Thoughts From a Former Collar-Popper
A personal style retrospective
I grew up in the nineties and aughts, the awkward gloriousness of which hasn’t quite been accurately reflected in TikTok trends. While coconut girl style, low-rise jeans, bubble tops, and bucket hats are winding their way back into fashion, I was double layering my tank tops, straightening my already-straight bangs, popping collars, lusting after Hot Topic rainbow studded belts, and wearing flouncy skirts over my jeans. There was a certain magic to trying on clothes and styles without the expectation that your outfit would be in an Instagram story or without the expectation that you had to post an #ootd.
I love the democratization and accessibility of fashion nowadays – it’s so important! – but there was so much fun and freedom in the trial and error of it all and being able to do so with less pressure.
Looking back, I loved having what amounted to a decade and a halfish-long awkward phase. It built character and showed me who I was as much as it showed me who I wasn’t. I’ve gone through so many style phases: wannabe scene kid, “whatever is cheapest and trendy at Forever 21,” the colored denim and bubble necklace look of the 2010s, Atlantic-Pacific style color-blocking, the “twenty-something trying desperately to be professional” era (I went through a lot of ill-fitting blazers this way), all-black everything, 50 shades of brown, Everlane-fancy, 2020s sweatpant chic – you name it, I tried it. And I’m so glad I did. I have a laugh at some of my old outfits: skull and crossbone printed tops, flared jeans, embarrassing graphic tees, neon polos, lots of glitter. But I’ve noticed that the things I still love and wear in grownup iterations are scattered in my style history: cozy knits, leopard print, killer shoes, good faux leather, an eye-catching bag…and I’m still on the lookout for silky olive green cargo pants, my favorite piece from my freshman year of high school. If you were to go back and look at your pictures from your childhood and teens, you’d probably find a few things you’d still love to wear, too.
As I’ve gotten older, I’ve become more comfortable with dressing based on my mood instead of tying myself down to project a certain look. I used to think I couldn’t wear a floral dress because it’d be too soft for my leather jacket and pointed-toe boot looks – but how silly is that? They look badass and romantic together! Now I shop with the mindset that just because I’ve never been a person who wore leather pants or zebra boots or a big full length faux fur coat, doesn’t mean I can’t be if I wanted to. I love what I’m wearing these days, and I also know that I and my style are still evolving and always will be. Getting dressed is such a fun form of self-expression – why limit yourself?
Kaye Reylado Bright
Kaye is a first generation Filipino immigrant living in Northern New Jersey- home of the best bagels and pizza. When she’s not writing copy for a beauty brand during the day, you can find her hanging out with her 2 cats and her husband at home- or out trying all the best new food the city has to offer.
