The Glory Days
When you look back at photos of your teenage self, do you wince or wish for the good old days? Chances are that you do a little bit of both. For a lot of people, teenage years are the first chance they really have to express themselves and develop their own personal style, leading to some pretty interesting fashion choices.
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1. 1900s-1920s: Mini-Mes
This is a huge oversimplification, but the concept of a teenager didn't really exist at the turn of the century! Young people went from being children to adults with very little wiggle room. Teenage fashion was basically a smaller version of whatever adults wore, albeit less restrictive and elaborate.
2. 1920s: Flappers
The 1920s saw the first real teen movement of the century with the rise of the flapper girls, so named because their long hair flapped against their back. Flappers quickly grew away from that image, bobbing their hair, rolling their stockings to expose painted knees, and using vulgar slang.
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3. 1940s: Bobby-Soxers
Teens grew more prominent in society by the 1940s, so advertisers began seeing them as potential consumers. Bobby-soxers wore fuzzy sweaters, saddle shoes, and socks rolled down to the ankles. Bobby-soxers were also among the first big music subcultures—worshiping Frank Sinatra.
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4. 1940s: Hepcats
This teen movement also went by the term "hipster", but we used the other name to avoid confusion later on in this list. Like the bobby-soxers, hepcats were a music-based movement, this time for jazz and bepop. Hepcats took their style inspo from Cab Calloway, sporting zoot suits, fedoras, and conk hairstyles.
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5. 1950s: Greasers
Disillusioned by post-war pop culture, working-class greasers emerged from motorcycle clubs and street gangs of the 1940s. Greaser clothing was easily-attainable and somewhat risque. Boys sported white t-shirts, blue jeans, and leather jackets to go along with their bad-boy image.
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6. 1950s: Ivies
In contrast to working-class greasers, upper-class teenagers dressed for Ivy League success. Ivy League style took cues from sporting and formal attire from the British upper classes with sweater vests, sport coats, and penny loafers. Though Ivy League still was more formal than greaser style, it still aspired to be casual.
7. 1950s: Beatniks
Beatniks came to prominence in the late 1940s and lasted all the way to the mid-1960s, but they were at their peak in the '50s. Beatniks were arty, spiritual, and deep into counterculture, listening to poetry accompanied by bongos, and taking experimental drugs. Beatniks of all genders were stereotyped as wearing slinky black clothes, berets, and sunglasses.
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8. 1960s: Hippies
Eventually, beatniks mellowed out into hippies fighting for peace and love. Hippie fashion was psychedelic and comfy, combining colorful patterns with natural fabrics. While previous styles took inspiration from other cultures, hippie fashion truly embraced multiculturalism, taking inspiration from the traditional clothing of India, Bali, and Morocco.
9. 1960s: Soul Surfers
As surf rock exploded onto the scene in the early 1960s, even teens in landlocked states began to dream of the ocean. Somewhat confusingly, teens dressed not in board shorts or aloha shirts but in plaid jackets and UGG boots. This was because they were emulating surf rock bands such as the Beach Boys.
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10. 1970s: Teddy Boys
The Teddy boy subculture actually flourished in the 1950s, but due to the nature of trend cycles, this teen movement came back with a vengeance twenty years later. Teddy boys wore an old-meets-new style which combined contemporary rock and roll with Edwardian dandyism. Teddy boy style involved creeper shoes, slim pants, and pompadoured hair.
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11. 1970s: Punks
No discussion of youth fashion would be complete without punks! For teens with little disposable income and disapproving parents, the DIY style of punk ethos was the best way to stick it to the man. Punk fashion was anti-materialist, taking clothes from second-hand shops or dusty old attics and giving them new lives. Core pieces included leather jackets, safety pins, and Doc Martens.
12. 1980s: Preps
Preppy style never left, but, with the rise of so many subcultures in the '70s and '80s, it was definitely the safest. Higher-end brands such as Izod, Brooks Brothers, and Ralph Lauren provided the uniform for these upper-crust kids. Wealth was flaunted in khakis, turtlenecks, and boat shoes.
13. 1980s: Skaters
Skate punk fashion reached its apex in the 1980s inspired by the likes of Tony Hawk. Unlike other music or punk-based subcultures, skaters preferred sportswear to avant-garde fashion, and understandably so. Skate fashion could take a beating with baseball caps, baggy pants, and Vans sneakers.
14. 1990s: Goths
Goth fashion appeared in the previous decade, but really took off in the 1990s, especially for teen girls. With films like The Craft, Edward Scissorhands and The Addams Family, goth influences were everywhere. '90s goth fashion was somewhat dreamy and romantic, taking inspiration from history and literature and giving it an edge with black lipstick, miniskirts, and corsets.
15. 1990s: Normies
Preppy style truly was and is inescapable, but it was perhaps most prevalent in the clean-cut '90s. Mainstay brands and items remained, while others grew oversized. Perhaps the iconic normie outfit of the '90s was an oversized sweater atop a turtleneck, with leggings and sneakers.
16. 2000s: Emos
In the 2000s, emo kids were outcasts—and they were proud of it. Identified by t-shirts swearing their allegiance to bands like Fall Out Boy and My Chemical Romance, and hoodies with finger-holes bored into the cuffs, emo kids were all about big feelings.
17. 2000s: Hip Hoppers
Of all the youth subcultures, hip-hop was probably the most popular by far. Even for wealthy white kids, the quiet luxury of preppy fashion was out, and the conspicuous consumption of the hip-hop scene was in. Jeans reached never-before-seen widths while paired with Nike sneakers and trucker hats.
18. 2010s: Scene Kids
Often conflated with emos, scene kids blended indie sleaze with indie pop. The look is unforgettable: hair teased at the top and flat-ironed within an inch of its life, cartoon accessories, and painted-on skinny jeans. Scene kids were simplistically referred to as "happy emos".
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19. 2010s: Hipsters
Drenched in irony (and post-irony), hipsters liked everything you like before it was cool and weren't shy about saying so. Everything old was new; grandparents' closets were raided for chunky sweaters and vintage eyeglasses, paired with jean shorts and Converse. And, if it wasn't vintage, hipsters would take things into their own hands and make clothes themselves.
20. 2020s: E-Kids
Since the beginning of a now decade, there have been so many teen fashion trends that they could fill a whole list. However e-kids were among the first to welcome in the new decade with their androgynous fashion, which took cues from emo and Harajuku styles. E-kid style has mostly fallen out of favor now, but the split-dye hair and striped turtlenecks will live on for forever.
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