Flared pants: 70s. Chunky sneakers: 80s. Mini skirts: 60s. Mom jeans: 90s. All of the above? Current trends. There is no doubt trends are recycling from past decades. Let’s look more in depth at a few current returning trends and see what one of Dulaney High School’s art teachers, Dena Fiat, has to say about them.

Mom jeans have successfully replaced the classic skinny jeans from the late 2000s and 2010s. Now, mom jeans and crop tops, both recurring trends from Fiat’s teenage years in the 90s, are paired together and considered staple clothing items, especially in the closets of American high schoolers. A more recent jean trend making its comeback are low rise jeans from the 2000s. Whether you love them or hate them, there is no doubt they are back. 

Fiat says, “all the 90s stuff is back right now. All the flannel, all the wide leg jeans, the crop tops, all of it feels like I’m back in high school.”

Bell bottoms and yoga pants are making their comeback and although the same style of clothing as in the past, they have taken on more current names. For example, bell bottoms, popular from the 60s-70s, are now commonly referred to by Generation Z as flared jeans. “Yoga pants”, which is more of a general term for leggings that describe the kind that open up at the ankles, are now referred to as flared leggings and are quite popular with a crossover waistband. Regardless of the name, these pants are still groovy, and they are an excellent addition to the 2022 fashion trends. 

Sneakers just seem to get chunkier and chunkier. The 80s trend of chunky sneakers have recently spread to alternate shoe types including platform shoes, chunky loafers, Yeezy foam runners and thick “pillow slides.” 

High fashion, everyday fashion and school fashion all differ. Many students choose to dress differently for school than they do for social events outside of school. However, school fashion has evolved within itself. With a broadening sense of what is seen as acceptable clothing in school, students are able to express themselves through their clothing more freely. 

Fiat says, “from when I started to teach, it was very limited in what kids could wear, now kids can be fashionable but still be appropriate.” 

However, with a broader sense of acceptable clothing in schools, many students choose comfort over fashion. Whether it’s dressing up or dressing down, Fiat comments on how fashion standards have changed in schools while she has been teaching.

So is current fashion breaking boundaries or recycling retro trends? It is definitely doing both; although fashion continues to evolve, there are styles, patterns and cuts of clothing that reappear from past decades and combine to create stylish new trends.