Sometimes Fads Work Out in My Favor

I’ve never been much of a one for following what’s ‘in’ at any given moment, at least not with any particular fervor. Part of this has to do with the fact that I was born middle-aged, part of it has to do with having been born middle-aged to practically-middle-aged parents, and both of those things created a consumer of necessity rather than a consumer of frivolity. In a nutshell: Buy what you need, use it until it dies, replace, repeat.

That isn’t to say that I haven’t owned my fair share of popular whatevers — I have. I just don’t have a history of going out of my way to obtain them if I don’t need to replace a current whatever. Take, for example, my much-loved Jansport backpack (RIP). I had been through a handful of less expensive school bags and would probably have grabbed another one, but, as luck would have it, Mom and I were at the office supply store and the big, fancy Jansports were on sale, so that’s what I ended up with. And that thing lasted the remainder of high school, all of undergrad, the year of my Master’s program, and continued hard use up until about two years ago when it finally fell apart. I was going to replace it with another Jansport, but the quality has changed dramatically during the 10+ years I had the old one and they don’t seem to be nearly as robust as they used to be.

Another of my brand loyalties is Ray-Ban. This was accidental. I was spending the weekend in Santa Cruz with my aunt and uncle and I had cheapy drugstore sunglasses and was constantly squinting and it was decided that I was ready for a pair of ‘real, grown-up’ sunglasses. That first pair of Ray-Bans lasted six years, at which point the finish was shot to shit (we still don’t know why or how) and they were replaced with another pair of Ray-Bans which I am still wearing ten years later. Of course, I’m a proper adult now, and can decide for myself when to replace my sunglasses and do so on my own dime, and I have been debating about a new pair for a couple of years now just for a change of style, but… the old ones still block the sun.

I’ve bought copycat styles of apparel in the past, but I can only think of a handful of times I’ve shelled out for the ‘real deal’ on purpose for the sake of the label. A couple of pairs of Chuck Taylors, yes. And I was absolutely on the bandwagon when Converse/Nike released the Chuck Taylor Allstar II (the Chucks you love — with an arch support!!!) which, sadly, was apparently a total flop and they’re not making them anymore, so thank goodness I grabbed them while I could. (Still pissed about this, actually. The wound is deep and recent. I just want comfy AND fashionable sneakers, is that so much to ask?!) I own a pair of Toms not because I had set out to obtain them, but because they happened to be the perfect style and color to pair with the dress for which I was having difficulty finding shoes. It’s not like I’m some sort of fashion plate to begin with — ninety percent of the time I wear Danskos to work. There, that’s another label I pay for on purpose, but I can assure you it has nothing to do with fashion and everything to do with the fact that I destroyed my body by living in a ballet studio for the majority of late adolescence.

Cosmetics. Yes, okay, there’s one. But it also stems from the fact that I’m allergic to talc which is a very common ingredient in cosmetics. Getting away from talc is synonymous these days with getting away from all sorts of other not-so-nice ingredients. Also, I prefer to go cruelty-free, so that narrows the field even more, leaving me with a handful of (generally pricey) brands from which to choose. Then again, I rarely use much of anything cosmetic anyway, so I feel like a little bit of luxury in a column where I don’t spend much to begin with isn’t the worst thing.

Also, I like bunnies.

In any case, the fad I set out to discuss actually has nothing to do with brands at all. It’s plant-based. Literally. In the past few years there has been an immense uptick in the popularity of succulents. They’re in everything from wedding bouquets to parking lot planter boxes. They’re a popular subject for generic pre-framed wall art. They’re a cute little motif on stationary.

They’re easy to propagate, grow, and care for. Break off a leaf by accident? Just stick it in the dirt, it’ll root. They’re low maintenance. Water them once a week and other than that, leave them alone. They come in an abundance of different and interesting shapes, colors, and sizes, with or without blooms. Seriously, the variety is astounding!

AND, they’re the only thing that will happily grow on my patio because it gets full, blazing afternoon sun.

That’s it. That’s what I was excited about.

I HAVE POPULAR PLANTS!!!