What I Used to Wear in High School: Dallas Penn

A Polo and tennis sneaker O.G. recalls what he wore back in the day.

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Complex Original

Image via Complex Original

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Word by Dallas Penn

What's goody, y'all? In case you were wondering why you should give a half of a fuck why I'm in this article, it's because I've given my life up to rocking fly shit. It really started for me in high school when I stopped spending all my money on comic books and got into copping gear. The year was 1984, and the hottest brand on the NYC streets was from Italy—not Gucci or Fendi. They were hot but in the streets you were the shit if you had a Benetton rugby shirt and tennis sneakers on your feet. Let's take a ride to back in the day.

Denim is much more than a staple.

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Rugbys and tennis sneakers.

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The ladies love a fresh pair.

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Enjoy a Coke and French sneakers.

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So yeah, the Coca-Cola rugby was fresh and all, but the Coca-Cola sweatshirt was swagged the eff out. Study all the coloration I was working with, too. Oakland pro model cap because there are four pro model caps every real G must own: Yankees, Oakland (green crown yellow bill), Cleveland (Chief Wahoo logo, navy crown red bill), and the Montreal pinwheel colorway.  Frankly, you can not have enough fitted caps but you have to own those four at the minimum.

My shoes are so difficult for y'all to see, but they were Le Coq Sportif tennis shoes. Basketball shoes hadn't taken over the shoe game in NYC yet, and because I grew up in Corona next to the tennis stadium—I was always (and to this day) a tennis shoe Stan. Back in the early 1980s is when all the tech and design were given to tennis shoes. Jordan would forever swing that pendulum in just a few more years.


You've gotta hoard the good stuff.

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A strong jacket game helps piece together your footwear.

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I wasn't a slouch, though.

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And today...

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