A term is once again coming to a close and we find ourselves with the last issue of the Iron Warrior and with it, one final Hit Replay for Fall 2014! This term I found myself writing about all sorts of things from record players to pocket squares. There are just all sorts of gems from the past that make their way back in to society, and without a doubt continue to uphold their presence in it!
Naturally, I found myself looking for a suitable item to write about for this final issue and simply couldn’t decide. So Instead, I thought it would be appropriate to mention a collection of trending items! In this article we look at a number of clothes, belongings, every-day-carries that have become popular or stayed popular throughout the years. Let’s see how some of these seemingly new and trendy items have been in the past!
Flannel Shirts
Starting off this list, is the ever so popular flannel shirt. Alright, so this piece of clothing never truly saw a decline in its popularity, but it’s worth noting that this item seems like its on a perpetual repeat on our playlist of trends. The flannel shirts or some sort of flannel garment has been around for ages, some of the earliest known appearances of this article of clothing dates back to the 17th Century. Across the Atlantic in the cold Scottish Highlands, the 1600s saw many farmers wearing this warm garment to fight against the harshness of the elements. From this humble beginning, it traveled throughout Europe, making its way first to France then arriving in Germany by the 1800s. The flannel shirt (with its iconic plaid design) became quite popular for its thick and sturdy construction, becoming favoured by many who found themselves in cool climates. The image of the outdoor worker (think North American Legend: Paul Bunyan) brought the flannel shirt to a look that will never be forgotten.
The 1980s and early 1990s saw an iconic twist to the flannel shirt. From the great outdoors to dimly lit clubs and spilt beer, the flannel shirt found itself worn by grunge bands across Western society. The likes of Nirvana and Pearl Jam brought a whole new look to the flannel shirt. The flannel shirt became an angsty teenage rock staple and reached its peak.
Nowadays we see flannel shirts here there and everywhere, maybe we can thank hipsters for that.
Cut-Off Denim Shorts
Let’s talk shorts, in the warm sunny days of summer (much unlike our current November Snow), cut-off denim shorts are everywhere to be found. These trendy shorts saw a rise to popularity back in 2005 as it made its way back to many a wardrobe, but not known to some is the fact that these have been around since the 1960s.
Who knew shorts could be so…revolutionary? The late 1960s saw denim shorts as part of a counterculture movement filled with people bursting at the seams to express themselves through all sorts of ways. By the 1970s the Daisy Duke denim shorts were all the rage thanks to the famous TV show the Dukes of Hazzard. Catherin Back, who played the famous Daisy Duke, wore a pair of denim shorts in pretty much every single episode.
By the 1980s, the denim shorts expanded beyond just women’s wardrobes and into men’s as well. The denim shorts became a must-have for pretty much everyone’s collection of clothing. For those of you who recall the Engineering Orientation Video during Meet the Dean, there’s a few black & white photos in there featuring EDCOM sporting short shorts and black shirts!
The 1990s featured a change once more as denim shorts took a turn. Longer shorts were worn rolled up in favour of the once popular short-shorts. The 90s heavy metal and grunge days also saw the emergence of torn denim-shorts which as we know still exists today!
V-Necks
Another popular clothing item nowadays are V-necks. Sometimes it’s funny to see the amount of variety that these shirts come in. From multi-patterned deep v-neck shirts to bright neon coloured shirts you’ll see from afar, V necks have certainly come a long way.
These shirts have existed as undershirts for as long as the First World War, worn by many soldiers along the battlefield alongside crew neck shirts. For a long while, they were treated simply as undershirt until the 70s and early 80s. Deep cut V-neck t-shirts became very popular among teenagers and became a common sight especially on those warm summer days.
Boomboxes
Interestingly enough, there’s more of these 90s staple musical contraptions popping up in all sorts of places. Boomboxes or radio cassettes first emerged on the market in the mid-70s providing cassette playback capabilities and speakers all in one nifty box!
No-one can contest the fact that the boombox hit peak status symbol by the mid-80s and early 90s. The variety of boomboxes increased dramatically, varying in size, capabilities and were designed with all sorts of bells and whistles. The boombox made its impact and became a household item with over 20.4 million units sold in 1986. The boombox appeared everywhere from album covers to music videos. The Beastie Boys for one featured a boombox in their 2005 Greatest Hits album cover and who can forget all of those rap and punk rock music videos graced with boomboxes blasting on sidewalks?
Once again we see these speaker-pounding, cassette playing boxes of music finds themselves in the hands of popular society!
That’s all for this term’s last issue of Hit Replay! The past few years has seen a rise in all sorts of interesting items from the past, and without a doubt people will continue to find gems from yesterday and bring them back to the light. From Polaroid Cameras to Aviators, flannel shirts to pocket squares, all sorts of items have found themselves making a comeback. This has been another term filled with trendy items from yesterday, thanks for reading! History really does repeat itself doesn’t it?
Leave a Reply