My Fanny Pack in Black: I’m ready for the style come back.

In the 1980s, probably when I was a sophomore or junior in high school, the fanny pack burst onto the scene. It was “in”. Everyone had one — or wanted one.

I had a very, very special one that my mother bought me. No, not one of those ordinary tough, fabric ones you bought at The North Face or Macy’s. My fanny pack was black leather with gold hardware and two little, gold dangling Saks Fifth Avenue emblems to pull the zipper pockets. It made me feel like hot s*$#!. I’d swing it around my waist and, depending on my mood, position it on the right or left side or front. When I was in a rush maybe it would accidently end up on the back. That was not ok with me. I thought it might accentuate my rear end that — I knew self-consciously — was not tiny.

I wore that fanny pack everywhere. I don’t really remember what I kept in it — probably money, my keys, definitely lip gloss and maybe a tampon.

I remember strutting down the street on my way to school in my San Francisco neighborhood wearing it proudly. It just made me feel cool because well, it was! But I was also very conscious not to lose it or take it off at school. I loved that thing so much and I still have it.

“If you keep things long enough they’ll come back in style,” my mother used to say. Which over the years I think is 99% of the time accurate. I recently tried to gift it to my 12-year-old daughter but, she told me I must be joking and that she would never wear it.

OK well, maybe it’s not in style at the moment. Although I do see people walking down the street wearing them in New York City where I now live. But, they’re usually the type that wear cargo pants and probably never noticed that 90’s grunge went out several decades ago.

But this gorgeous, smooth black leather, sort of “bling” fanny pack of mine is not going anywhere. I think sometime in the next 40 years — maybe when I’m 90 — I’ll have a perfectly fashionable reason to wear it.