In Retrospect: Style Flashback 2011

The current 90s revival has kicked my nostalgia into high gear again. To be fair, it doesn’t take much to do that. If something like immutable character traits exist, susceptibility to nostalgia is surely one of mine. Indeed, I consider it one of the most important milestones of my personal growth that I have reached a stage where the pleasure in looking to the possibilities of what is to come neatly balances the pleasure in looking back at what already came to pass; for most of my life, the uncertain thrills of the future seemed but poor competition to the established delights of the past. But I digress – digression also being something of an immutable trait of mine 😉 With all this sartorial nostalgia floating about, I was struck by a thought: wouldn’t it be cool to look back on what I actually wore in, say, 2000-2004 and compare it to what I’m wearing now, influenced by my memories and ideas of that time?

It would be SO cool.

Sadly, that’s all this thought was destined to be: a cool idea. The concept of photographically documenting one’s daily outfits (as a non-celebrity) is a progeny of smartphones and fashion blogs, neither of which yet existed back in 2000. Sure, I have photos of myself from before 2010, but they were usually taken on special occasions and rarely focused on what I was wearing. So, goodbye, cool idea.

However, I hate giving up. Settling for “something vaguely similar” is, in this case, a preferred alternative. And that’s how we end up here, with this post. In lieu of 2000, I present you 2011 and the beginnings of my fashion blogger era.

I chose a sampling of outfits that felt accurately representative of what I was wearing in 2011. Obviously, the 90s did not figure strongly (or at all) in my sartorial inspiration at the time. It was too soon, for one thing. For another, I was in my “figuring out colours and proportions” phase. Well, to be honest, I was in my “figuring out fashion, period” phase. At a first glance, I would say that the middle outfit is closest to something I might wear today – though not in that exact silhouette. Indeed, I was rather pleased to see myself even wear brown 13 years ago; I had forgotten all about it, in the wake of the intervening corporate goth era (2017-2019).

That being said, most of the clothing I’m wearing in these outfits are things that, for one reason or another, I wouldn’t wear today. They include:

• Thin cardigans with cap sleeves
• Knee-length pencil skirts
• Low rise pants
• Baby-doll style tops
• Peep-toe shoes

The black shoes, white shirt, brown cardigan, and brown belt are items I would still wear today, if I still had them, which I don’t. I would also wear those jeans, were it not for the almost-certain fact that they were low-rise, just like the black pants. I do like the bootcut style, which is all the proof you need that denim silhouettes are eternally cyclical. The leather jacket is almost another “yes”, but the ruched collar frill thing kinda ruins the vibe for me.

Can we just take a moment to appreciate how god-awful low-rise pants look on me? Visually, they cut my body in half, as perfectly illustrated in the middle outfit. I’m sad to say, the relevance of the fact I have a long torso and short legs remained lost on me for almost another decade.

Anyway, I thought it would be interesting to compare each of these outfits to a current-day equivalent.

The main difference here is silhouette and proportions. Longer hemlines and a higher waist help me to achieve an impression of (extra) height, which I appreciate. You will also note that the sleeves in the current outfit, while still short, are different. The triangular effect they create on the top half of the outfit nicely balances the fluted silhouette of the skirt. Most of this stuff is, of course, a question of preference not objective value. I’m not here to rain on your pencil-skirt-loving parade.

Once again, it’s a question of silhouette and proportions. The pants are higher-waisted and have a menswear-inspired pleated cut. The shoes are also more masculine in style, and chunkier. Also, the current outfit offers a juxtaposition of vibes – casual chambray with preppy corduroy blazer – that makes it more interesting, imo, than the 2011 version.

In some ways, this side-by-side offers the least jarring contrast. Sure, my current jeans have a wider leg and higher rise but, to my eye, it’s a difference that whispers rather than screams. The proportions of the jackets are surprisingly similar. Obviously, it’s the tucked-in shirt that represents the biggest difference. The baby-doll top is probably the piece that feels the most “dated” (i.e. of its time) but, ironically, is probably closest to making a comeback as the fashion trend cycle continues to churn, getting ever closer to the late 2000s as a source of inspiration.

Well, that’s it. If you thought this post was building up to an interesting thesis of some sort, sorry to disappoint. Like a lot of nostalgic exercises, this one offers no special insights, its sole reward being the pleasure of remembering what was, and marvelling how different it has since become.

Let’s do it again, yeah?