VANCOUVER, Wash — It’s that time again: back to school shopping!
During a recent editorial meeting, we were discussing back-to-school story ideas. When we got to the subject of shopping for clothes, I rolled my eyes just a little. I didn’t feel like doing the run-of-the-mill “shopping on a budget” or “how to score the best deals” cliché story. Instead, I thought it would be fun to gather photos of fashion trends of the past and see what kids today think of those styles. I got a group of 12 kids together, ages 5 to 15, and recorded their reactions, which were priceless!
We started with the 1960s and ended with the early 2000s.
Some of their reactions:
- “Oh gosh! They look like a caterpillar!”
- “I think the headbands are a little much. They’re all the same exact. They need to be more original.”
- “The shirts are way too tight.”
- “I don’t like the plaid pants they wear with their plaid shirts.”
- “Nope!”
- “So glad I wasn’t born in the 80s!"
And my personal favorite…this reaction to guys in the 90s with the “frosted tips” hairstyle: “The guys look like fireworks!”
Overall, the kids disliked 1970s fashion the most, but loved (most of) the styles of the 1980s.
After that portion of the shoot, my photographer Eric and I took three of the kids to Goodwill to see if they could show us what’s in fashion today.
I was amazed at all the cute outfits they found, all around $20 or under! Some of the items were hardly worn, and from popular brands!
From left: $21.97 (white sweater, jeans, shoes); $18.97 (green top, tan skirt, shoes); $16.97 (black skirt, denim top, shoes); $11.98 (blue athletic pants, plaid shirt)
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