Parachute Pants-Nylon and Nostalgia: A Gen X Fashion Retrospective

A Parachute Pants Story We were the latchkey kids, the generation that grew up with divorced parents and MTV. We were the first generation to come of age in the age of the internet and cable TV, and we were bombarded with more information and entertainment than any generation before us. But we were also a resourceful and independent bunch. We had to be.  Our parents were too busy working to hold our hands through life.  So we learned to fend for ourselves. We rode our bikes everywhere, unsupervised, and played outside until the streetlights came on.  We made up our own games, told our own stories, and created our own fun. And we did it all while rocking some seriously awesome parachute pants. Oh, those pants. The silky feel of the nylon against my skin, the satisfying whooshing sound they made when I walked, the way they billowed out when I moved.  They were like wearing a giant pair of pajamas in public, and they were glorious. I remember begging my mom to buy me a pair at the mall.  We finally found them at Chess King, nestled amongst the Members Only jackets and skinny ties.  They were electric blue, with a zippered pocket on each leg, and I thought they were the coolest things I'd ever seen.  I wore those pants everywhere. To school, to the mall (of course), even to church.   I even wore them to my first concert. It was Def Leppard, and I was determined to look my best.  I paired my blue parachute pants with a white Members Only jacket, a neon pink tank top, and my white Reebok high-tops. I thought I was the coolest kid in the entire arena. I'm sure my mom cringed when she saw me, but I didn't care. I was rocking my parachute pants, and I was invincible. We didn’t have it easy, us Gen Xers. We were the original latchkey kids, growing up in the shadow of the Cold War and the threat of nuclear annihilation. We were the guinea pigs for things like divorce, AIDS, and the crack epidemic. But we also had parachute pants. And for a while, at least, that was enough.  They were a symbol of our generation.  A generation that was comfortable being different. A generation that wasn't afraid to take risks.  Of course, like all trends, the parachute pants craze eventually died down. By the late 80s, everyone had moved on to acid-wash jeans and neon windbreakers.  But for a brief, shining moment, parachute pants were the uniform of a generation.  And I, for one, will never forget them.  Or the feeling of freedom they gave me.  Make sure to hit subscribe and never miss another deep dive into the culture of the 80s and 90s. #parachutepants #hammerpants #nylon #80's #genx