2010 { Decade Rewound }

Thank GOD this decade is over. Good riddance! The 10 years encompassing my 20’s have been kind of shitty, in retrospect. I see this sentiment echoing throughout the Internet, so at the very least I know it’s not just me wearing the bitter pants.

Don’t get me wrong, a lot of great things happened in the last decade; technological advancements that have stoked our imaginations, our first POC as president. But the past 10 years have also been marked by tragedies of the greatest scale (9/11, Hurricane Katrina), a roller-coaster economy, quite possibly the shittiest president in history and, as most of you know, the death of many beloved notables. Including two Golden Girls.

San Francisco, NYE 2000. Jennifer Aniston hair. Probably the last time I went out for New Year’s.

Just a note, this post is in no way all-encompassing, I’ve been hammering away at it for a month so it’s a bit disjointed and likely missing A LOT of information.  I just wanted to get it posted on 1/1!

10 years ago, I was 20, single and in college at UCD. I was still in touch with most of my close friends from high school (that would be Andrea in the photo with me). I pretty much weighed the same and looked the same, although my style left something to be desired (I was wearing a one-shoulder velvet top with a matching coat from Ann Taylor that night…you don’t even want to know about the shoes). I was pretty happy, although I was in the midst of a 3 year boyless dry spell brought on by a depressive funk. It’s funny that when you’re young and have little worries in the way of looks you feel most insecure, isn’t it?

I turned 21 in 2000. My aunt and her partner flew me up to Seattle for a celebratory birthday dinner with my cousin (whose birthday is a few days after mine, on Halloween).  I remember what I was wearing!  A Nicole Miller top and Gap leather skirt.  I also remember that the skirt was a size 0, so maybe I am not quite the same weight…

Seattle, 2001. 21st birthday dinner, with my beautiful aunt who looks like Stockard Channing.

2001 was marked by September 11th. I was living at home as I was departing to travel abraod in the Spring and wanted to save money. I was taking an advanced economics course in summer school. My mom, who was at work, called my dad and I at around 5am, telling us to turn on the television. We tuned in, entirely confused and disoriented, and minutes later the first tower fell. I remember feeling as though time had crawled to a stop as my arms instinctively shot into the air, as if I could single-handedly prevent a 100-story building from falling, from 3000 miles away. I went to class, listening to NPR on the way in. About half the class was there and we all spoke quietly as our professor came in, apparently oblivious to what had happened a few hours prior. Someone spoke up and he sent us home.

In 2002 I headed off to London where I studied abroad. This turned out to be a pretty pivotal time for me, as I met most of my now closest friends (Carly, Leanne, Sunberri) while I was there. Oddly, we were not all that close while abroad, but struck up great friendships when we returned home. I also totally fell in love with my friend Ritz while in the UK. He had a girlfriend and I spent my entire time there crushing on him and attempting, in my totally lame and passive way, to seduce him. As a result, I did not hook up with any cute English boys. Lesson learned. Side note: I am still friends with Ritz and he is absolutely fabulous.

With my best friend from London, Lynnie, at Revolution. She now works for the DA’s office in LA. That top was a knock-off Marc Jacobs that I bought at Topshop. I still don’t know what happened to it, but I miss it.

Carly, Lynnie and I waiting for the bus near Hyde Park, with a very grumpy old man. My jeans were from Oasis and they LACED UP the front. Rock and roll.

Out in NYC and Sacramento with Carly, Sunni and Leanne.

2003 – 2006 were great, although volitile, years for me. I landed my “real” job as a visual merchandiser and all of my best girlfriends were still around. Lots of dancing, traveling, dating boys and generally acting up. I had a lot of freedom and there was a lot of self-discovery. I finally let go of needing to be “normal” and embraced my weirdness. There were also some…transgressions, which I won’t get into as my family reads this blog. Rest assured, I learned a lot about myself. And others. My awakenings happened in my mid-twenties.

With one of my most favorite girls in the world, Hana. NYC, 2003.

I traveled a lot to the east coast during this time, mostly to see my friend Hana, who lives in New York City. She and I met out here in CA. We both worked at a boutique while at UCD. She moved out here to study genetics at Stanford, but transfered to Davis. She’s crazy smart, and super fun. And she loves food. The moment we met she told me that I belonged in NYC, probably because I am pissy and monotone, not at all a Calfornia Girl. In any case, I’ve wanted to live in NYC since.

In late 2006 I met Todd at a pub during quiz night. I was sitting outside smoking when he approached me with his friend and we struck up a conversation. Yes, I remember what I was wearing: a pair of Diesel jeans with a rolled up hem, a Tahari coat, ballerina flats and my huge light pink pashmina that I still own after 10 years. We had our first date a few weeks later.

Todd bought a house in 2006, I moved in.

Todd in Tulum, Mexico, 2007.

Penny, first day at Mezzanine in Tulum, Mexico, 2007.

The last years of the decade have been a mixed bag, really. In 2008 two of my closest friends were married in California, to their same-sex partners. It was a brilliant time, but the vote on Prop 8 later in the year took the wind out of all of our sails a bit. I have a wonderful partner in Todd, I inherited a very sweet dog (my first!) and we adopted 2 cats, Harper and Frankie. I do, however, have some discomfort with my current domestic lifestyle, and I miss my freedom. Interestingly, this has nothing to do with Todd, as he gives me a lot of space. Rather, it’s because my friends have spread across the states, and my two remaining close friends who are nearby are married and it just becomes harder to see one another when you’re in a partnership.

Politics

I popped into vote in my first presidential election while on a run.  I voted for Gore and I was so excited.  I still have that “I Voted” sticker.  Apparently this was a skinny eyebrow phase.

2000 started with a huge thud as GWB was inaugurated into office. His two terms (he was reelected in 2004) were marred by significant tragedies (9/11 and Hurricane Katrina), recessions and job losses. The nation took steps back on countless issues, from women’s rights to privacy. Thankfully, us liberals were vindicated in 2008 with the election of Barack Obama. And, a woman also ran for office, making it quite far (I voted for HRC). The decade concluded with a House and Senate-approved healthcare reform bill, something our government has been working on for 50+ years.

Terrorism was a major dark cloud this past decade, the catalyst, of course, being 9/11. Fundamental Islamic terrorism was most notable, and sent the US and other western countries into an ambiguous war, but domestic terrorism also flared up during this time. From the Anthrax attacks of 2001 to the shooting at the Holocaust museum, home-grown terrorists were quite visible. Also of note: the mailbox pipe bomber, Beltway Sniper and the murder of abortion provider Dr. Tiller.

There were also deadly terrorist attacks in Bali (2002), Madrid (2004), London (2005) and Mumbai (2008).

Also in politics…

• Vladimir Putin elected president of Russia, twice.
• American Airlines flight crashes in Queens, soon after the 9/11 attacks.
• The European Union expands dramatically. But, sorry Turkey.
• The Pope dies.
• North Korea performs a nuclear test.

Economics

What a roller-coaster. In 2000 the dot-com bubble burst, sending the economy into a recession that was only worsened by the September 11th attacks the following year. Banks opened the floodgates around access to credit, allowing millions of people to overspend and invest, most notably in real estate. When the housing bubble began to burst in the middle part of the decade, property owners defaulted on their mortgages and credit cards were not paid. Many prominent banks failed, the government nationalized some and all credit but froze.

On the flip side, China and India emerged as monsters of economic and political growth. As such, the divide between the haves and the have-nots grew and both countries contributed hugely to the rise in greenhouse gasses. On a happier note, we all are able to get our jeans and picture frames for much cheaper.

Iceland went bankrupt and Wal-Mart continued its takeover of the retail world. Gas got super expensive and the first hybrid car was sold to the public. All hail the Prius!

Also in economics…

• Say hello to the Euro.
• Lehman Brothers files for bankrupcy.

Notable Natural Disasters

• 2003 European heatwave.
• 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake (tsunami).
• 2005 Hurricane Katrina.
• 2008 Sichuan earthquake.
• 2008 H1NI epidemic.

Social Networking, Blogs & The Web

Blogger and LiveJournal launched in 1999 but blogging really exploded in the past decade. Friendster launched in 2002, followed by Myspace in 2003. Facebook joined the party in the early part of 2004 and remains the most popular social networking site. YouTube launched in 2005 and Twitter came onto the scene in 2006. Jezebel launched in May of 2007, and I have been less productive ever since.

The Best Blogs of the Past Decade (According to Moi)

• Smitten Kitchen (Food)
• Jezebel (Lifestyle)
• Apartment Therapy (Design)
• AT The Kitchn (Food)
• decor8 & Design*Sponge(Design)
• Garance Doré/The Sartorialist/Jak & Jil (Street Style)
• Lottie + Doof (Food)
• ProBlogger (Blogging)
• Smashing Magazines (Design)

And many more…

Science & Technology

Let’s start with Apple, shall we? The venerable iPod was launched in October of 2001 (iTunes launched in January of the same year). Mac OS X came out in 2002 and is now on its 6th version, Snow Leopard. The rise of smartphones began with the Palm, then the Blackberry and, of course, the iPhone (launched January of 2007). With smartphones came extreme access and connectivity. Google took off as the go-to source for web searches (their IPO was in 2004) and Wikipedia, aka “The Free Encyclopedia” surfaced in 2001. Plug a search term into Google, and chances are one of the top 5 links will be provided by Wikipedia.

Almost all of us have ditched broadband and most of us probably buy our books (and our kitchen appliances) on Amazon. E-commerce is an incredibly important channel for every retailer.

Do you have a Gmail account yet? Are you still using your CD walkman? What about a flat screen, surely you have one of those?

In the sciences, Pluto lost its status as a planet (although I am stubborn and still insist that it is). We landed a rover on Mars, and developed the Large Hadron Collider. Global warming because a huge scientific and political issue.

Popular Culture

Two words. Perez Hilton. Our entertainment culture really went down the shitter in the past 10 years, and it only shows signs of getting worse. Celebrity obsession reached new frenzied heights, TMZ and its ilk ensure split-second (and often accurate) celebrity news and gossip and then there’s the reality shows. Remember the first season of The Real World? Well, neither do I, but its twenty-third season will begin on December 30th of this year. The relatively tame, and infinitely more interesting, early years of the reality genre have devolved into a train-wreck beyond anyone’s imagination.

Many celebrities died (see below) and the web became the biggest source for viewing media. Earlier in the decade, synthpop and electroclash were huge, hip hop was largely crappy and pop music seemed to take over the entire musical universe.

Also in pop culture…

• Video games (huge….HUGE).
• SATC.
• The Green Movement.
• Chef and foodie culture.
• Harry Potter.
  

Who We Lost

No doubt, this decade sucked for the younger generations, with losses like John Hughes, Michael Jackson and Heath Ledger. There were tragic, headline-grabbing deaths, such as Daniel Pearl and Laci Peterson. There were the deaths we knew were coming, as with Ted Kennedy, Patrick Swayze. Then there were the casualties of such catastrophic proportions (9.11, Katrina) that, years later, we still struggle to wrap our heads around the reality.

We lost two presidents (Reagan & Ford), a second Beatle (Harrison), two pivotal wine makers (Gallo & Mondavi), icons (Katharine Hepburn, Rosemary Clooney, Gregory Peck, Bob Hope, Marlon Brando, Janet Leigh, Johnny Carson, Don Knotts, Paul Newman) and historical figures (Rosa Parks). A few of my favorite character actors died, including Jerry Orbach, John Spencer and Sydney Pollack.

The fashion industry suffered great losses in the past decade, most notably three photographers, Herb Ritts, Richard Avedon and Helmut Newton. Of the designers, we lost Yves Saint Laurent, Geoffrey Beene, Gianfranco Ferrè and Liz Claiborne. It is, of course, always tragic when models die as they are so young. Most recently Daul Kim committed suicide in Paris, and in 2008 Ruslana Korshunova fell from an apartment building in NYC. Audrey Lindvall (sister of Angela) was struck and killed by a truck in 2006. South American model Ana Carolina Reston also died in 2006, from complications due to anorexia. Then of course there was Suzy Parker in 2003.

The death of Brad Renfro and Heath Ledger, within a week of one another in January of 2008, seemed to set off a shit storm of entertainment casualties; Roy Scheider, Sydney Pollack, George Carlin, Estelle Getty, Bernie Mac, Isaac Hayes, Paul Newman and Bettie Page were all gone by the end of that year. Natasha Richardson, Bea Arthur, Michael Jackson, Farrah Fawcett, Walter Cronkite, John Hughes, Don Hewitt, DJ AM, Patrick Swayze, Mary Travers and, most recently, Brittany Murphy, have all died in this past year.

I’ve compiled some names of those who have died in the past 10 years. This is by no means a complete list.

2000 – Charles Schulz (d. 2/12/00) and Edward Gorey (d. 4.15.00).

2001 – Katharine Graham (d. 7.17.01), Aaliyah (d. 8.25.01) and George Harrison (11.29.01). Then, of course, there was September 11th.

2002 – Daniel Pearl (d. 2.22.02), Joe Strummer (d. 12.22.02), Laci Peterson (12.24.02) and Herb Ritts (d. 12.26.02).

2003 – Fred (Mr.) Rogers (d. 2.27.0s), Nina Simone (d. 4.21.03), Katharine Hepburn (d. 6.29.03), Bob Hope (7.27.03), Johnny and June Carter Cash (d. 9.12.03, d. 5.15.03), Elliott Smith (d. 10.21.03) and Jonathan Brandis (d. 11.12.03). 2003 also saw the Shuttle Columbia disaster, which killed seven people.

2004 – Spalding Gray (d. 1.10.04), Helmut Newton (d. 1.23.04), Ronald Reagan (d. 6.5.04), Ray Charles (d. 6.10.04), Julia Child (d. 8.13.04), Richard Avedon (d. 10.1.04) and Jerry Orbach (d. 12.28.04).

2005 – Johnny Carson (d. 1.23.05), Hunter S Thompson (d. 2.20.05), Anne Bancroft (d. 6.6.05), Ibrahim Ferrer (d. 8.6.05), Peter Jennings (d. 8.7.05) and Rosa Parks (d. 10.24.05). Hurricane Katrina occurred this year killing at least 1,800 people.

2006 – Betty Friedan (d. 2.4.06), James Brown (d. 10.25.06) and Gerald Ford (d. 10.26.06).

2007 – Anna Nicole Smith (d. 2.8.07), Ernest Gallo (d. 3.6.07), Merv Griffin (d. 8.12.07), Deborah Kerr (d. 10.16.07) and Benazir Bhutto (d. 12.27.07).

2008 – Brad Renfro (d. 1.15.08), Heath Ledger (d. 1.22.08), Robert Mondavi (d. 6.16.08), Sydney Pollack (d. 6.26.08), Tim Russert (d. 6.13.08), Estelle Getty (d. 6.22.08), David Foster Wallace (d. 9.12.08), Paul Newman (d. 9.26.08) and Bettie Page (d. 12.11.08).

2009 – Natasha Richardson (d. 3.18.09), Bea Arthur (d. 4.25.09), Michael Jackson (d. 6.25.09), Walter Cronkite (d. 7.17.09), John Hughes (d. 8.6.09) and Ted Kennedy (d. 8.25.09).

Fashion

I don’t care much about sports (note how I didn’t even cover them in this post) but fashion, now that I care about. Following are some of the notable events that happened in the fashion industry during the last decade.

General Trends

• Skinny Jeans
• American Apparel
• Designer Denim
• It Bags
• Technological Accessories
• Stella McCartney
• Designer Collaborations
• Celebrity Fashion Lines
• Online Luxury Retailers
• Expensive Tee-Shirts
• Fashion Reality Shows
• Teen Style
• Bloggers
• “Plus Size” Models
• Michelle Obama
• Crazy Shoes (Nina Ricci/McQueen)
• Coach Bags
• Fashion Documentaries
• Photoshop
• Promotion Crazy Retailer

Designers Debuts

• Zac Posen (debut independent show F/W 2002)
• Alexander Wang (2006)
• Erin Fetherston
• Philip Lim (2005)
• Behnaz Sarafpour (F/W 2001)
• Bibhu Mohapatra (F/W 2009)
• Derek Lam (2003)
• Jason Wu (2006)
• Doo.Ru (2003)
• Rodarte (2005)
• Stella McCartney (namesake line, 2002)
• Rick Owens (F/W 2002)
• Thakoon (2004)
• Vena Cava (2004)
• Alice Temperley
• Tracey Reese
• Tory Burch
• Rachel Roy
• Rag & Bone
• Proenza Schouler (F/W 2003)
• Monique Lhuillier
• Marchesa (S/S 2007)
• Luella (F/W 2000)
• Lela Rose

Notable Designers For Namesakes

• Alber Elbaz (YSL)
• Alber Elbaz (Lanvin)
• Stella McCartney (Chloé)
• Phoebe Philo (Chloé)
• Nicolas Ghesquière (Balenciaga)
• Christophe Decarnin (Balmain)
• Christopher Bailey (Burberry)
• Olivier Theyskens (Nina Ricci)

Retirements, Closures & Deaths

• Valentino
• Lacroix
• Phi
• Luella
• Donald Fisher
• YSL
• Ritts, Avedon & Newton
• Daul Kim

Retailer Collaborations

• Jil Sander (Uniqlo)
• Target Go (Posen up next)
• H&M
• Stella McCartney (GapKids & Adidas)
• Topshop
• Vena Cava (Gap)

Best Designers, Models & Retailers of the Decade

According to me, of course.

• Stella McCartney
• Nicolas Ghesquière
• Phoebe Philo (Chloé S/S 2005)
• Tom Ford (YSL, F/W 2002/2003 and S/S 2004; Gucci F/W 2002)
• Marc Jacobs
• Christopher Bailey
• Anthropologie
• Topshop
• Target
• J Crew
• Shopbop
• Net-A-Porter
• Heidi Klum (best commercial model)
• Dree Hemingway (best potential)
• Sessilee Lopez
• Kate Moss
• Lara Stone
• Freja Beha Erichsen
• Karlie Kloss
• Anja Rubik (the girl that launched a million haircuts)
• Natalia Vodianova
• Raquel Zimmermann

Top Models

• Gisele Bundchen
• Iris Strubegger
• Liya Kebede
• Lara Stone
• Freja Beha Erichsen
• Julia Stegner
• Jamie Bochert
• Siri Tollerød
• Chanel Iman
• Arlenis Sosa
• Kasia Struss
• Abbey Lee Kershaw
• Dree Hemingway
• Karlie Kloss
• Natasha Poly
• Lily Donaldson
• Heidi Mount
• Doutzen Kroes
• Jourdan Dunn
• Magdalena Frackowiak
• Iekeliene Stange
• Du Juan
• Lily Cole
• Tyra Banks
• Isabeli Fontana
• Anna Jagodzinska
• Stella Tennant
• Heidi Klum
• Natalia Vodianova
• Gemma Ward
• Daria Werbowy
• Agyness Deyn
• Hye Park
• Hilary Rhoda
• Coco Rocha
• Karolina Kurkova
• Lakshmi Menon
• Tao Okamoto
• Erin O’Connor
• Kate Moss
• Sessilee Lopez
• Raquel Zimmermann
• Sasha Pivovrarova
• Anja Rubik
• Caroline Trentini
• Carmen Kass

Successful Celebrity Lines

• William Rast (Justin Timberlake)
• The Row/Elizabeth & James (The Olsen Sisters)
• Twenty8Twelve (Savannah/Sienna Miller)
• Jessica Simpson Shoes (don’t lie, there are some cute ones)
• Jovovich-Hawk
• Imitation of Christ
• FrostFrench
• Victoria Beckham (not the jeans, of course)
• L.A.M.B.

Street Style Bloggers

• Garance Doré
• The Sartorialist
• Jak & Jil
• Facehunter

Worst Trends

• Logo Bag Reemergence
• Super Low Jeans + Thongs
• Trucker Hats
• Juicy Couture Sweatsuits (Guilty)
• Uggs + Short Skirts
• Crocs
• Harem Pants
• Leggings ≠ Pants
• Camouflage
• Ed Hardy
• “Recessionista”
• Ironic Tee-Shirts (Guilty)
• Celebrities ≠ Models

Best Trends

• Pashiminas
• Bohemian Dressing
• High/Low Dressing + Vintage
• Designer Collaborations + Fast Fashion

Tagged as: 2010, Art, Aughts, Culture, Decade, Fashion, Politics