Why does it seem like the trends from decades past recycle every 30 years or so?
Now, I have only lived in 4 decades, but in that short time I have seen the same basic trends come and go. Bell bottoms became flared bottoms. Bootie shorts became daisy duke’s. Platform shoes come and go, neon and off the shoulder shirts are coming back in. Long hair on guys is fashionable again and the punk look has always been the same. Feathered hair, shoulder pads, skinny jeans…
Are we just out of ideas? Is there really nothing new out there? For those of you who have lived in a few more decades than I, has it been this way since you can remember, or is this a more contemporary thing?
Observing members:
0
Composing members:
0
24 Answers
Because history is the story of mans actions, and it tend to repeat itself.
i always wonder the same thing. i feel like nothing new – in terms of fashion at least – ever changes. same old, same old. i prefer older clothes to new stuff for the most part, though. so it’s not a big issue to me. (:
Because they do. Most things in popular culture are cyclical.
“It’s all just another case of history repeating…”
The Propellorheads (Featuring Shirley Basie!)
There’s nothing new under the sun…
Fashions recycle in 20–25 year periods. It wasn’t long ago that 70’s retro aesthetics were very popular.
As a costumer, I can assure there is a progression of fashions. For instance, men no longer wear lace on their sleeves, colars and shirt fronts, exclusively, yet some do. Most men no longer wear the tunics and tights that were once popular. You seldom see cod pieces, or wimples. Women wearing men’s clothing, and men wearing women’s clothing continues from century to century, but switches back and forth between gowns and pants.
I for one would LOVE to see codpieces come back into style.
I love when my daughter thinks some trend is so cutting edge and new. I whip out a picture and show her what I was wearing, a couple decades ago and she groans. That’s right…momma beat her to it!
@loser you gotta send me a picture!
Then why doesn’t this come back? Nor this? Nor even THIS?
When will the age of poofy wigs and fancy clothes come back?! Whhheeeenn?!?!?!
@Saturated_Brain Good GRAVY man! I would trip and fall flat on my face if I had to wear one of those dresses! I am a jeans kind of woman!
@Saturated_Brain hey, I’ll wear the dress, you wear the tights and frills. I’ll still fall flat on my face! laughing!
Because they will always be remembered. They just run out of ideas for new trends so they just take the old and make it into new and that is how it just works. When you run out of ideas for something you just check out the old stuff to get some ideas and you’d make some new idea with the old ideas or such ya know? That is just how life works, everything gets recycled back in a way, like dejavu or so, or im just wrong
There’s nothing new anymore, it’s all taken from past trends and sometimes meshed together. I think that’s just how it is.
There was a older, stylish woman at one of my jobs who once told me, “Dear, if you remember wearing a style as a teenager, don’t wear it again when it comes back around, you’re too old for it then.”
Frankly, I have ignored that advice to a great extent. If I looked my actual age, I’d probably take her advice more seriously. However, I heard harem pants are back. I didn’t wear them in the 90s and I certainly won’t go for a pair now!
hey dude I’m all about 60s culture and such, but they can keep their fucking tie-dye….
I think it’s a law buried somewhere deep in the arcania of just about every legal system on earth. Section 35, subsection 4, article 5, paragraphs 14–36, in the US legal code. I think if you look hard enough, there’s something about that in the Bible, too.
Why haven’t togas come back? Why?
Because the people in charge of the trends have no fucking imagination!~
Answer this question 
This question is in the General Section. Responses must be helpful and on-topic.
Composing members:
0
