The return of hypercolor
Ah, why is it that the trends that recycle are never the right ones for me? I’ve been catching up on Season One of Mad Men and coveting the full skirts, nipped waists and va-va-voom silhouettes of the late 50s and early 60s. But instead, the latest clothing craze to make a reappearance hails only from the early 90s (isn’t there a rule that you have to wait at least two decades before bringing back a fad?)
I vaguely remember hypercolor shirts — clothing that changed color, depending on your body heat — from my high school days, though I don’t remember them being particularly in vogue with upperclassmen. It must have been the middle schoolers running around trying to collect strategically placed handprints from the opposite sex. To refresh your memory, check out this ad from Gennara, the now-defunct makers of the “Meta-morphic Color System”.
American Apparel has reintroduced the hypercolor t-shirt, and from the glowing reviews on their site, it seems to be a hit:
Another option from Karmaloop:
For the ladies: a tank dress from Anzevino and Florence:
The technology is even available on shoes, through Puma:
Did you sport the hypercolor trend the first time around? Will you be trying it out this time?
Comments (9)
9 Comments
I had a hypercolour shirt the firts time around. The effect doesn’t survive through many washings and is just ugly.
The places that change colour are so unflattering…who wants that much attention drawn to one’s stomach, breasts, armpits, and ass?
A LOT of tacky 80s fads are being recycled at the moment and I avoid them like the plague. They wer etacky the first time around and remain tacky!
Needless to say, I refuse to buy hypercolour this time around because it is TACKY!
OF COURSE I WILL BUY AGAIN!!!! It was one of the coolest inventions in clothing. To keep the HYPER lasting, wash in cold water and hang dry.
I like hyper color but not for all, I have seen some website that have hyper colors and they look great.
ahhh not a hypercolour revival! my experience was with a baggy t that a friend had given me. i wore it to p.e not even knowing what hyper colour was, found out when my boobs and underarms were a different colour after a bit of a run round! not a pretty sight and fricken embarassing! needless to say i will NOT be supporting the return of hypercolour.
Okay, I worked at a bar just like the one in the commercial shared here. ..except it was gay. Were gays way too hip to wear a hypercolor shirt??? I think so, because I don’t remember this trend.
I agree with amie. I had hypercolor a shirt. When I first got it I didn’t realize what exactly was going to happen. What might have been cool on a guy was embarassing for a girl. They might as well have sold shirts with big glowing arrows pointing to our chests. No way am I buying them again.
I was actually too young for this trend the first time around. I think it’s kind of a funky idea, but with stuff this hyper-trendy it usually doesn’t last long. I love AA, but occasionally they drive me nuts…why do they sell all of those metallic leggings that NO ONE looks good in?
I was born in 1983, so I vaguely remember Hypercolor Shirts. At the time I guess I just confused them with the tie-dyed shirts, but now that I see the difference I think the ombre/tie-dye detail looks better. As far as it becoming a trend, well…many (in my opinion) ugly things (ie; neon colors & lumberjack plaid) become popular, but let’s hope the trend leaves as fast as it came/got revived.
Don’t remember them, but I certainly wouldn’t wear it in clothing. As an interesting accessory ,maybe. It’s a bit too juvenile for me.