It’s all about…the 90’s !

When I was seven in the 90s, almost every child at my school (and no, I'm not prone to hyperbolising) was seized with a preoccupation for Pokemon cards or tamagotchi's that was so overwhelming, that to ever declare indifference towards the things was tantamount to walling oneself up in an impenetrable fort in the corner of the playground and declaring you were a social recluse. Now, thirteen years later, the allure of the the 90s is seizing to me again. Except this time in the form of a fashion I will actually, in this case, submit to.

Not long ago, designer Wayne Hemingway and a team of academics from the University of Wolverhampton confirmed that the early part of the decade, 1991-1992 (the period that saw 90210 become the most famous postcode in the world and Bryan Adams’ ('Everything I Do I Do It For You' spend 16 weeks at Number One), can now officially be classed as vintage as a result of the 20-year gap, reports the Telegraph. I feel old. Very old. But I suppose I should have probably seen it coming when wearing denim on denim was no longer a faux pas and instead a prevalent trend.

The 90’s was an era which was dominated by The Spice Girls, Friends and Saved by the Bell and with the reintroduction of the highwaisted, stonewash jeans and the crop top, could we also see the likes of the ‘Rachel’ hair cut and Addias sportswear, notoriously worn by Mel C ‘Sporty Spice’, (please god no) come back into trend?

The Best 90’s Trends

As the summer of 2012 signals the return of the 90s, designers are reworking the decade’s signature styles, from hip-hop to 90210...


Sneakers

 Platform sneakers were super impractical and girls all across the country stumbled through gym class in 5-inch platforms just so they could look like Baby Spice.

Denim Overalls 

Rachel from Friends always looked super cool in these back in the 90's...

High Waisted Denim Jeans 

Denim was all the rage throughout the '90s, but not in the way you think. The bigger and more colorful the jeans, the cooler they were. Baggy jeans, made famous by hip hop stars, and coloured jeans in red, green or indigo were seen on every '90s kid, along with the girls in the original 90210… (or Beverly Hills 90210, to give it its full title).

Butterfly Clips 

Very 90’s! I had so many of these tiny little things and they were a little bit of a pain and I always seemed to wear them out, but never return home with them in my hair. But they are cute all of the same.

Scrunchies 

As well as the butterfly clip, scrunchies also had their day in the '90's sun, but eventually became as outdated as shoulder pads or crimped hair.

July Wants #fashion

Topshop Embrllished Sleeveless Shirt,  £42

Newlook Pale Pink Voile Maxi Skirt, £14.90

Asos Magic Carpet Embroided Flat Shoes, £35.00

Topshop Honey Colour Block Sandals, £20.00

       

Topshop Opposite Stripe Shirt,  £36.00

American Apparel Lipgloss - En Pointe - £10.00

I absolutely love the maxi skirt trend this season, particularly the baby romantic pinks, mint and pastel colours. My 90’s fashion obsession is ever the more axiomatic with the collared shirts, (especially the blue opposite striped one) and the adorable embroided shoes.

Happy summer <3

Are we the nation of renters?

Rising rent prices mean graduates are staying at home after leaving university...

In the past, adults who lived with their parents into their twenties and beyond were often characterised as failures. But now, with well over a quarter of last year’s university graduates moving back home after graduating, this is no longer classed as unusual.

The introduction of tuition fees of up to £9,000 a year from September 2012 will increase the pressure on graduates even further, suggesting the number returning to the family home is likely to rise sharply.

According to recent figures, forty-one per cent of the three million adults living with their parents say they returned home after graduating to save money, while more than a third (34 per cent) did so because they were between jobs or further education.

While the majority (68%) of those moving back in with their parents are aged between 20-23 years old, it is not just the domain of younger people. As many as one in five (19%) are aged 24-27 years old, 7% 28-31 years old and 2% 32-35 years old. Furthermore, some 4% - equating to 196 thousand individuals - are aged 36 years or older when they move back.

Former University of Warwick graduate, Grace Coslett has admitted that she, along with the majority of her friends, have moved back in with their parents after graduating, despite being desperate move out and get their independence back.

“The current rental market is just so frustrating. I have come out of uni and am doing a job that I enjoy but is not very well paid while I decide whether or not to do a Masters.”

She continued: “It is lovely to be back at home with my family but at the same time it is annoying after having had the independence and freedom of living at uni. But realistically I can't afford to move out by myself so it is a case of saving and waiting. All my friends have to move home too – we just can’t afford it.”

Jess Pont, who studied music at Anglia Ruskin University, said that moving home after graduating last summer took some getting used to.

“After living away from home for the past few years, you become used to having your own independence and settling into your own lifestyle and routine. I definitely enjoyed living with friends and not having the pressures that sometimes living with parents brings.


I realise that it is strange for us now living at home again, because as we have become used to a different lifestyle, the same can be said for our parents, so it is an adaption on both our parts.”

Ina Mitskavets, Consumer and Lifestyles Analyst at Mintel, said:

"Poor job prospects and the rising cost of living means that living independently is increasingly out of reach for the UK’s young adults. Living back at home with mum and dad offers today’s Boomerangs an opportunity to live more comfortably than they might otherwise have done whilst also saving money and clearing some debts, with over half (56%) of the comeback kids saying they are financially better off as a result.”