Posts Tagged ‘JNCO’

Something Retro – Though Not Gamer

Hello everybody! I am actually at a pause before my next teaching session so I have a little free time. I hope to use it to play and review an old Sega Genesis game like Phantasy Star but I am not sure which one yet. Keep your eyes open for the review. In the meantime, I wanted to share something fun with you all that I picked up while browsing the interwebs.

I love watching the Fine Brothers’ videos because they always have some fun takes on popular culture. As far as I can recall, this is one of the first times I have seen them focus on a retro topic – especially one as near and dear to me as JNCOs. I have not been shy about admitting that I am a child from Generation X. I grew up playing Nintendo, watching SNICK (before the dumb “Club Nick Days”), loved MTV (back when it ACTUALLY SHOWED VIDEOS), had my fair share of Doc Martens (still do), flannels (my original is laying around somewhere), and of course… wearing JNCO jeans. Considering that JNCOs were so near and dear to my heart, I was not as pained as I thought I would be when I saw the teens reaction.

Let’s be honest, we didn’t NEED our jeans to be that big, that was not the point. When we wore these jeans, we felt like we had ample protection from whatever crazy issues we had to deal with as teens in the 90’s. I wore these jeans in almost all weather conditions and never felt like they were too hot or too cold. The pockets helped me keep my giant wallet with a chain on it (yes, I DID have one of those), it was lovingly referred to by my friends and family as “The Samsonite Wallet” and not only stored what little money I had but also served as a perfect weapon for whipping across a bully’s knees when the situation demanded it. I could store my cigarettes (thankfully I am an EX smoker now) and lighter in here and my teachers would never even know I had them on me – sure made it easy to grab a quick smoke between classes if I knew the path would be obscured from teachers or principals. I didn’t actually have a cellphone when I wore JNCOs, almost nobody did, but I could sure keep a TI-83 Calculator in there, a GameBoy (or other portable gaming device), and even my cordless phone when I was at the house. On at least 10 occasions, I placed an entire can of soda in those pockets. I have also placed Pop-Tarts, candy bars, napkins and (on a rare occasion) an entire jelly doughnut.  Ah! Those were the days!

The JNCO jeans had a few acceptable support items that you could wear with them. They included Doc Marten lace-ups (generally black or brown), AirWalks, Vans, and (for some) tennis shoes like Adidas and Nike. Shirts were usually simple T-shirts with some sort  of logo or graphic on them. I tended to wear band shirts (like 311, Insane Clown Posse, Kid Rock and others) or graphic tees such as my favorite shirt that was white with black collar and sleeve cuffs that simply said “Freak” on it. Oh, and let’s not forget the necklaces. Every dude had to have at least two necklaces at any given time. My favorite was my chain necklace that I fashioned out of a dog collar with large chain links connected in the back with three key rings and my dragon necklace which featured a cool chain and a sideways profile of a dragon. Occasionally I opted for an actual leather studded dog collar that was almost a choker but made me look freaking mean!

Okay, I have enjoyed my stroll down fashion memory lane! I hope you did as well. Beware that JNCOs are being brought back to the mainstream. Oh how I have waited for this day! I am first in line for the Stovepipes!

RGB Out!