While home, I discovered that my mom has been making some serious headway on scanning all of her rooms full of photos (seriously, in the old house, she had a back “wing” dedicated solely to cataloging; when she designed her new pad, she included a sweet craft room in the design). She’s up to the early 90′s now, and I think the following evidence demonstrates why I have appropriately wiped this three-year time period (otherwise known as The Awkward Years) from my memory. I also swore SVV would never see these, but what the heck, now I’m posting for all of the Internet to witness. While I think my sense of style has evolved — just slightly — in the past decade and a half, there’s something gratifying about seeing how far you’ve come (not that it would be possible to digress any further from where I began, but still). Please refrain from comments about my platinum hair (au natural, from a life poolside).
Really, Kristin? What kind of troubled teen hippie look were you going for here?
Denim on denim = Awesome. Apparently, no one ever told me the Canadian Tuxedo look wasn’t cool. This was on the first day of seventh grade. And I wondered then why I never had boyfriends…
All sorts of WOW going on in this pic from all parties involved. Seventh grade winter dance. Notice none of us, curiously, had dates.
I assure you I couldn’t name a single Grateful Dead song at this time. This was in the midst of my tye-dye obsession. And that CD right there was Matchbox 20′s first album. All kinds of coolness. I also got my braces on this day, my 13th birthday. Great present, parents.
Pairing it with overalls, tennis shoes, and Chip and Dale make it all the better.
I’d like to point out that I’m not the only one in this photo wearing socks with sandals.
I was all about some overalls. The hair dye was in theme of the fall Halloween fest above…why I found this “festive,” I still don’t really know.
Oh, flannel. So unflattering, yet so comfortable.
Then, there were the matching years, in which my mom felt the need to dress my six-years-my-junior sister and me in the same ensembles.
Easter Sunday, earlier 90′s than the above, first go with braces, the beginning of the Headband Revelation. Someone please shed some light on why we wore socks with EVERYTHING back in the 80′s and 90′s…or was that just me???
At Nashville’s Parthenon, with France-Lise, one of the many exchange students we hosted, in one of the 718 Kelly’s Kid dresses our mother put on our helpless bodies.
Fifteen years later and the sailor trend is back in — perhaps I should revive this look. Pictured in Orlando with my namesake, Kristin Leigh Lynch.
I still rock the headbands, though now they lay just a bit flatter on my head. How do you like the panache for matching I possessed back in the day?
Aaaaaand the Looney Tunes fixation. Exhibit I…
II…
…and III.
More ridiculousness to come as my mom delves even further into my past.
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you are a brave brave woman but I hate to point out – the 90s coming back – has already happened. I seem to be seeing a lot of “cool” people sporting the flannel which I specifically remember being cool around 1993. You yourself are sporting a nice shirt above. Yup. 90s. Sorry.
Oh, overalls. I do not miss you one damn bit. (I’m just glad to see that you wore them as intended and not with one strap off your shoulder)
MORE MORE MORE!
hahahahah — these are classic! no worries, we ALL had the same, sad outfits. but mine were all XL boy T-shirts. really?! yes.
I love the pics of you and your sister. Two peas in a pod.
AAHHHAHAHHAHAHHA! I loved every minute of this. My favorite was your Grateful Dead period, as I also went through one (but mine was because I’d heard Sean talking about them the first time I met him, SO I WAS TRYING TO IMPRESS HIM.) The little girl I babysat for stole her dad’s Grateful Dead tape (!) for me out of his Audi (he was a cool dad, kind of hot too now that I think about it) and I listened to it all the time — I still have it! Never had the shirt though. What a shame we didn’t know each other then — I could have borrowed yours.
(PS: ALSO HAD THE DENIM OVERALLS. WTF WAS UP WITH THOSE?)
This. was. amazing. and you are big person for sharing them. I looked nearly identical at this age BUT I had an ANDROGYNOUS haircut. I was trying to older and somehow that translated into a gender-neutral bowl cut.
I really can’t even dwell on it too long without shuddering.
Oh, wow. Hilarious. I too, had almost every one of those outfits. I remember being WAY jealous of that Grateful Dead shirt that one of my friends at camp owned. I was thinking it might be a middle TN thing (I’m from Nashville) but I see the other commenters also experienced each of those trends. One of my friends was discussing the flannel obsession with me yesterday, in fact, and we both remembered wearing flannel shirts OVER tie-dye….ever pull off that combo?
Seriously, what was up with the floral prints? I have photos just like the one in your seventh grade dance with ALL OF US in some sort of floral print. That was when the spaghetti strap floral dress with the white t-shirt underneath look was all the rage.
Also, I need to buy a scanner.
Thanks for the shout out! I’m glad to know that other people went through these same phases and not just us T-towners. Definitely had several pairs of overalls, tie dye shirts, and my mom made me I don’t know how many pairs of Looney Tunes shorts with matching appliques sewn onto t-shirts. I even wore those to basketball practice! What was I thinking! Luckily, I didn’t have a younger sister to do the whole matching thing. I remember that you even had matching swim suits! Can’t wait for more pictures. I’m sure you have some really hilariuos ones of me!
I am frightened because not only did I have that exact same skirt you are wearing in the first picture…I also had a flannel shirt that was EERILY similar to yours. Ahhh, memories.
My stepmom dressed my sister, who is nine years younger than me, and I the same. We had matching floral Esprit dresses and I remember pouting about the fact that we matched and my stemom saying “But they are Esprit! They’re cool!”
And I also went through an overall phase. And a Looney Tunes phase. During that one my stepmom bought me denim cutoffs (that were totally booty shorts and way inappropriate for people my age) with Sylvester the cat on the back pocket. As soon as I took them out of my suitcase, my mom threw them away. Thank god she had some common sense.
OMG, I so just relived my horrifying awkward stage through this post. I wore the same hideous floral long skirts, the jean short overalls and the Grateful Dead shirts (I had no idea who the hell they were). Where I have you beat is that I had a horrible perm, bad acne, braces too and rocked hot pink scrunchie socks with black stirrup pants. Needless to say, those pics are locked away.
this is the VERY best post ever…because i, too, have worn many of these. MANY of them..
I love how you and your seventh grade girlfriends all look like little secretaries on your way to the dance. Priceless!
I think everyone is glad the decade they grew up in is not around anymore but I loved the 90s. save by the bell!!!! snap braclets!!! 90210!!! nirvana!!!
Oh yes. The matching dresses. I am eight years my sister’s junior and our mother did this. Except in our case, the dresses show up in pictures over the course of a few years, each year progressively tighter, shorter and more hilarious looking!
I love me some classic photos. Here’s hoping the “Canadian Tuxedo” doesn’t make a comeback…
Oh, the overall shorts! And the long floral skirts! How I don’t miss you!
Looking at pictures like this reminds me why I’m always so shocked when I see the little 13-year-old tramplets out there. When we were that age we were covered in ACRES of fabric. NOW GO HOME AND CHANGE, YOUNG LADY!
Hello!
I just started reading your blog through Laura’s Sparkly To Single blog and love it! I see you read my Love Actually moment! That movie is sooo awesome! I have am such a travel bug whenever I know I have money and time, I just try to go! And what I can’t do at the moment, it’s def in my mind to get the courage and do someday! So, wow, the 90′s what an awkward era for fashion, music and the likes! huh?
Wanted to ask too, how did you get into the job you have now? I am doing a career change into teaching after feeling like the media business didn’t fit in too well with my chameleon type ways in writing and expressing myself. I don’t know if that make sense…or I’m just not pushy enough to get editors to read my stuff or thoughts.. Have any hints or info or know of any way I can travel, write and get paid…let me know ;o)
oh.my.god. awesome. hands down awesome. and yes! overalls! and LOONEY TOONS! it was super popular to make drawstring bags in home ec using looney toon fabric. it was all the rage.
What I’m really digging is the dark nail polish showing up in several of the pictures.
Kristin, these are hilarious! Mary Lambeth was tiny and no surprise, Sandy never had an awkward stage!
Oh my gosh — are you ME? I think I had the exact same wardrobe. I KNOW I had those Daffy Duck shorts or whatever he is. We won’t talk about the silk button-up shirts I wore with vests.
I’m 26 and apparently had cold feet in the 80s and 90s as well because there were always socks! I went through a phase where i only wanted to wear dresses but my mother thought I’d be cold and would make me wear pants underneath. Not tights, no, jeans, sweatpants, any kind of pants would do.
And the overalls? Oh my, I think I must’ve thought looking like a scarecrow would be awesome when I was around 8 – imagine denim overalls – long pants version and a flannel shirt and frizzy hair.
I love these! When I was 14! my Mom mistakenly bought me a Tweety Bird night shirt for my Christmas PJ’s (every Christmas Eve we open a pair of PJ’s), instead of the SUPER COOL Paul Frank PJ’s I asked for. I burst into tears and ran upstairs. Looney Toones, outside of their time can be a VERY tramatic thing for a teenager. Also, night shirts are tramatic.:)