Gentlemen, if you have no idea what I’m talking about, feel free to skip this one.
in which case you should read on!
LADIES. This was the catalog to end all catalogs. I know I can’t be the only one who wanted way too much stuff from dELiA*s for Christmas. I would spend entirely too much time poring over the pages and circling all the items I wanted as “suggestions” that I would then leave in a conspicuous place for my mother to find.
Buy my latest book!
If you weren’t familiar with the dELiA*s catalog, it was basically the treasure trove for all things fashionable in the 90s. Clothing, accessories, makeup, shoes, inflatable furniture–it was the ultimate shopping guide for girls.
The company was founded in 1993 by two Yale graduates (I don’t know why, but this piece of trivia feels important) and originally functioned primarily through catalogs before expanding to a website and certain outlet stores. For those of you unfamiliar with what a catalog is, it’s kind of like a book that lets you buy stuff or like Amazon with pages.
but you could buy it.
Keep in mind, this was before online shopping really took off so you had to send away for stuff in the mail using the order form included in the catalog. Sometimes, you had to actually call the company to place your order and talk to a real person.
Now, I have Amazon Prime and can order whatever I want with the click of a button and have it at my door within two days, thereby completely avoiding any kind of human interaction because people are gross.
The company eventually filed for bankruptcy in 2014 but it reopened the following year as a new website because apparently bankruptcy doesn’t mean what I think it means. AND you get the added bonus that the 90s revival is still alive and well so you can try and duplicate some of your more questionable 90s fashion choices.
You do.
I might as well.
Don’t judge me.
Happy Throwback Thursday!
Emily Regan 