We all knew they'd make a comeback. Everything comes back. I think, there for a minute, Scrunchies even tried to crawl up that hill of really awful fashion statements from whence they were tossed to make their way back into our lives. I tried to re-embrace my Scrunchie power, remembering how well they used to go with my side-tied shirts and mismatched neon socks, but the scrunch really clashed with my Pog collection.
By the way, I'm talking about fanny packs.
Fanny packs are the perfect hands-free way to tote things with you. iPhone, lipstick, entirely overpopulated keyring, 12 bucks, and you're ready for a night of Sinkin' and Swimmin'. Or, if that's not your thing, they make a really excellent treasure-hunting pouch for beach walks. Lemme show you some cool ones.
Firrrrst, the San Pancho Satchel. Hailing from one of my personal favorite cities, Asheville, North Carolina, BowandArrowApparel has designed a really fantastic and functional pack for your fannies. Not only is it cute, it holds a ton of stuff. Shop owner, Anna Toth, boasts that "it carries my planner, phone, keys, water bottle, wallet, an apple and even a sheet to sit on." Impressive! Each bag differs slightly and is unique and one of a kind so it's a fun little surprise for you when you open your mailbox.
If the bulk of the fanny pack isn't for you, you may dig what this next shop puts out. PopRockThreads out of San Diego produces what they call the "hip bag" saying it is "a sleeker take on the fanny pack that makes convenience stylish." No arguments here! Basically, ya know when you go to an antique store or somewhere where things tend to be a bit thrown about and you have the potential to suddenly owe a shop owner a week's work of pay with one fast sweep of your gigantic bag and it causes slight stress throughout the whole venture? You don't have to worry about that with this pack. Hands free and worry free. They come studded, splattered, snakeskinned, plain, and my personal fave: bleached. Grab one and enter your next cluttered environment with no fear!
This article appears in Nov 3-9, 2011.