Coveted Brands of Your Adolescence

[Russell Street]

I think the Salt&Pepa GEICO ad, with them in their ridiculous 8-ball jackets got me thinking about dead clothing fads that I lived thru. Back before we all became versed in quality and construction and all, brand meant more as a shibboleth of price/status/identity.

I personally recall that in the mid to late 1980s, suburban NJ was besieged by some Jeff Spicolli craze where everyone thought they were a surfer and this brand Ocean Pacific and it's Op logo were ubiquitous. There was some cornball expensive corduroy shorts with an elastic back and patch pockets and a little embroidered logo, but mainly it was stupid pastel silk-screened t-shirts. There was some rival brand that I can't remember.

There was also something called Jams or maybe Jamz, which was garish Hawaiian floral printed stuff in a Lily Pulitzer vein. They did big long shorts and shirts, and it was not uncommon for people to wear matching outfits.

 

[doghouse]

All the surf stuff. But then again I grew up surfing.

 

[Russell Street]

So that wasn't just some bizarre regional thing. I'm at a loss to remember what anyone wore in the winter beyond jeans.
I can also say that Bugle Boy and LeTigre were always dicey propositions that one was never certain about.

 

[doghouse]

Jeans or cords were pretty much it here.

Bugle Boy was for the more urban kids.

 

[Russell Street]

Oh wow, I forget that I did live through the time when the Members Only jacket was a serious and desired item.
I may have to do an image search, but the Benetton striped rugby shirt was de riguer for a while.

Need I mention that I had frugal trend-shunning parents that never partook in any of this stuff? I was lucky to get a pair of Nikes.

 

[Russell Street]

Well, I was going to stick with clothes, but the yellow Sony Sports crap was marketing genius as well.
I really have no idea what the big deal about Reebok was, but they were the bomb for a year or two.

 

[doghouse]

Shit, the yellow Sony stuff was the jam. We had a boom box from that line up until five or six years ago.

Reebok had the pumps, that's about it.

 

[Thruth]

I think the Salt&Pepa GEICO ad, with them in their ridiculous 8-ball jackets got me thinking about dead clothing fads that I lived thru. Back before we all became versed in quality and construction and all, brand meant more as a shibboleth of price/status/identity.

I personally recall that in the mid to late 1980s, suburban NJ was besieged by some Jeff Spicolli craze where everyone thought they were a surfer and this brand Ocean Pacific and it's Op logo were ubiquitous. There was some cornball expensive corduroy shorts with an elastic back and patch pockets and a little embroidered logo, but mainly it was stupid pastel silk-screened t-shirts. There was some rival brand that I can't remember.

There was also something called Jams or maybe Jamz, which was garish Hawaiian floral printed stuff in a Lily Pulitzer vein. They did big long shorts and shirts, and it was not uncommon for people to wear matching outfits.

we could not get Op in Canada, not that i wanted it. my cousins from California wore it and couldn't understand why i would think it was ghey.

it is still around. buying online via the Op website links you directly to Walmart.

it still looks ghey

 

[doghouse]

Op was legit back then.

 

[Thruth]

i recall a fad with capri pants for men made from sugar sacks. seems to me it was circa the Zubaz era

couple them with one of these

and the first iterations of these

 

[Grand Potentate]

How many hacky sacks did you own?

 

[Thruth]

rugby pants

 

[Russell Street]

couple them with one of these

Those things were called drug rugs when I was in college.
It's not a brand per se, but I really wanted a Spuds Mackenzie sweatshirt. Actually, I still do. I'm sure ebay has some available.

 

[doghouse]

Who doesn't love a good Baja?

 

[Grand Potentate]

Who doesn't love a good Baja?

Shut up ya dirty hippy

 

[doghouse]

Shut up ya dirty hippy

Need some Jimmy-Z shorts too. And original Reefs.

 

[Thruth]

How many hacky sacks did you own?

i never played hackysack. that was for dirty hippies like doghouse

 

[Thruth]

these were amazing for bumper shining behind busses in winter

 

[doghouse]

i never played hackysack. that was for dirty hippies like doghouse

Shit, I wasn't a hippie. I actually had a bumper sticker in high school the said "Hippies Smell". Not even making that up.

I was a surf bum.

 

[Thruth]

I assume those were worn by Ace Freely, yes?

no, Ace was the Starman, his boots were shinier.

 

[Zé Ferreira]

My and my peers high school years were all about:

with these underneath:

I remember this very ad in my local A+F... because their jeans were the best.

With flip flops for sure. All the time. Either of these:

or

For more emo-feeling days, appeal to the band t-shirts from Hot Topic.

or

 

[prince nez]

FUBU. This was the shiznit among fat rich whiteboy gangstars in the 1990s.

I think our favourite oval-headed dwarf is bringing out his own rival collection - FOOBU.

 

[Thruth]

teh velour sweater in hideous colours

teh Wrangler wide-leg jeans

and a variety of cool kicks

 

[doghouse]

That's funny, I was just telling my mom the other day how I'm gonna bring back velour. Got a pretty fantastic eye roll for that one.

 

[doghouse]

^ You really are from the northeast.

 

[Thruth]

I don't necessarily remember a brand, but the BMX style fingerless gloves were required accoutrements while riding your bicycle to the pizza joint for a slice and to ogle girls.

View attachment 4635

Foo has a pair of these, well at least the driving version.

 

[Russell Street]

FUBU. This was the shiznit among fat rich whiteboy gangstars in the 1990s.

This was one of those things that, gun to my head, I wouldn't know where to procure. Where the hell was this stuff sold?

View attachment 4637 The Swatch watch.

besides the jelly straps and all, there was some o-ring-like face guard. This somehow made sense in the 80s.

On the "My Adidas" front, the black Adidas Samba had some snob appeal and I eventually got a pair. I think they are indoor soccer shoes or something. They just had that big tongue, dark sole and friggin suede.

 

[doghouse]

This was one of those things that, gun to my head, I wouldn't know where to procure. Where the hell was this stuff sold?

besides the jelly straps and all, there was some o-ring-like face guard. This somehow made sense in the 80s.

A lot of things made sense in the 80's for some reason.


I remember getting my girlfriend one of these for her birthday with like all the money I had in the world.

 

[Zé Ferreira]

On the "My Adidas" front, the black Adidas Samba had some snob appeal and I eventually got a pair. I think they are indoor soccer shoes or something. They just had that big tongue, dark sole and friggin suede.

Have a pair that I wear regularly. Greatest casual shoe in the world.

 

[LKP]

Have a pair that I wear regularly. Greatest casual shoe in the world.

mine fell apart
a pity
once a fetishist asked whether he could buy my used sambas
even nowadays i regret that i did not beat him up

 

[ConchitaWurst]

mine fell apart
a pity
once a fetishist asked whether he could buy my used sambas
even nowadays i regret that i did not beat him up

what else was cool in germany ? apart from the mullet ?

 

[Leitmotif]

For what I remember wearing it was usually Pac Sun clothes.

 

[LKP]

what else was cool in germany ? apart from the mullet ?

you know chiemsee sweaters?
buffalo plateau shoes?
nice adidas pents with sides that button all the way down?

mullet was 1980s btw
1990s = better trends

 

[ConchitaWurst]

you know chiemsee sweaters?
buffalo plateau shoes?
nice adidas pents with sides that button all the way down?

mullet was 1980s btw
1990s = better trends

so what were the 90's trends ? glasses with tinted lenses ?

 

[LKP]

so what were the 90's trends ? glasses with tinted lenses ?

stupid
i listed them

lee shirts made of wifebeater cloth were very popular too

 

[ConchitaWurst]

stupid
i listed them

lee shirts made of wifebeater cloth were very popular too

what did you wear them with?

 

[LKP]

what did you wear them with?

i have always been wearing >20oz three piece tweeders

how about you? rotterdam terror corps? nike? bomber jacket? gabba! hakken en zagen

 

[ConchitaWurst]

i have always been wearing >20oz three piece tweeders

how about you? rotterdam terror corps? nike? bomber jacket? gabba! hakken en zagen

you know me
australian track suit
raving on dj paul elstak

gabber not gabba

you have basically always been dressing like don colon ? you guys in the same fraternity ?

 

[LKP]

you know me
australian track suit
raving on dj paul elstak

gabber not gabba

you have basically always been dressing like don colon ? you guys in the same fraternity ?

rotterdam terror corps

 

[ConchitaWurst]

rotterdam terror corps

you wish