Backpacks, pinafores, full-skirted party dresses – anyone else wear a lifetime of these as a kid? But, in trying to appear as a sensible career lady that doesn’t spend her day’s YouTube-ing cat funnies, have you also found yourself shunning the fun for suits, pencil skirts that make you walk like a penguin and 20 pairs of the same black cigarette pants? Yep, us too.
But fashion has been having quite a lot of fun recently, meaning we can all be kids again this summer. There was SpongeBob in all his yellow wonder at Moschino, Darth Vader at Preen and heck, even Chanel got in on the teenage streetwear action with its ‘supermarket sweep’ kitsch.
British designers like Henry Holland, Sophia Webster, Charlotte Olympia, Anya Hindmarch, Markus Lupfer and Yaz Bukley will transport you back to the kind of sparkly fun times you typically had as a kid – and how much do Ashish’s new LED Buffalos for Topshop remind you of your light-up trainers, aged 7?
So while we’re not suggesting you wear a tutu to the 9-5, a thrill could be found in a frilly ankle sock and sandal combo. Or you could make dungarees work for work, paired with a classic white shirt.
Pinafore dresses, scrunchies and cheesecloth nightie-style dresses can also all cater to your inner child this summer. And don’t forget your jelly shoes. The type of shoes that, with every glittery step, will make your heart feel younger.
One quick Pinterest search of ‘children’s fashion’ brings up an array of smiling faces in the coolest of kiddy trends. But it also raises an interesting irony: nowadays, 13-year-olds want to look 25 and 25-year-olds want to look 13.
Think of it another way: at 13 you probably wanted to look like Mary Kate and Ashley Olsen, circ their Nickelodeon TV Movies days, with a blazer and a 15-year-old boyfriend. Now, it's all about the retro Disney tees. And the rest. And we couldn’t be happier.
Vika Gazinskaya Top, £39 & Other Stories; Weird Tote Bag, £8.50 Lazy Oaf; Vintage Cartoon Sweatshirt, £20 Beyond Retro; Flamingo Camisole, £280 Moschino at Net-a-Porter
Follow Jenny on Twitter @jennybrownlees
This article originally appeared on The Debrief.