Despite fashion’s constant evolution, a few formerly-retired styles have managed to creep their way back into vogue. The fleeting trends of the ‘70s disco and early 2000s—like bell-bottom jeans, tracksuits, and neon colors—have become a staple of many closets once again. Fashion
categories like “vintage” and “Y2K” have helped them gain mass popularity. In fact, some clothing brands have begun to dedicate their style to these trends in response to the widespread comeback. To little surprise, this fashion revival has found its way onto M-A’s campus, and many students rock it every day.
In the past few years, low-rise jeans have reentered modern fashion after being swept away from their early 2000s popularization. Tracing their roots back to the 1970s, low-rise jeans were only a recent discovery in fashion and, from the get-go, many expressed their distaste. However, pop culture icons like Britney Spears and Paris Hilton sporting these jeans in the early 2000s cultivated a large following among younger generations. Following the low-rise boom, mid and high-rise jeans replaced them around 2007.
Bell-bottoms, another style of jeans, also peaked in popularity during the 1970s and were often associated with hippies who stood behind the peaceful, free, and nonconformity ideologies of that era. 50 years later, they became chic once again. Despite their earlier phase out of fashion, both bell-bottom and low-rise jeans have made a swift comeback.
Another trend making a comeback is tracksuits. One of the most iconic symbols of early 2000s fashion was velour tracksuits, of which the most famous were made by the brand Juicy Couture. These colorful tracksuits piqued interest in the early
2000s and were one of the first ties between loungewear and fashion. Many closets included colorful tracksuit sets embellished with rhinestones, yet these tracksuits saw a swift decline in popularity years later. While sweatsuits remained relevant in fashion, these velour tracksuits remained dormant until now.
Additionally, vibrant colors have made their way back into this style. Bright-colored clothing is generally associated with 1980s fashion as the decade encouraged lots of fun and colorful attire. While bright colors were never truly omitted from fashion, the last decade saw people start gravitating toward other color palettes. It wasn’t until now that that color reentered popular fashion. Students across campus were spotted wearing a variety of vibrant colors.
As fashion continues to evolve, old trends begin to re-emerge, and M-A students are quick to catch on.
