The Juicy Tracksuit of 2024
Keeping up in NYC
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When I tell out-of-towners that I live in the Upper East Side neighborhood of Manhattan, I usually get some reaction along the lines of—
“Fancy”
“Sounds expensive”
“Like Gossip Girl”
—and I have to quickly explain that there are many pockets of the Upper East Side, my neighborhood included, that have affordable apartments. When I say “affordable,” I mean affordable by New York City standards, which is to say that it’s a lot less expensive than Tribeca and the West Village, and that there are a lot of walkups with barebone amenities (does a basement laundry room with the occasional roach on the floor count as an amenity? To me, it does).
I felt inspired to write about today’s topic because of the turn from spring into summer—it’s a time for better weather, Central Park picnics, and long runs down the West Side Highway. Along with these free pastimes, it’s also a time where social media gets flooded with pictures of tables at the Surf Lodge in the Hamptons, vacations to Italy, and dinner at Nobu.
If you live in New York, you get it, and if you don’t, you probably still know the feeling of scrolling through Instagram and seeing a highlight reel that ranges from $$ to $$$$.
I first remember the feeling of trying to “keep up” in middle school. It started with Pandora bracelets, then Abercrombie branded anything, and then the Juicy tracksuit. I remember being so envious of friends who had these things. Did my mom not get me a Juicy tracksuit because it was overpriced and we were in the middle of a recession, or because it was ugly? A little bit of both, I think.
Looking back now, I don’t wish I had any of those trends, then or now. In fact, I’m a little happy I didn’t partake in some of these.
Will we look back on Balenciaga with those thoughts? Maybe. Will we look back on a Carbone reservation with that same thought in fifteen years? Probably not. But, are there things you can pass up on and still live a very happy life? Of course.
With the turn of spring into summer, I’m trying to enjoy those free activities—park picnics, free visits to museums courtesy of my library card, and long walks across town.
Is this post meant to make you feel better about seeing that highlight reel when you’re instead paying off debt or saving up an emergency fund, or is this post meant to make you say you don’t care about those saving goals and spend $$$ on good seats for the US Open later this summer? A little bit of both, but what I’m really trying to say is that you don’t need to do anything to “keep up.” It’s not about how much money you have, but how you spend it. If the trends make you happy, regardless of how much they’re trending, go for it. And if those trends don’t make you happy, you don’t need to partake.
Anyway, drop a comment on the item/brand/experience you were envious of when you were in middle and high school!
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Thanks for reading! I post weekly about living in NYC, personal finance, and growing my small business. I also post a monthly reset on the 1st of each month sharing everything I spent money on the previous month and goals for the next month. My small business is called Sidetracks—it’s a collection of party card games I designed. Grab a game to make your next happy hour unforgettable. And if this post resonated with you, share it or forward it to a friend!
Easily one of the nicest things is to make a sandwich and eat it outside somewhere nice. I live near water, so a nalgene filled with wine and a ziplock baggie with some snacks, while sitting on the beach is my perfect evening.
anything delia*s. a group of girls in middle school sported a new delia catalogue sweater every day of the week. when it came time for back to school shopping my mom would splurge on a couple items for me!