Fashion - Retroland

Slap Bracelets

If you grew up in the 80s and 90s, there’s no point in denying you had one. Bringing out the masochist in each of us, the slap bracelet made it okay to hit yourself with something, all in the name of fashion. Let's take a look back and see what all the fuss was about.

Deely Bobbers

Toughskin Jeans

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Kids have the remarkable ability to destroy just about any type of clothing with ease, needing only an hour or so of vigorous play, sometimes minutes. But in the 70s, they begrudgingly met their match. Catalog moguls, Sears and Roebuck, developed a new fabric that was nearly indestructible, perking up the ears of parents everywhere. They marketed the fabric in a line of children's clothing that every kid of the era surely remembers, either fondly or with a pained expression. That’s right, we're talking about Toughskins.

Underoos

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After eons of wearing simple white undergarments, something magical occurred in 1978 that would forever transform an underwear-wearing kid into a hero among mere mortals. Soon, herds of kids that wouldn’t have been caught dead displaying their skivvies in public were proudly displaying them for all to see. From under-dressed tot to Aquaman in a single bound, kids were transported into a wonderfully fun world of make-believe, thanks to a little fashion innovation lovingly known as Underoos. Let's take a look back at perhaps the most fondly remembered underwear of all time.

Alligator Shirts

Punky Brewster

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Only the most hardened heart could refuse to soften a little when faced with a little orphaned girl. Just ask Annie, just ask Pippi, just ask Heidi. Now, put a spunky and self-confident little orphan alongside a cantankerous old codger, an odd couple if there ever was one, and you have a recipe for heart-string tugging like no other. Such was the power of Punky Brewster.

Mohawks

Keds

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As any parent can attest, a kid’s energy knows no bounds and, as a result, if their footwear isn’t up to the task, it can be decimated quickly from the rigors of playtime. In fact, way back in the 1800s, kids didn’t even have shoes for play, only those of the leather variety, which were considered their “good shoes” – ones that they were expected to keep in good condition. If only there was some form of footwear that they could play in, and get as dirty as they wanted without the scorn of a parent’s watchful eye, all would truly be right in the world. Their shoe saviors were a company called Keds, who have been providing footwear for active kids and adults for over a century now.

Mood Rings

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During the mid-70s, it was no longer necessary to wear your emotions on your sleeve; any appendage would do! Science and marketing merged to unleash one of the biggest fads of all time, the mood ring. Soon, everyone and their mother seemed to be wearing one of these jewelry accessories on their finger, making it easy for the bystander (if the ads were to be believed, at least) to tell what the other person was feeling.

Mr. Zog’s Sex Wax

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Is there any doubt that sex sells, not just a little, but really, really well? Well, if you remain unconvinced sit back and listen to the tale of a man who sold boatloads of innocuous surfboard wax and warehouses full of tee-shirts to millions of kids across America, many of whom didn’t even own surfboards – simply by throwing that provocative three-lettered word in the name of his product.