“Treasures” From The Past: My Personal Flair
by Jenners • 11/21/2011 • My Childhood • 83 Comments
My brother inherited our parents’ house after they passed away, and he has been steadily excavating through the piles of stuff they stored in the basement. (We’re finding out now that my parents apparently saved EVERYTHING.) He recently came across a “treasure trove” of my stuff and packed what would fit in a box and sent it to me. Although he called it “a big box of your crap,” I think a better word might be “a big box of blog fodder.” I thought it would be fun to write a series of posts about these “treasures” from the past. Previous posts featured my homemade Rolodex and my high school wallet. This time out, let’s take a look at my personal “flair.”
Before we get to the good stuff, I probably need to explain what this “flair” was used for. During my freshman year of high school, I attended a Catholic high school that required us to wear the ugliest uniforms ever. Not only did us girls have the traditional plaid skirts and white blouses, we also had to wear itchy grey knee socks and gigantic unattractive uniform shoes that could make a size 5 foot like a size 14. To complete this ensemble, we had maroon vests. The only way you could personalize your uniform was to wear pins or buttons on your vest.
I responded to this invitation of personal expression with a wide-ranging collection of buttons to express my individuality and inner coolness. Here is a small sampling of the flair that adorned my Catholic school maroon polyester vest:
Let’s break them down by category, shall we.
Buttons That Say “I’m A Total Weirdo”
- Fu Manchu Is My Babysitter button
- 007 Cheats At Jacks button
- No, I’m Not A CIA Agent button
- I Used To Be Disgusted, Now I’m Just Amused button (I was unaware at the time that this was an Elvis Costello song)
- Why Be Normal? button (Answer: So you can fit in with others and get a date or two before the age of 30.)
Buttons That Say I’m Cool
- MTV button
- Jimi Hendrix button
- The Doors buttons
- David Bowie button
- Robert Plant button
- The Police button
Buttons That Say I Have Questionable Taste In Music
- The J. Geils Band button
- The Go-Gos button
Buttons That Say I’m Witty
- No El No El, Ephant Cam button (With photos of an elephant and a camel in Santa hats.)
- I’m My Own Persian button (With a drawing of a cat.)
Buttons That Say I’m Desperate For Male Attention
- Kiss Me…It’s Not Fattening button
- I’m Loveable and Adoptable button
Buttons That Say Deep Down, I’m A 6-Year-Old Girl
- The unicorn buttons (especially the one that says “Believe in the magic of your dreams.”)
- Kermit the Frog button
Next time, we’ll take a look at some patches!
Lol. I love the buttons. I can just picture them adorning that wonderful uniform you had to wear. Yikes, I can’t believe you had to wear a uniform. I went to a Catholic school but thankfully we could just wear normal clothes.
Where’s the photo of Jenners in her high school uniform?
(from a fellow Kermit and J.Geils fan)
So how many old you wear at once? I had several kitty things when I was in high school as I was “cool” like that
It’s so interesting. Those who wore/wear uniforms hate them because they’re all the same and they don’t flatter anyone. Those who don’t have uniforms wish they did so that the brand name jeans and designer clothes didn’t make those who don’t have them feel uncomfortable. We always want what we don’t have LOL.
Isn’t that the story of life? As a grown-up, I can now appreciate the value of uniforms. There was no pressure to fit in with your clothes because you were all on a level playing field. There is something to that!
Um, wow. Those are some … buttons.
Admit it … you are SOOOO jealous!
Deep down I must be a 6 year old girl, too, because I instantly saw the unicorn buttons.
I think most of us are still 6-year-old girls deep down!
Happy Thanksgiving!
OMG — I love these. Kermit in a heart?? Too funny.
Happy (Belated) Thanksgiving to you too. And Kermit is back in now … not that he ever left!
I love your Badges! We weren’t allowed them on our uniforms but my school bag was covered in them!
Looking back, I’m surprised we were allowed to wear them too!
Great minds think alike Jenners I too wore flair to spice up my Catholic school Uniform. My grammar school one was THE WORST .It was a jumper and it was green and yellow plaid.
No flair was allowed, not even nail polish. But high school was better. I hiked up my skirt which earned me detentions, sooo worth it, and wore tacky jewelry, funky tights and flair. I collected buttons too, among my stash were MC Hammer, New Kids on the Block, Milli Vanilli, Vanilla Ice and Madonna. (how embarrasing! lol) I like your buttons, especially the David Bowie and The Doors.
You are inspiring me to find my old goodies and post too
I love the idea of funky tights!!! Sounds like you really were able to express your inner goddess despite the green and yellow plaid. I hope you find your old stuff and write about it.
Hey! There’s nothing wrong with Kermit, he’s fantastic no matter what age you are. TBG is still in love with Miss Piggy. Do I think he’s nuts? Of course not! What self respecting 70 year old man wouldn’t be? She’s such a vamp!
My parents saved nothing so I’m in awe of your parents.
I suppose you guys are going to go to the new Muppet movie then? I love that a whole new generation of kids will be introduced to the Muppets!
I love that you found a way to express your inner “flair”. I remember pinning buttons on my purse strap and binders as well. fun post.
I think it was a much cheaper way to express myself than what kids today do … like getting a tattoo! : )
Love the flair!
I’m actually thinking of starting to wear them again actually! Kermit is back in now!
This was such a fun post to read!
Glad you enjoyed it!
by the time I was in 7th grade, I had the same uniform and size 11 feet. imagine how big my feet looked in those shoes!
You could have taken out a whole city block in them I imagine!! I once went hiking in mine they were so sturdy and big.
I collected buttons when I was younger and would have loved the chance to wear them to school! These blasts from your past are precious and are bringing back great memories for me too!
I’m so glad that these posts are bringing back great memories for you. Isn’t it funny how much of a common past we all share?
Great flair. I love the one that says, I used to be disgusted, now I’m just amused. And I can so relate to the MTV button, back when MTV was cool and was really about music.
MTV isn’t really about music anymore is it? I wonder if they even play videos or if that art form is dead now. It was such the thing back in the day!
I too have flair.
I save everything, and I kind of love the idea of stealing this idea of posting about my little treasures… Now if only I could find time. It’s been hiding from me lately.
This is just the excuse you need to start excavating your own treasures and writing about them.
OMG, those are so cool Jenners. I recall having lots of buttons at one time as well, and for my kids it was PEZ dispensers LOL
PEZ dispensers!!! We always got them at Christmas time. I once went to the Pez Museum in Easton, PA. It was fun to see all the different kinds they made.
I wore my flare on my father’s camoflage jacket that I wore over black t-shirts and black jeans. I am really not sure what stament I was going through with that combination. I still have all my flare pins. I have translated this into the Pin Trading obsession that Disney World has made any of it’s guests in the past 5+ years become addicted to. I may have to do a post on all my flare. Just for giggles.
The “canvas” for your flare sounds much cooler than mine!! It would be fun to see your transition from cool kid to Disney pin collector! : )
That is a lot of buttons on one vest! Did you change them out, or wear them all at once? I can totally understand because I went to a school where the uniforms were brown. Yep, brown stockings, brown shoes, brown kilt, brown tie, brown blazer…I’ve never received as many compliments from the blue-rinse crowd as I did then. We used to keep it personal by wearing funky joe fresh boxers under our kilts so when the wind blew them up in winter, it was funny instead of humiliating. Or at least, less humiliating than it was.
I did a rotation … otherwise I’m not sure I would have been able to move being weighed down with all those buttons. Your uniform sounds like you look like chocolate bars!!!
These are great!!
I tortured my own children with Catholic school, uniforms were so nice, no worries about what to wear. Strict school, no buttons, no jewelry beyond religious articles and stud earrings.
I hope they can afford their own therapy!!
Thanks for sharing
I personally think the uniforms (as unattractive as they were) leveled the playing field and were probably appreciated more than your kids will ever tell you!
I’m pretty sure I would have worn the same type of buttons in high school. Although I probably would have skipped the DOORS – it’s way too cool for me.
Thanks for sharing!
Not a Jim Morrison fan, huh? My friends and I thought he was very very hot!
I have a button collection from when I was younger, too. I should dig it out and see what treasures I have.
Oh I hope you can find it and can share it!
Hahahahahaha. I woudl totally wear the Kermit button….
…and the kiss me button….
I love that your parents kept this stuff!
I am so thankful they kept this stuff too. It is like going back in a time machine when I open these things.
You and I would have gotten along just fine.
I can’t believe your school let you put all that stuff on your uniform!
Well, we couldn’t wear it all at one time … the buttons were rotated!
Jenners, these posts make me want to go back in time and befriend young Jenners and take her for an ice-cream. You were such a cool and funny little kid. It would have been really fun if we could have been friends back then. And by the way, your buttons are very cool.
Wouldn’t it be fun if we could do that??? I was a total goof back in school. I always did have a reputation as a bit of an oddball.
I love that you had to get that requisite unicorn in there, not once, but twice!
I was unicorn obsessed. This is just a mere glimpse into my unicorn mania.
I love your buttons! I actually used to collect them and have a whole big box of them out in the garage!
Well dig them out Missy and show us the good ones!
I love that your parents saved your “flair”. Now you have me worrying that when I declutter and clean up around here I will be throwing away my children’s future treasures that will give them insight to who they were and who they will become! It would be fun to compare your flair to what your hubby had as “flair” in his younger years to see if you, even then, were a match made in heaven…unicorns and fat free kisses and all!
I cannot imagine my husband having flair … though he did go to public school so maybe he didn’t need to have flair. And I do think it is a gift you can give your kids to show them their younger selves by saving certain key items. With so many kids, you’ll have to be more judicious though!
Hey! Angel is a Centerfold was a good song! Haha. I am fascinated by the fact that you were at a Catholic School that let you wear these buttons! Good Lord, the rules we must abide by now. Hair on boys can’t touch the collar, shoes have to be all black or all white without a noticeable swoop or stripe, no hairbands that are anything but the school colors. Ugh. Anyway I love this mining of your childhood treasures. It just makes me love you all the more.
My Catholic school must have been more liberal … or they just stopped fighting and gave in. Though the hair rules were enforced and the uniform shoes guaranteed that no one had unique footwear or brand names … not they had that back then except maybe Adidas.
I’m loving this series, Mrs. J!
I think the proliferation of buttons was just starting when I was a teenager so I don’t remember having many (although who knows what I’d find if I received a time capsule like yours? Maybe I just mercifully forget my foolishness lol) I really like that you grouped these – helped me to see the many facets of you.
Yes … the many facets of me — most of them strange and odd. : )
Buttons were “the thing” when I was in high school — early 1980s!
Oh, I can definitely identify with the whole ugly Catholic school girl uniforms. It’s definitely nothing like the sexy school girl costumes you find during Halloween that’s for sure! Oh and the shoes! Did you have to wear the horrible black and white ones too?
I’m amazed that your school actually let you wear pins and buttons with your uniform. Maybe it’s a high school thing because at my school, we weren’t allowed to wear anything that could be considered offensive to God or to other students. Buttons like the ones you have would have gotten us detention for a week (even if there’s nothing offensive at all). I do love the collection of buttons you owned though
You definitely had quite an interesting variety!
We must have had a more liberal Catholic school than yours. And the shoes were not black and white. They were these big heavy maroon type-up shoes with these thick soles that looked like rubber cement that had dried. Really really ugly and unattractive. You could have used them as work shoes or hiking shoes.
Along with novelty soaps I collected badges as a girl – sadly though we were not allowed to them wear them at school for health and safety reasons.
I love the categories you place your buttons in. Looking back I think most of my badges would belong to the “I’m A Total Weirdo” pile with a fair few in the “Deep Down, I’m A 6-Year-Old Girl” pile. Aah, happy days.
No wonder we get along so well! And novelty soaps? Very interesting thing to collect!
ThePolice button was actually mine. It was a trade off for the two biggest and best uttons that were in this little girl collection. A 2-inch diameter Philadelphia Eagles button (Cool green!) and a Darth Vader Lives slightly bigger that I am thinking of converting to a belt buckle to confuse and amaze my Jedi pool friends. Too easy their minds are distracted by old movies. Yoh! Duh!
I think I actually remember those buttons!
You have no idea how much I’ve been enjoying these posts! It is so cool of you to share your past with us.
I hadn’t noticed the unicorn buttons until you mentioned them, and I love the elephant and camel buttons.
I’m going to have to wear my ephant cam button this holiday season!
I must agree with the other Stacy and say that a picture of the whole emsemble is needed. A could be a current recreation could also be acceptable (and maybe preferred
)
I so wish I had a photo of myself wearing that uniform. Sadly, there doesn’t seem to be any. And a current recreation would be … well, let’s just say “unseemly.”
Such cool buttons. The one that says: Why be normal is the best – shows your unique personality!
Except for it being a mass-produced button, it does show my uniqueness! : )
Now what’s questionable about the J. Geils Band??
I can’t believe you had to wear “uniform shoes”, too!!
Kelly, I’ll leave you to ponder the J. Geils Band question. Just ask yourself: Will they stand the test of time?
And the uniform shoes were to ensure there was NOTHING sexy about the uniforms! : )
TWO unicorn buttons??? I just don’t know what to say.
Oh I was MAJORLY into unicorns. This is just the tip of the iceberg. A future installment will show just a few of my many many many unicorns.
I love Kermit too, and I really like David Bowie. Now you do realize that Catholic School Uniform could be a little naughty with or without the buttons. How does Mr. Jenners feel about Catholic School Uniforms.
Trust me … the ugly gray kneesocks and horrific shoes took away all the possible sexiness of the uniform.
Maybe I’ve been holed up here with The Boy too long, but I thought the Kermit pin was kinda cute.
And I think the CIA pin shows that you’re just that dangerous.
And now the Kermit pin is back in vogue! Wait long enough and everything comes back.
I still love Kermit. So r u calling me childish?
Yes … yes I am. Go Muppets!
your family is too cool ~ I love that your parents never threw anything away and that your brother is so kind and sweet and willing to ship it all to you (did he even pay for the shipping himself or did it come C.O.D.?)
and what? no pictures of the shoes? or of Jenners in the whole outfit?
He even paid for the shipping himself!! Amazing! And sadly, I have yet to come across a photo of myself in my Catholic school uniform. That may lost to the ages (un)fortunately.