Trends For The Week Of September 24, 2009

Nintendo 64

Although it was released over a decade ago in 1996, the Nintendo 64 is making a huge comeback with CU students. The classic gaming system seems to be taking the place of Xbox and PS3 games on students’ television screens everywhere with games like Mario Kart and Goldeneye 007 being amongst the popular choices. The gaming experience is not limited to any one gender, but a certain age range; that age being 18-25 year olds. The undercurrent pushing this trend is simply the fact that CU is made up of people who fall within this age range. They grew up during the rise and fall of the Nintendo 64, and many are bringing back the system they cherished so much during their childhoods. Children bore after the 90s grew up with a new age gaming experience and don’t understand the authenticity that lies within the classic 64-bit system. The trend is even being recognized by CU organizations, such as the one hosting the 96 hour sober weekend this month for September being Suicide Prevention Awareness Month. Any market dealing with vintage gaming systems and accessories will surely see some business coming their way, but the most popular way to acquire an N64 seems to be by making cash trades on craigslist.org.

Flat Brimmed Hats

Baseball caps with large, flat brims can be seen bobbing around campus on top of students’ heads these days on campus, on the hill and pretty much everywhere else. The trend has been catching on over the past couple of years and now the hats seem to be everywhere. Flat brimmed hats vary in color, size and what they represent. Anything from sports teams to band names to various cities can be seen being flaunted on the hats. Popular skaters and snowboarders along with ghetto fabulous wannabes are likely the undercurrent pushing this trend. They all wear the hats as a fashion statement to their style and steaz. The hat market should continue to flourish since the sales and presence of these hats do not seem to be going anywhere soon.

Converse All Star Shoes

Converse sneakers have been around for what seems like forever; however, their popularity has not. Both lo-tops and hi-tops are making a comeback these days with CU students around campus. The shoes come in various colors, including designs that can be customized by the consumer upon purchase. The throwback style is popular amongst both the male and female crowds here at CU and is not age limited. Faculty as well as their pupils are sporting the old school sneaks in class, and the style seems to be popular among many different cliques of students on campus because the shoes are vintage, youthful, and hip at the same time. The undercurrent pushing this trend is likely the vintage look that many people aspire to dress to these days. Also, I think the older generation sees the shoes being worn and remembers their youth when the shoes first made their debut. In wearing the shoes they are wearing a piece of their childhood. The market for these Converse shoes seems to be growing slowly, however, steadily. Its my opinion that if anyone ever desired to own a pair of Converse shoes they would have done so by now.

Summer Scarves

A usual winter time accessory has been a popular summer asset to many peoples' style this summer. The scarf can be seen being worn in 75+ degree weather on most days around CU's campus. Surprisingly (at least to me I suppose), the trend is not limited to the female gender. Although the girls dominate the style, male students can be seen wearing scarves, too. With so many different styles, designs and colors to choose from, its just another accessory to spice up one's outfit and stylize with the times. The undercurrent pushing this trend is unbeknownst to me; the only things I can think of that sparked it are 1) People like their winter scarves and wanted to carry over the accessory into the summer months, or 2) Celebrities are wearing scarves in the spotlight and the general population is following the trend set forth by their idols. Either way I expect the scarf trend to die down next summer due to people realizing its simply an unnecessary fashion statement.