I don't know if you remember the pink Nina Ricci dress that I photographed last year at the Salon du Vintage, an exhibition dedicated to fashion trends that have marked history. Well I went back this year to check out what the 80's had to offer, for that was what this 3rd edition was dedicated to. Not bad... Actually, much less ridiculous than what the 70's produced! Remember Melanie Griffith and Sigourney Weaver in Working Girls (1988) or Flashdance (1983), those were the 80's!
Makes you seriously wonder what the fashions of tomorrow will be, doesn't it!
ReplyDeleteWell that blue thing in front looks like what a crossing guard or usher might wear. Mon Dieu!!!!
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I just missed GF (by 2). Quite amazing really! The 70's and 80's "retro" fashion seems to be making a comeback down here, according to my niece Amy whom you met here in Adelaide, Eric. So this piece is very timely I would say. That blue is the colour of my old summer school uniform - "royal blue" we called it.
ReplyDeleteActually I much prefer 70s fashion to 80s. All those puffed up shoulder pads never did it for me. Give me flares, fitted shirts, floral dresses, boots and smock dresses any day :)
ReplyDeleteCrossing guard uniform! Yeah, or school uniform. Uniform, either way. I don't remember what I wore in the 80s, but I remember my hair was as big as I could get it.
ReplyDeletelol Petrea! I think I tried the shoulder pads but that was it really, apart from going through a phase of wearing big bows in my hair, alice band style. Oh and I was kind of Sloane Ranger, Princess Diana style with twin sets, kilts and blouses with ruffs at the neck. Pearls. Flat black pumps. Those were a must. Cashmere sweaters. I didn't go for the pop 80s stuff much, it was too out-there for me. I'm a bashful little soul... whaaaaat?
ReplyDeleteOh I had shoulder pads, you bet. And I remember a couple of pant suits: one was mustard yellow and shiny, with a short jacket and balloony pants. The other also had a short jacket: brown. The pants looked like they were from a zoot suit. I was stylin'. Yikes.
ReplyDeleteI'd definitely take the 70s over the 80s if pressed to choose. I committed some atrocities against myself in the 80s, including a lilac shiny pants suit that sounds like the long-sleeved sister of Petrea's mustard one. I seem to also recall some balloon shorts. And leggings over the top of jeans. Aaargh, make it go away. But it seemed such a good idea at the time.
ReplyDeleteand don't forget leg warmers. What is scary, is that some of Eric's readers ARE too young to remember....sob.
ReplyDeleteBTW,the blue dress featured is making my heart flutter...it does look like a uniform, an air hostess, flight attendant trolly dolly uniform!!
Phx, and who better to recognise such a thing! With a nice little matching jacket over the top and a cap, perhaps?
ReplyDeleteOh, leg warmers. I had several pairs. I lived in Chicago for most of the 80's so I had an excuse, at least in winter. There was no excuse for much of the rest of my wardrobe, however.
ReplyDeleteI'm not much into the navy blue uniform in front here, but I so want to rifle through the rest of this rack! I was a tragic victim of 80s fashion, having started with the Flashdance look (mom knit me hot pink leg warmers to wear with my paint-splattered sweatershirt with the neck missing). Then I moved on to preppy (I went to college a mere 1/2 hour from L.L. Bean), with my favorite outfit being hot pink wide wale cords paired with a lime green Izod sweater. Then once I graduated from college I did the working girl big shoulder-padded blazer and skirt with floppy bowties look. I cringe just thinking about it. At this point, I'm waiting for the 40s to make a comeback. Very classy.
ReplyDeleteMust disagee. If you're after vintage, the 70's (early 70's which are really still part of the 60's vibe) are way more fun, inventive, and cool than the eighties, which are this point just look sort of like dated old clothes to me, anyway
ReplyDeleteYeah shoulder pads and HUGE curly hair that was me in the 80's.
ReplyDeleteI just read in ELLE magazine that the 80's are back this summer. Especially the colourful plastic accessories. I don't think I'll jump for it this time around, though. It would be like a flash back !
he he colourful plastic accessories - I really wanted one of those clutch bags, all shiny and looked like a folded magazine? I never got one.
ReplyDeleteLeg warmers! Oh yes. That's where you start paying! I wanted to live forever, FAME! I even joined the famous Pineapple Studio in London and hopped about a bit. In my head I looked the part, headband included. In reality it must have been a sad sight to behold. I had pink and black leg warmers and loved them to bits, I too recall knitting them. I'm doing some knitting at the moment actually......wonder if I can find the pattern.......hmmm. Thinks. I AM tempted. OMG somebody stop me.
This picture reminds me of the one seen on Kiev Daily Photo on April 3rd! You know you've been looking at too many city daily photo blogs when you start seeing similarities in the pictures!
ReplyDeleteThank you for the link to the Flashdance video (good memories of the teenager I was!).
ReplyDeleteFunny, I still have both songs 'she's a maniac' and 'what a feeling' in mind. Recently, I even looked for the lyrics on Internet for I had that in mind quite often!
Far too easy but it doesn't prevent from dreaming : do believe in your dreams and they'll come true (I like this phrase). Recently saw the movie 'Slumdog millionnaire': that's another illustration for this subject :)
And what about the photo du jour... nice old clothes that had their glory hour in the past and still have now, only for happy few!
Yes I just had the time to click Eric's link to Flashdance too. What a treat. I'd love to see the whole thing again. I bet I'm not the only one here who used to attempt those moves when on their own? :) er...the slow balletic bits I meant... ? Come on, you know you want to share!
ReplyDeleteOkay, Lynn, I admit it. I did try some of those moves. But since I was busy all day keeping up with a two-year-old and a three-year-old when Flashdance came out, a couple of spins and one half-assed leap and I was already done in!
ReplyDeleteI also had the same "zoot suit" as Petrea -- good description! Actually, I'm tempted to say the the term "80s fashion" is an oxymoron. My '60s/early '70s "hippie" wardrobe was my dead fave by far!
I KNEW it! Phew I'm not the only one... :) Yep 60s and 70s are great.
ReplyDeleteI'm amazed you attempted it with tinies running around - well done you! That year I was getting married for the first time. I wonder which month the film came out? Was I wedding-dress-shopping I wonder or was I languishing on a Carribean beach with gorgeous man and ring on finger? It would be interesting to know. Either way it was a good year... sigh...
Lynn -- yeah, I'm intrepid! (and the kiddies were indestructible) :~D Pretty sure that film came out in April (here at least). So when did you get hitched?
ReplyDeleteAnd which Caribbean beach did you grace?
Do tell us, Lynn. And what did the wedding dress look like?
ReplyDeleteI agree, late 60s-70s the fashion was more fun. There were mistakes, but they were glorious ones.
It was ivory silk, Petrea, v neck with lace and tucked scallops at the hem, quite simple but very traditional, pretty. Alexa I got hitched in June! So I'd have been shopping then and sewing my bridesmaid's and my headdresses and little bows on our shoes and making old fashioned cuffs for my little page boy. Did those bits myself because I couldn't find what I wanted. I was quite picky. lol. They were both about 3 years old trotting along behind me. A busy time but loved every minute. We honeymooned in St. Lucia, three weeks. We loved it so much my husband booked us another week. Bliss.
ReplyDeleteSounds lovely, lovely Lynn.
ReplyDeleteI'm so fortunate to have found your site. I loved Paris when I visited many years ago and, now, thanks to you, I can go back each day.
ReplyDeletelol lovely Lynn is very, very welcome Petrea, particularly tonight. Gosh. Brr. That number's looming.
ReplyDeleteIt is definately difficult to think of the 80s as vintage...yet I see it all over the place being sold as vintage. I used to wear that stuff! The young generation thinks it's cool...:-) me, i'll stick to pre 1970s thank you!
ReplyDeleteYeah, unless you could make your own clothes, the 80s had us trapped in shoulder pads with dropped seams, and the scourge of tapered jeans and trousers. You couldn't even buy t-shirts without shoulder pads! Thong underwear was born for the dancers of that time, with the high-cut leg openings on the shoulder-strapped leotards, with little tees underneath. Yes, I took modern dance at UCSB, and yes we wore the leg-warmers and terry headbands. THAT was the fashion dished out for the decade of my 20s! They hadn't figured out how to make rayon that didn't shrink, and the proportions were mannish, and, Yes, I'm bitter...!
ReplyDeletePre-disco 70s was much better, as explained above.
Did like the 80's very much more than the 70's (although I didn't hit teenagerhood until the 80's)
ReplyDeleteI still hate bellbottoms! There was great fun music back then too. "Walk like an Egyptian" anyone?
The movie that most represents the 80's to me for some reason is "9 to 5" with Dolly Parton, Jane Fonda. I can hear the theme song right now!
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