NORFOLK, Va. — Getting the perfect look can be a moment of success or failure for many kids when it comes to going back to school.

Capturing that excitement in decades like the 1980s, one of fashion’s most trendy and flashy eras. Everything was big and bright, from high-top sneakers to shades of hot pink, striped polo shirts, flipped brim, and baggy jean jackets.

But back then there was no online shopping. As a result, Hampton Roads locations such as Norfolk’s Janaffe Shopping Center and Virginia Beach’s Lynhaven Mall saw an annual surge in back-to-school shoppers.

Some rules regarding student dress were different in the 80s as well. In 1985, Hampton City Schools banned students from wearing shorts.

Like it or not, the 80s was a time when fashion couldn’t be contained. dirty clothes? Over-the-top? of course. But now, 40 years later, we can appreciate how much fun it must have been.

But if the 1980s were all flashy and frilly, the 1990s would have balanced it out with a darker, edgier fashion movement.

In the early to mid-1990s, plastic dresses and skirts became popular, 80s goth style brought a new grunge style, and rock bands like Nirvana popularized a more tousled look. Who can forget the rise of over-baggy jeans and skate shoes like Airwalks?

Then came status symbols like starter jackets and Air Jordan sneakers, setting off an expensive trend that Hampton school leaders wanted to get ahead of in 1993.

Luckily for them, this was just an idea, not a policy, and the dream of the 1990s continued for seven more years.