Styled Out: Revisiting the '90s

I've been kind of alluding to the fact lately, but the strong influx of the '90s has been brewing and now it's being served up, right into our wardrobes. These past few weeks I've been pondering if a) how into it I actually am and b) do I want to be more like Darlene Conner or Blossom Russo? This is totally personal preference and deserves a proper pros-and-cons debate in order for everyone to make the right decision.

Blossom: Nerd at heart but in her day her hats were the epitome of cool and her suspenders and Keds were out of this world. She was known for her brightly colored ensembles and interesting combinations of vest and baggy shorts and the occasional floral print frock.

While riding the bus last week, I almost lost my mind and did a double take after Blossom's doppelganger boarded. She was a clean version of the teen queen in a black pleated knee length skirt with animated yellow and red roses scattered across it. A white short-sleeved button-up top with gold buttons and an extremely tailored color was tucked into it. She topped it off with "softly" pointed-toe black flats that had a small buckle across the toe.

I cried, I laughed, I warred with myself. Was this the version I wanted to mimic as she had? It seemed so pristine. And those hats would definitely have to stay hanging on the hook, it would be taking it too far if I threw that in my 2009 version of the sitcom.

My mind was off and reeling to my tween and teen crush of that raven haired sass-mouth, Darlene. Growing up she seemed so nearby, I mean Lanford couldn't be too far from Chicago, she went to arts school here, for crying out loud. I wanted to be her best friend that made out with her after we drank some peppermint schnapps on the sly at The Lanford Lunchbox.

Darlene wore tons of flannel and plaid as well as embraced the entirely black outfits that are becoming so popular this fall. She was the definition of teen angst (as briefly addressed last week) and I kind of wanted to either be her or date her. Ripped up jeans are also heavy in the forecast this autumn and we know that Darlene practically lived in over sized, torn-up denim.

I guess for me the perfect solution is a straight up Blossom/Darlene cocktail. Flower power vest paired with a black sport jacket and skinny jeans with a perfectly calculated tear at the knee and I think it just might be the winning combination I've been trying to formulate in my head. The recurrence of any decade in the here and now is to be handled gently and with care- pepper it in, people because anything that is a total copy cat of the era will inevitably inspire a Joey Lawrence "Whoa!" moment, and not the good kind.

A detail or two from the fashion icons of prime time in day's of old are to be incorporated: Don't be a constant rerun. Use your good judgment and take a cue here and there. If it's obviously an early '90s overload to you, it is to everyone else.

Are you going to revisit a favorite episode?