Fashion in the 80's

27 February 2017

Your Auntie M was on the cutting edge of fashion in the 80's . . . cut up jeans, shredded t-shirts, bandanas tied in strategic places, wild hair . . . whatever new look came out, she was on it! She even wore what looked like a Samurai outfit one time . . . not even kidding! I only WISH I had a picture of that!!

Me . . . I was the nerd! Khaki pants or jeans . . . button downs or Polo shirts . . . concert t-shirts and bandanas . . . an occasional {{{gasp}}} floral skirt and sweater. You had to double the Polo shirts though . . . the collar of the one underneath worn popped up, the collar of the one worn on top turned down!

I have no idea why the "shooter" sunglasses were necessary

Either Brandy thought I was cool . . . or weird . . . not really sure what THAT look is about!

Here's a short list of some other the other fashion items that were HOT in the 80's:

• Fanny Packs (little purses you wore belted around your waist)
• Slogan T-Shirts (not sure these have really gone out of style)
• Jordache Jeans (the tighter, the better)
• Triple Fat Goose Jackets (filled with so much down you looked like a marshmallow)
• Scrunchies (fat fabric elastic for holding those top and side ponytails)
• Spandex Pants {{{{{shudder}}}}} in BRIGHT neon colors
• Lacoste (the coveted polo with the embroidered alligator)
• Airbrushed T-Shirts (sadly, these are still around)
• Sweaters (from Benetton . . . tied around your neck like some kind of super-prep cape)
• Parachute Pants (a trademark of M.C. Hammer . . . our favorite rapper)
• Perms (the bigger the hair, the better)
• Ripped Jeans (ask your Auntie M . . . she once let some cousins shoot a pair with buckshot)
• Faded Jean Jackets (an absolute MUST . . . they went from casual to formal) . . . Levi's only
• Zubaz (the weirdest pants I ever saw men wear . . . meant for the gym)
• Leggings and Dancewear (discos were full of women dressed as if they were professional dancers . . . and aerobics had just been introduced)
• Z. Cavarrici (high waisted, darted dress pants . . . don't look them up)
• Down Vests (because unless you had a Triple Zero . . . )
• Miami Vice (mention this to any kid of the 80's and watch their eyes twinkle . . . white linen suits paired with pastel shirts . . . loafers with no socks . . . sigh . . . Sonny Crockett)
• ALL. LACE. EVERYTHING. (Madonna and Cyndi Lauper . . . 'nuff said)
• Puffy Shirts for men made popular by Prince (the singer, not some stuffy royal)
• Keyboard Neckties (if you didn't have one of these . . . well . . . )
• L.A. Gear (I think I owned every style of sneaker by this designer . . . high tops)
• Headbands (all the Rock Stars wore them around their heads . . . likely to keep their BIG hair out of their eyes while they sang)
• OP Brand (the second most coveted polo shirts on the planet)
• Bucket Hats (I don't even want to talk about it)
• Sneakers with no laces (another really stupid idea 'cause it was hard to walk without your shoes falling off)
• Big Hair (man, we sometimes used an entire can of aerosol hairspray to make it stay poofed out . . . like really poofed out)
• Michael Jackson inspired anything (mostly kids just wore the red jacket and single glove)
• Mullets (embarrassing hairstyle for men AND women . . . "business up front, party in the back" . . . don't ask)
• Acid Wash Jeans (if you had brand new DARK jeans, you were out)
• CocaCola Clothing (the result of a sweet deal between CocaCola and Jordache . . . both brands went over the top)
• Members Only Jackets (I always wondered what club they were members of . . . it certainly wasn't a badass motorcycle club . . . way too tame for that . . . I didn't care much for those jackets either . . . probably because I was never cool enough to own one)
• Neon . . . Neon . . . Neon (day-glo fluorescent colors . . . you could see it a mile away)

Some of this stuff occasionally rears its ugly head . . . and it's not like I really HATE the fashions of the 80's . . . it's just some of it should be banned! Not the Miami Vice clothes though . . . those could come back!

  "Life is too short to wear boring clothes!" ~ Unknown