The other day, a friend called me with his plan for the summer, and I weirdly loved it.
Leave the phones at home.
Carry cash.
Take taxis instead of Ubers.
Write down phone numbers.
Basically… live like it’s 1995.
Being born in 1996, I think I’ve lived through a lot.
Global chaos aside—recessions, pandemics, the usual plot twists—I’ve also watched technology grow up right alongside us. When I was five, our family computer was basically a piece of furniture. Huge monitor, loud dial-up internet, and the patience of a saint required just to load a webpage. Fast forward ten years and suddenly I had Wi-Fi and my own laptop. Everything got faster, easier, and way more accessible.
Good, right?
The older I get, the more I realize that while technology made life convenient, it also has quietly stolen many little moments that used to make life feel… fuller. The boredom, the anticipation, the figuring-it-out-as-you-go parts.
Lately there’s been this big 90s revival happening—sparked in part by the FX series Love Story: The Story of John F. Kennedy Jr. and Carolyn Bessette. Watching it, everyone had the same reaction: wow. Life looked simpler. People were present. Feelings were handled face-to-face instead of through a screen.
Naturally, I called my aunt—an absolute icon who worked at DKNY in New York during the 90s to get her take.
Her response?
“You kids don’t even know what fun is anymore.”
I think she’s right.
So, living like it’s 1995 sounds good. As I talked with my friend who floated the idea, I quickly became sold on participating. The idea of getting a little lost, having to figure things out, talking to people, dealing with boredom, and actually being in the moment sounds kind of perfect.
Everything about that era just felt… kind of fabulous.
The style alone? Effortless. Simple pieces, neutral tones, and a focus on quality over quantity. People bought fewer things, but the things they bought actually lasted—no endless hauls, no micro-trends changing every two weeks—just good clothes that worked.
But it wasn’t just the fashion. The culture felt different, too.
Imagine walking into a bar or restaurant today and no one is looking at a screen. No phones on the table, no quick Instagram checks, no “sorry, what were you saying?” moments. There was actually a time when people went out and were just… there. Talking, flirting, laughing, people-watching.
And maybe the most refreshing part? You couldn’t really manipulate outcomes the way we do now.
You couldn’t stalk someone’s entire life before a date. You couldn’t edit the perfect version of yourself online. You couldn’t instantly check where everyone was, what they were doing, or how your night compared to theirs.
Things unfolded in real time, with more mystery and less control. That unpredictability imbues life with excitement. The unknowing is our natural human state, is what inspires curiosity, exploration, discovery.
So, this summer, let’s travel back in time. Are you coming?
