Back in the day I was so unhealthily obsessed with the TV sitcom Roseanne that I used to video tape each episode religiously, recite the entire script word for word, record each ep onto cassette tape via my crusty old mixer and listen to hours of recordings on the Firefly bus from Melbourne to Adelaide. This was back when I was afraid to fly, and back when I obviously had too much time on my hands.
I used to fantasise about becoming a recurring guest star on the show – a prodigy of sorts to Roseanne Barr-Arnold-Barr’s leading character. She would take me under her wing and I would be the newest hit star with my own show. Funny that life doesn’t pan out like that, ey!
So you can imagine my ridiculous excitement to find the most amazoid website I’ve seen in years,
Third And Delaware – a blog entirely dedicated to the fashion of my favourite trailer trash fam – The Connors. Creator Kyle David Larsen Humphrey meticulously combs through each episode of the number one hit show to highlight a faboosh selection of late ‘80s/’90s fashion as worn by the Illinois bred family.
The site is named after the street corner where the crass Connors abide and with such an iconic still taken from the show (the two intercepting street signs were used various times throughout each episode as a segueway into the next scene – I told you I was obsessed!), Humphrey’s has geniously recaptured the hearts of Roseanne fanatics the world over.
It’s no secret that back when the show aired, the outfits caused a roar - ironically much like the label licking goodness of Sex And The City – except Roseanne went the other extreme, making trailer trash trendy. Thanks to costume designer Erin Quigley, who worked on 185 episodes of the series from 1989-1997, the show was fully aware of creating a private joke with their audience, by recycling infamous pieces of clothing such as the Chicken Shirt to capture their audience’s attention. The shirt caused such a stir, that at the peak of its popularity; each cast member took turns of wearing it in the final episode of Season 5.
The great thing about the series is that the clothes (and fashion) became just as big as the stars themselves. With guest stars such as the outrageously amazing Sandra Bernhard, Joan Collins, Jennifer Saunders and beyond, the series' popularity increased right along with the wackiness of the outfits. But one look at the site, you’ll begin to see that we are now currently reliving the fashions of the Roseanne era thanks to this resurgence of 90s retro-ness.
If you’re bored at work, or just love fashion (and Roseanne for that matter), you gotta bookmark this brilliant website. It’s like an encyclopedia of ‘90s fashion – the good, the bad and the fugly! Whether you dig Darlene, David, Dan or DJ…this is one killer website you do not want to miss. Hats off to you Mr Humphrey!