When I heard fashion and design are revisiting the ’80s this fall, I had mixed feelings. For one thing, who doesn’t look better with shoulder pads? On the other hand, there was some really stupid stuff back then. Surely, for example, we don’t need to revive Members-Only jackets or parachute pants.

And then I opened the new Chico’s catalog and saw these. Does it get any worse? I applaud moving on from the ’70s-era elephant-leg pants and going back to a narrower ankle — but no elastic, please. Also pictured in the catalog: leggings, python prints, and lace-front vests. I’ll try to move on (or back) with the times, but you’d think one season of paratrooper pants in a lifetime was more than enough.

This latest revival makes me worry a bit for creativity in general. Since the ’80s was the last time music did anything truly new until rap came along, I wonder if all we as a species are capable of anymore is derivation. When the most popular video game in 2009 lets you be a member of The Beatles, a band that broke up 40 years earlier, it says a lot about whether we’ve thrown in the towel on surpassing ourselves. I’m not saying that every generation doesn’t revisit prior ones, just that it seems like we’ve been stuck in all things Baby Boomer for longer than we should. As a member of the overlooked and possibly nonexistent “Generation Jones,” I am ready to move on. So what’s new?