High School Revisited: I Was a Graphic Tee(totaler)

Have you looked through your high school yearbook lately? If you haven't, don't. Trust me, it's not pretty.

I recently made this mistake when we moved into a new home and I decided that packing really meant stopping to try on every outfit, read every note, and look through every photo album. This also meant revisiting my high school yearbooks. GOLDMINE.

After wasting spending a few choice hours with my nose in a Jostens, all I can say about the fashion is this - Abercrombarf.

The late nineties introduced us to such wearable oddities as the overall dress, visors, platform sandals, spaghetti-strap tank tops, cargo shorts, cargo pants, cargo everything, the renaissance of the bucket hat and jean jacket, and the phenomenon simply known as the "graphic tee." I'm sure I'm forgetting others.


I wasn't totally immune to these styles. There are plenty of photos of me in my overalls, my long-sleeve Abercrombie & Fitch tees, my American Eagle tank tops. 


(However, there are more photos of me in tie-dye. So. . . I may not be the poster girl of Y2K teen trend.)

Aren't we lucky to now live in a time of lookbook.nu and Asos and J.Crew! 

Wait a second. Wait just a second.

What's that in the D. Creek credits, Seasons 1 and 2?

"Wardrobe by. . . J.Crew!"J.CREW?

Sacre bleu!

Is it possible that the same company that created arguably the best pair of jeans ever, dabbles in couture, and teams up with the likes of THE Sartorialist also outfitted the likes of Dawson and gang?

Granted it is a totally different world out there, one that's introduced a new species of narcissist called the Fashion Blogger, and one where I show up to church wearing the same outfit as the 14-year old girl I teach in Sunday School (and swallowing the hard truth that it looks better on her. Forever 28, more like it). 


Still. This is kind of shocking, J.Crew. I trusted you.

But people grow up, including my favorite East-Coasty wardober. And it's okay. I guess. Maybe these faux pas are necessary steps to greater clothing choices. And after all, who knew that Michelle Williams would graduate from Jen Lindley mohair sweaters and become probably the cutest-dressed female celeb out there. 

So, after spending waaay too long looking through my yearbooks, I had to be honest with myself in the end. One of the best things about these yearbooks, and D. Creek, is they are a reflection of that time.  I laughed and cringed at the gross jeans Joey wears and Dawson's uniform of short-sleeve shirt over t-shirt. But who am I to judge? I still wear tie-dye, and blouses that Jared says make me look like a cast member of Designing Women.

So learn your lesson, fashionistas -  don't be so smug about your current choices. Stop the photo-gloating of you in your newest and brightest. That J.Crew outfit you love so much may seem just as silly in ten years.

That Urban Outfitters outfit will certainly seem so.