The Return of the Fanny Pack. Yes, Really.

Many years ago, probably more than 12 years ago -- at least -- I was walking the hallways of a show in New York with two of my friends who were the buyers for the former Old Town boutique Hysteria and we came upon a tiny little booth with great hair accessories. We started talking to the two women working the both and discovered they were sisters and co-owners of the brand.We were looking around and then one of us started to laugh and say, “Oh my gosh, it’s a fanny pack.”The sisters looked at us and in unison said, “That is not a fanny pack. That is a hip square belt.”They were serious. Dead serious...and committed to the return of the fanny pack, albeit in a more stylish iteration. They failed, but I will never forget that moment and for 12 years as a buyer every time I see one I think about it. The thing is, people have been trying to make them cool for years and, for some reason, recently it has worked.I used to run away from any booth with them. Then all of the sudden I found myself wishing I could whittle my waist a little and wear one.  I love a cross-body and great free-your-hands options. This, however, is even better. There have been countless times I wish I had one while walking my dog into Old Town or Del Ray or when I am somewhere running around with my kids.No longer are fanny packs limited to only a sport version made of nylon. Now they are sleek, sophisticated, and can be worn day or night.To prove that this trend isn’t going anywhere I asked one of my good friends and a longtime advocate of the “hip square belt” to model some of the newest styles. Megan Brown has been preaching to me for years about how much she loves her Lululemon fanny pack. They might be the ones (along with Megan) we should credit for this new trend. Now I just have to get to Megan’s classes so I have the abs to pull one off.