Accessory excess
Fashionable extras that quickly lost their luster
By Katie Schmitt
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Most of us looked awkward enough decked out in stretch pants, neon, acid-washed denim and/or tight black Guess jeans back in our childhood years, but usually we added to the fashion chaos by adding odd accessories. Here are a few of the short-lived worst.
Snap/Slap bracelets
The snap/slap bracelet, which came in a wide variety of colors and patterns, was a thin strip about six inches long and one inch wide that one would slap on his or her wrist and it would wrap around it, becoming a bracelet. They were immensely popular with children in the 1990s, mostly because something about slapping these bracelets on their wrists, desks, and unsuspecting children was fun.
The original Slap Wrap brand sold for $2.50 each and led in the overall $20 million sales the bracelets produced. The fun came to a screeching halt after some children’s fingers were cut after the flexible metal band inside the bracelets came out. Most schools banned the bracelets after news of these injuries came out, and most retailers stopped carrying them.
Source: blogs.usatoday.com/gennext/2006/07/slapbracelets.html
Denim purses
Blue jeans went mainstream in the 1980s when designers made them fashionable and their popularity transferred to accessories like purses. The most popular style of denim purse had a long, wide shoulder strap and a puffy, zippered, acid-washed or bleach-patterned denim bag. Some were adorned with fringe, rhinestones or pockets or were even dyed pink or other colors besides the classic blue. They are still sold today, but who is buying them? Hopefully not you.
Source: lifeinitaly.com/fashion/blue-jeans.asp and liketotally80s.com/acid-washed-jeans.html
Fanny Packs
These are now a must-have only for unfashionable tourists, but back in the 1980s and early 1990s, they were accepted as handbag substitutes. The name doesn’t make sense, as they aren’t usually worn on the fanny and they are more of a pouch than a pack, but I guess the name “Belly Bags” wouldn’t have been as marketable.
Don’t wear these things any more. If you have to take so much with you that you need something to carry things in, wear pants with deep pockets or bring along a tote. If you insist that fanny packs are the best thing since shoulder pads, you better be wearing yours while hiking in a secluded forest.
Lee Press-On Nails
The commercials for these used to crack me and my sister up. We couldn’t understand why women wanted nails so long and so brightly colored that using one’s hands was nearly impossible. Oh, but they did want them. Their selling point was their ease of use — no glue was necessary to attach the nails, and women did not have to worry about chips or the color flaking off.
Still, without the glue to firmly affix the nails, some women had to endure embarrassing moments like losing a nail or two just from opening a soda. To view a commercial from 1985, visit ifilm.com/video/2731044?loomia_si=1
Jelly bracelets
Available in pretty much any color under the sun, the glittery and neon colors of these thin, rubbery bracelets were especially popular when they first came out in the early 1980s. The coolest way to wear them was in bunches on both wrists — the more bracelets, the better. Their popularity faded out within a few years, but recently made a comeback with teens, and the reason behind the revival of their popularity is rumored to be far from innocent.
In 2003, these bracelets made headlines as the word spread that they were allegedly being referred to as “sex bracelets.” Supposedly, the different colors represented different sexual acts and the bracelets were used as part of a game called “Snap.” How the game works: break a bracelet and you’ll receive the sexual act that color represents. Orange means a kiss, red equals a lap dance, blue is oral sex and black represents intercourse. Kids these days!
Source: cnn.com/2003/EDUCATION/12/10/sex.bracelet.ap/


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