Posted on November 06 2015
Ever since I was a little girl I have loved clothes and have always wanted to dress the part, however, that doesn't always happen when you are a child. I remember clearly to this day going to school in tears for "Photo Day". My mom thought wearing a mid-blue tracksuit (or as some people refer to them... a leisure suit) made out of some awful fabric with colored stripes down the side of the pants and arms over a white knitted turtleneck was very fashionable. Combine that with matching ponytails and I looked like I was ready for an outdoor track meet for the 1984 Olympics in Russia.
The funny part is, years later tracksuits made major comebacks with trio Run-DMC, Jenny From the Block aka J-Lo, all the way to Uma Thurman in Kill Bill, Ben Stiller in The Royal Tenenbaums and cheerleading Coach Sue Sylvester from the hit show Glee. In addition to a well known company's white and pink fleecy fabrics with big glittery words like "Juicy" and "Sweet" on the booty... just asking for the wrong kind of attention for the body part that most women don't like. Maybe my mom was really on point with fashion and I just didn't know it at 8 years old?
So like my fashion faux par in elementary school; fashion will always come back around and be "in fashion" again. For most of us though, our body shape is probably is not the same as it once was 10 years later. It's hard to keep all those once loved clothes in the attic (because you know they'll come back in fashion again) like a packrat for years. We know in our hearts that even though we looked hot when we were 16, wearing purple skinny bubblegum stretch jeans... at 32 years old, chances are we will NOT look the same.
However, there definitely is fashion that has stood the test of time and we now label it "vintage" or "classic". Think of the little black dress (LBD), wide leg pants, the peacoat and of course a crisp white shirt. Still fashionable today, as they were over 50 years ago - we salute you as staples in our wardrobe and not future fashion faux pars. But move over party-in-the-back-mullet, we hope that not everything in fashion keeps coming back, including unflattering high waisted jeans and long baggy suit jackets.
So now when I shop, I always remember to pick classic and flattering pieces that fit my body and just add a few trends every season to my wardrobe. This way I won't look back on my Instagram page in 2015 and ask myself "What was I thinking about those aztec harem pants and why did I buy 12 pairs that summer?"
So even though I love the idea of wearing a tracksuit with some sneakers out to a social party in the best interest of comfort, I just can't get past it being something I choose to only wear to the gym or around my house. I would never think to pair it with high heels and a fur coat and make it stylish, but celebrities and trends continue to dictate the cultural evolution of the tracksuit to be a fashion a statement. So we hail you J-Lo for your bold fashion statements and your ability to make sweatpants look fashionable!
