[Tamara]

I thought it would be fun to throw this question out there and see what you all remember about fashions growing up. I know there has been conversation on and off about it but I have to say that I am being forced to remember my growing up fashions as I get together an outift for the kids to wear to their social this week.

The 80’s is the theme and this is the decade where I spent my primary years (funnily enough). I remember the sports socks with pompoms on them the high top shoes the addidas jackets and how track pants were trendy to wear your socks over the top!. Leg warmers and raaraa skirts not to mention the no shaped tops and bubble skirts. Scrunchies and teased fringes (bangs) and of course the fluro (everything) dangle earrings bangles (and the band!) Frankie goes to Hollywood and Funky town (song!) We wore skirts over jeans and thought we were cool while riding our bmx bikes pretending to be Nicole Kidman in BMX Bandits. We did the locomotion (and our parent rolled their eyes) to Kylie! And tried very hard to dress like her too even though I was NOT of the same age!!

Phew! Now to separate the thoughts into practicality and possibly sewing of something very 80’s. I may be meeting with strong opposition at the insistance that the ideas I bring up are very NOW But then I will just have to whip out the old year books to prove my case that what was trendy then is somewhat trendy again and then it wouldn’t be so bad.

What was your era? What do you remember? Go on tell us….

[juliamom2009]

So I’m sure I’m way older than most on this forum…..but, I’ll admit – my styles growing up were like from Saturday Night Fever – big hair, polyester tight shirts! Not an attractive era….

[Sarvi]

I think I’m between the two of you in age — I’m 40. I wore lots of orange and pea soup green and wide bottomed pants as a kid, then the 80s came along with junior high and the beginning of my teens. I remember having a fevered fantasy of the perfect electric blue lame’ tube top I’d wear some day when I was really old, like SIXTEEN. While I don’t think I’ll ever go back to the multiple scrunchies, neon lace fingerless gloves, and suspenders of those years, some looks are starting to look nice to me again. For a while there in the 80s I remember seeing lots of interesting, angular takes on the white dress shirt. Asymmetry, pointy collars, exaggerated front or back shirttails, often worn with simple, straight jeans or black trousers. I recently pinned a few Yohji Yamamoto looks like this that I labeled ‘Klaus Nomi meets Aunt Jemima’ which I think about sums it up. I wouldn’t mind going back to Flashdance and pulling out a few elements, like the layered scarves and the oversized military jacket.

[Lightning McStitch]

I’m having a flashback to an early 80’s outfit, worn by my 10 year old sefl:: Lady Di flicked hairstyle, cream blouse (bit like a Music Class), brown velvet knickerbockers, long socks and clogs.

Before this it was more the pin-stripe flared overalls and skivvies of early childhood.

After this came bubblegum jeans, those jackets with the little coloured tabs and zips all over them, then hypercolour, followed by the bottlegreen sweaters and jodhphurs of the late 80’s early 90’s,

And round it all goes again….

[dkbnyc]

i just turned 41, a child of the 80s. i liked ‘new wave’ music so i relate to the oversized tops, shorter in front, but i even had one, longer in front shorter in back. I loved huge sweatshirts and always wore one of my dads undershirts so the shirt was longer than the sweat shirt. my mom hated to see the undershirt peaking out from the bottom. i wore loafers with chunky socks. had a pair of white fishnets sock- which i still have in my sock drawer today. Had a couple pair of over the knee socks and was into wearing some of my dads old clothes- likely from the 50s-60s and pilfered vintage jewelry and cardigans from my mom. The PacNW was on the verge of grunge in the late 80s when i graduated from high school so plaid shirts were a big deal and so was tying a shirt around your waist Remember Boy George and his huge oversize layers- thats what i liked. and make up too!

[Liesl Gibson]

Oh yes, remember over-sized sweatshirts? I can remember a big paint-splattered trend (Jackson Pollack inspired) and the whole Keith Haring thing. Love it when art influences fashion.

Legwarmers, those Madonna black rubber bracelets worn in many multiples, jelly shoes, parachute pants, I could go on and on… It really does feel a lot like that now in fashion. We’re having an 80’s neon thing, too. But fashion often repeats itself 30 years later, so I guess it’s not a surprise. Oh, pegged jeans? I’m doing those again these days…

[Masha Richart]

We must be about the same age, justsewit. I remember those big socks pulled up over my pegged acid-washed jeans. I wore two pairs at once, alternating the colors – pink on the bottom, white on the top, on one foot, and white on the bottom, pink on the top, on the other. In the fourth grade had one of those shapeless shirts with a sequined sailboat-beach-and-palm-tree applique on it. It cost $20 which was quite a lot for my family and I begged my mom for it for weeks. Then I wore it to school every day until she snatched it to (hand) wash.

[Tamara]

Oh this is so much fun reading your posts! Yes I’ve reached the hump that lays in the middle of the 30’s and am now (slowly) creeping to 40! Madonna was outlawed in my house! But she was still very much a fashion influence. Boy George? Well! I remember Wham! and those “lovely” Miami Vice type white outfits the guys used to wear. My mum had a shirt with frills and a pussy cat bow doing the Lady Di thing in clothes AND hair.

1983 we spent twelve months in the UK and I have very vivid flashbacks of walking down the “high street” of Windsor (yes where the castle is) and noticing these teenagers (I was a whole 8 years old at the time) with spikes torn clothes and NAPPY PINS in every part (visible) of their bodies. Yes folks! I witnessed for a very short time the Punk Rock era – and vowed I would never look so hideous!

Acid wash jeans. My English teacher (in the very early 90’s) was still craving for the 80’s whilst wearing socks and high heels! What?! Disaster.

I loved the raaraa skirts and their many tiers often of different colours and the bubble skirt I thought was the most ingenius piece of clothing ever.

Being born mid way through the 70’s I did the skivvy thing (turtle neck) and corduroy overalls with little decals sewn on the front pocket.

Remember the mullet? I didn’t have one! And the rat’s tail hair style (Donnie Wahlberg eat ya heart out!)

The stirrup pants – they always were too short in the crotch for me but I insisted on wearing them.

What about those huge elasticated belts?? I’m picturing Hilary from the Fresh Prince (and might be meshing decades here)

This is fun. Keep going….

[Mel]

this is a fun topic! I had a huge sweatshirt with an airbrushed kitten on it with a few sequins. Which I wore with a huge elasticated belt, lol! I loved that sweatshirt and couldn’t ever imagine a time when it wouldn’t be cool

I also remember:

~ banana clips (A friend wore them all the time but my hair was too thick and not wavy enough, oh how I envied her!)

~ high waisted pants with suspenders (I saw someone wearing a pair of those the other day!)

~ matching my slouch socks to my scrunchy

~ blue nailpolish

~ Club Monacco logo sweatshirts (I lived in a small town about 5 hours away from the nearest club monacco so you knew you were cool if you had one!)

[Jane]

Who can forget hyper color t-shirts? I always wanted one, they were so cool.

[Tamara]

Ok today is the the day I am supposed to have this costume organsied! It has been an extreme time challenged week so I have to improvise!

It is not exactly 80’s but it has elements of 80’s-ness that could pass as an acceptable “costume”.

The Applepicking dress has a lovely pussycat bow made famous by Princess Di and it is dropwaisted which was a popular feature. So we will use this. Ballet style shoes were popular so we’ll use them. We could improvise using a slinky as “bangles” and because it is neon it could pass… thinking absolutely outside the square here!

A pink wig and a big bow could also top off the whole look – but we shall see.

Plan B is using black leggings, my turtleneck pink (not bright though) jumper, locating a skinny belt and using the black ballet pumps with a big hair bow.

Whatever! end of term discos stress me out! More time would have been advantageous but I think elements of 80’s would be better than rocking up in school uniform don’t you?

[Lightning McStitch]

If you could locate one of those coloured belts that wrapped around twice with the pyramid studs on it you’d really be on a winner with the OS jumper over tights look!

[with love Heidi]

I like the sound of the black leggings, oversized pink jumper, black ballet pumps and big hair bow even without the belt. That reminds me very much of the late 80’s very early 90’s and what we would have worn to school discos. Good luck hope, she has a good time.