pair of boots and a slouchy denim hat. It was an ugly dress, but I at least passed the class). My classmates thought that the other section's sunflower motif was pretty brilliant and wished we'd come up with it ourselves. I'm glad we didn't. I just wasn't cheery enough to wear a sunflower.
I still wonder whether anyone who sported them at that time actually thought those hats were pretty; I kinda believe girls wore them because of the pressure of buying into the fad.
I always thought it was a silly trend. Yeah, I did. Though I did happen to have a sunflower hat myself. And a sunflower button-down, a daisy hair clip, a sunflower hair clip, a sunflower vanity kit and a daisy pendant necklace. And a shirt with what looked like they were supposed to be sunflowers but were a bit too red. All were gifts, mind you.
back when we messed with our sneakers
There's an unbelievably wide range of footwear design choices these days. If you have a budget, you could find a pair of rubber shoes that more or less fits your lifestyle and reflects your personality - choose from lace-ups or velcros; flats or airsoles; plastics or fabrics; plains or printeds; scruffy or studded with "gems". You could even buy something that looks pre-worn out.
When I was a kid, good designs were a bit more limited. In a random sample of 50 students it was likely that three to six of us owned the same brand in the same style, maybe differing slightly in color. We had to get a bit creative if we wanted our sneakers to be a bit more unique.
One of the easiest ways to "personalize" sneakers was to do away with the white shoelaces they came with and weave in some colored laces. Popular among girls were rainbow laces, the kind that had 3 or more colors fading into each other. When I was seven, I had this pair of rainbow-colored Mighty Kid rubber shoes that I wore proudly at P.E. time - until they got too dirty and needed washing. After they were washed, the colors ran together and my previously-loved shoes became a muddy shade of pink.
Another popular choice among girls was actual lace - yeah, the frilly kind - woven through their rubber shoes. It had a Madonna-esque flair to it.
In the '80s when neon colors were hot, we decided neon shoelaces added a bit of personality.
But one of my favorite things were the luminiscent laces my Mom bought for me from the 'States. Actually it was one long strand that I cut in two to wear with my sneakers. They glowed in the dark like some of Barbie's clothes. I remember wearing them at night and watching them as I walked.
Some friends of mine wore bow-biters; they came in Muppets or Pound Puppies and they were sold at Gift Gate.
I never owned any, because I thought they were just too silly. My friends however wore their bow-biters proudly and even made a bow-biters dance. Sheesh, I still remember how it went...
I don't know when or where I first saw vandalized sneakers; it looked real dirty but it was supposed to be cool. Kids had their names, friends' autographs and random symbols scrawled on their pairs of Tretorn, K-Swiss or Converse All-Star. I went the extra mile and used colored markers ... on my cheap, generic white rubber shoes.
Scuffmarks and scratched-up fabric weren't a reason to throw them away. The less new they looked, the better - because friends always wanted to mess up your clean, new shoes by marking them with soleprints.
Interesting how these days, you could buy a pair of brand-new sneakers that are already scuffed and scratched up; even those printed in such a way that they look cleverly vandalized.
When I was a kid, good designs were a bit more limited. In a random sample of 50 students it was likely that three to six of us owned the same brand in the same style, maybe differing slightly in color. We had to get a bit creative if we wanted our sneakers to be a bit more unique.
One of the easiest ways to "personalize" sneakers was to do away with the white shoelaces they came with and weave in some colored laces. Popular among girls were rainbow laces, the kind that had 3 or more colors fading into each other. When I was seven, I had this pair of rainbow-colored Mighty Kid rubber shoes that I wore proudly at P.E. time - until they got too dirty and needed washing. After they were washed, the colors ran together and my previously-loved shoes became a muddy shade of pink.
Another popular choice among girls was actual lace - yeah, the frilly kind - woven through their rubber shoes. It had a Madonna-esque flair to it.
In the '80s when neon colors were hot, we decided neon shoelaces added a bit of personality.
But one of my favorite things were the luminiscent laces my Mom bought for me from the 'States. Actually it was one long strand that I cut in two to wear with my sneakers. They glowed in the dark like some of Barbie's clothes. I remember wearing them at night and watching them as I walked.
Some friends of mine wore bow-biters; they came in Muppets or Pound Puppies and they were sold at Gift Gate.
I never owned any, because I thought they were just too silly. My friends however wore their bow-biters proudly and even made a bow-biters dance. Sheesh, I still remember how it went...
I don't know when or where I first saw vandalized sneakers; it looked real dirty but it was supposed to be cool. Kids had their names, friends' autographs and random symbols scrawled on their pairs of Tretorn, K-Swiss or Converse All-Star. I went the extra mile and used colored markers ... on my cheap, generic white rubber shoes.
Scuffmarks and scratched-up fabric weren't a reason to throw them away. The less new they looked, the better - because friends always wanted to mess up your clean, new shoes by marking them with soleprints.
Interesting how these days, you could buy a pair of brand-new sneakers that are already scuffed and scratched up; even those printed in such a way that they look cleverly vandalized.
back when letter-bead bracelets were everywhere
So are they back in fashion?
I hopped by Fifi Lapin's fashion blog this morning and she says
They're not really "a whole new trend" though; at least not where I come from.
Plastic letter-beads used to be just for tots, but back in the early '90s, i.d. bracelets or chokers were the hip, cool accessory. They were mostly worn by teenagers, but kids and adults sported them too.
They were ubiquitous, but weren't exactly cheap. They were sold at mall-stalls and you paid for them per letter, the price depended on which kind of beads you chose with whatever kind of wire.
The most popular (and most expensive) were the metal cube beads:
These beads were a bit of a status symbol too. Those who could afford to splurge bought themselves a choker with their names spelled out in metal, thirty or so bucks per letter.
A thriftier person would get bracelet or a ring, and settle for an initial (which I thought was kind of ugly, and a pathetic way to be en vogue),
... or opt for plastic beads.
So what lettered jewelry did I wear when I was a teen? A ring with my initial, of course, with a silver plastic cube that pretended to be a metal one. =p It was the only thing I could afford since my parents did not believe in financing my ridiculous obsession to fit in - and I only had it when it was no longer so hip and trendy, and even had to make it myself, hee hee.
Those i.d. necklaces and bracelets were the perfect token for your best friend. In fact they were brilliant any-age, any-sex gifts.
It was a stylish way to be proud of your name, and quick trick to spy the name of some cute stranger you bumped into while mallratting.
It also became a new way to be cheesy.
If you managed to hold on to your letter-bead bracelet all these years, now might be a good time to show them off "vintage" jewelry, haha.
A number of Etsy sellers and online stores are already selling made-to-order letter-bead accessories. If these i.d. necklaces and bracelets do become a widespread trend as Fifi Lapin forecasts, I think I'll be an opportunist and carry them on my shop too.
I hopped by Fifi Lapin's fashion blog this morning and she says
front row fashionista Sienna Miller may have sparked a whole new trend for alphabet bead name bracelets
(click to see Sienna's photo)
They're not really "a whole new trend" though; at least not where I come from.
Plastic letter-beads used to be just for tots, but back in the early '90s, i.d. bracelets or chokers were the hip, cool accessory. They were mostly worn by teenagers, but kids and adults sported them too.
They were ubiquitous, but weren't exactly cheap. They were sold at mall-stalls and you paid for them per letter, the price depended on which kind of beads you chose with whatever kind of wire.
The most popular (and most expensive) were the metal cube beads:
These beads were a bit of a status symbol too. Those who could afford to splurge bought themselves a choker with their names spelled out in metal, thirty or so bucks per letter.
A thriftier person would get bracelet or a ring, and settle for an initial (which I thought was kind of ugly, and a pathetic way to be en vogue),
... or opt for plastic beads.
So what lettered jewelry did I wear when I was a teen? A ring with my initial, of course, with a silver plastic cube that pretended to be a metal one. =p It was the only thing I could afford since my parents did not believe in financing my ridiculous obsession to fit in - and I only had it when it was no longer so hip and trendy, and even had to make it myself, hee hee.
Those i.d. necklaces and bracelets were the perfect token for your best friend. In fact they were brilliant any-age, any-sex gifts.
It was a stylish way to be proud of your name, and quick trick to spy the name of some cute stranger you bumped into while mallratting.
It also became a new way to be cheesy.
If you managed to hold on to your letter-bead bracelet all these years, now might be a good time to show them off "vintage" jewelry, haha.
A number of Etsy sellers and online stores are already selling made-to-order letter-bead accessories. If these i.d. necklaces and bracelets do become a widespread trend as Fifi Lapin forecasts, I think I'll be an opportunist and carry them on my shop too.
back when we wore thick-soled worker boots
Fashion websites say boots are chic must-haves for ladies these days - high ones, sleek and streamlined, with high heels. It looks fab on them models on the runways; I'm not sure it would look so hot on a chubby(ish), everyday-person type like myself in the streets of a tropical country, so I'll pass.
I kinda miss wearing boots though. When I was a teenager, I thought boots were uber cool, versatile and so damn grungy. They were perfect for hiding ugly feet (and legs) too.
It wasn't like the sleek-and-sexy kind of thigh-high biker chick footwear pervading the fashion spreads of today, of course.
Thick-soled worker boots were one of the staples of early-to-mid '90s fashion. They used to be exactly that - worker boots, i.e., shoes worn by construction workers and the like. First seen on the anti-glam boys of Seattle grunge as anti-fashion statements, kids who watched MTV thought they were cool and bought themselves some.
The most popular kind were the Dr. Martens, called "Docs" or "DMs" for short. DMs have this yellow-and-black tag sticking out like a sore tongue at the back of boot's mouth. When you wore those boots you didn't want to tuck the tags in; you let them and hang out proudly for everyone to see that you wore authentic DMs.
8 to 10-hole DMs (the most popular height) cost about P3,500 - 4,000 back then, so they also became a status symbol. Though they were originally associated with the grungy working class in the US, they were worn by rich kids in manila.
Of course wherever there are fad brands, there exist several knockoffs. The not-so-well-to-do in Manila wore Marikina-made boots, some with a black-and-yellow tag to mimic the authentic but obviously fall short.
Guys wore them with their slouchy jeans and sometimes with an even slouchier button-down plais shirt.
Girls wore them with just about anything. Shorts and a hooded shirt. Jeans, shirt and vest. A button-down granny dress, unbuttoned from above the knees downward for extra sass. If they wanted to be a true fashion victim, girls completed the ensemble with a hat adorned by a large sunflower.
Girls also wore babydoll dresses with boots. The look was popularized by Alicia Silverstone. We couldn't help noticing how cute she looked in the Aerosmith Cryin' video and tried to emulate her. There was also a lot of that look - albeit ridiculously exaggerated - in her movie, Clueless.
In my practical-and-well-grounded upbringing, I thought it was ludicrous to spend 4,000 bucks on a single pair of shoes, so I wore locally-made 6-hole knockoffs. I didn't feel too bad about that since I made no pretensions about being rich, and I was happy with my perfectly good pair of boots. As long as they didn't have a fake yellow-and-black tag, I did not look like I tried too hard. I just let those authentic DMs stick their tongues right at me.
I happened to go to a girls' private school, where I was surrounded by other girls whose parents could afford to splurge on their little darlings. Some of those girls have been seen to don their Docs with their uniforms after classes, or at the annual school fair - which looked ridiculous actually. They even wore their skirts longer than prescribed to make it look like a maxi dress; it was cool that way.
By the time I went into college, I had acquired a pair of authentic DMs, bought from a friend's garage sale, still in excellent condition. I've never minded wearing second-hand stuff as long as they're in pretty good shape; besides, I didn't want my boots to look new, I wanted them shabby and worn and grungy.
I loved those boots to bits. I wore them with shorts, with jeans, with baby dolls, with long dresses (sans the sill sunflower hat). I wore them to class, to rock concerts, to road trips, to parties and wherever; I even once contemplated on wearing them to a formal event. I eventually wore out the insoles, but I wasn't willing to let them go yet so I glued in replacements peeled out from a forgotten pair of sneakers.
I loved boots so much I even had a plan to save up for ones that went up to my knees. I thought it would look cuter with babydolls.
Within a few years I got tired of them and sold them in my own garage sale (they were still in good shape!), together with the floral granny dresses and overworn babydolls. Which was just as well, since fashion was evolving away from grunge. By the late-90's, I found a new footwear-love in platform sandals.
Sometimes I wish I hadn't gotten rid of my old pair of DMs. Just for nostalgic reasons. It's not like I'd go out wearing them with my new babydoll dresses now - I'd totally look like an old person trying too hard to dress like a teenager stuck in a time-warp, and I wouldn't want that. Some fashion forecasts say they've spotted celebs trying to bring back the grungy granny-dress-and-boots look, but it doesn't look like it's gonna fly. We'll see.
I kinda miss wearing boots though. When I was a teenager, I thought boots were uber cool, versatile and so damn grungy. They were perfect for hiding ugly feet (and legs) too.
It wasn't like the sleek-and-sexy kind of thigh-high biker chick footwear pervading the fashion spreads of today, of course.
Thick-soled worker boots were one of the staples of early-to-mid '90s fashion. They used to be exactly that - worker boots, i.e., shoes worn by construction workers and the like. First seen on the anti-glam boys of Seattle grunge as anti-fashion statements, kids who watched MTV thought they were cool and bought themselves some.The most popular kind were the Dr. Martens, called "Docs" or "DMs" for short. DMs have this yellow-and-black tag sticking out like a sore tongue at the back of boot's mouth. When you wore those boots you didn't want to tuck the tags in; you let them and hang out proudly for everyone to see that you wore authentic DMs.
8 to 10-hole DMs (the most popular height) cost about P3,500 - 4,000 back then, so they also became a status symbol. Though they were originally associated with the grungy working class in the US, they were worn by rich kids in manila.
Of course wherever there are fad brands, there exist several knockoffs. The not-so-well-to-do in Manila wore Marikina-made boots, some with a black-and-yellow tag to mimic the authentic but obviously fall short.
Guys wore them with their slouchy jeans and sometimes with an even slouchier button-down plais shirt.
Girls wore them with just about anything. Shorts and a hooded shirt. Jeans, shirt and vest. A button-down granny dress, unbuttoned from above the knees downward for extra sass. If they wanted to be a true fashion victim, girls completed the ensemble with a hat adorned by a large sunflower.
Girls also wore babydoll dresses with boots. The look was popularized by Alicia Silverstone. We couldn't help noticing how cute she looked in the Aerosmith Cryin' video and tried to emulate her. There was also a lot of that look - albeit ridiculously exaggerated - in her movie, Clueless.In my practical-and-well-grounded upbringing, I thought it was ludicrous to spend 4,000 bucks on a single pair of shoes, so I wore locally-made 6-hole knockoffs. I didn't feel too bad about that since I made no pretensions about being rich, and I was happy with my perfectly good pair of boots. As long as they didn't have a fake yellow-and-black tag, I did not look like I tried too hard. I just let those authentic DMs stick their tongues right at me.
I happened to go to a girls' private school, where I was surrounded by other girls whose parents could afford to splurge on their little darlings. Some of those girls have been seen to don their Docs with their uniforms after classes, or at the annual school fair - which looked ridiculous actually. They even wore their skirts longer than prescribed to make it look like a maxi dress; it was cool that way.
By the time I went into college, I had acquired a pair of authentic DMs, bought from a friend's garage sale, still in excellent condition. I've never minded wearing second-hand stuff as long as they're in pretty good shape; besides, I didn't want my boots to look new, I wanted them shabby and worn and grungy.
I loved those boots to bits. I wore them with shorts, with jeans, with baby dolls, with long dresses (sans the sill sunflower hat). I wore them to class, to rock concerts, to road trips, to parties and wherever; I even once contemplated on wearing them to a formal event. I eventually wore out the insoles, but I wasn't willing to let them go yet so I glued in replacements peeled out from a forgotten pair of sneakers.
I loved boots so much I even had a plan to save up for ones that went up to my knees. I thought it would look cuter with babydolls.
Within a few years I got tired of them and sold them in my own garage sale (they were still in good shape!), together with the floral granny dresses and overworn babydolls. Which was just as well, since fashion was evolving away from grunge. By the late-90's, I found a new footwear-love in platform sandals.
Sometimes I wish I hadn't gotten rid of my old pair of DMs. Just for nostalgic reasons. It's not like I'd go out wearing them with my new babydoll dresses now - I'd totally look like an old person trying too hard to dress like a teenager stuck in a time-warp, and I wouldn't want that. Some fashion forecasts say they've spotted celebs trying to bring back the grungy granny-dress-and-boots look, but it doesn't look like it's gonna fly. We'll see.
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