A Tribute to the 80's in All It's Splendour

A lot of people mightn’t remember the 80’s for one reason or another, but the 80’s seem to have become a fashion statement again. Unlike during that same era when its style came into being; by putting the pieces of an obscure bad fashion puzzle together, and blending it together over 10 years, current trends have taken out what can only be considered as the best of 80’s fashion and transplanted it into the 10’s. When it comes to fashion of that time it really doesn’t leave us with much.

Bizarre was fashionable

80s Party (Photo credit: meganpru)

When we look back as a non participant of the decade of fashion victim it’s like a quirky, fun time to be in. Were the 80’s all that they were cracked up to be?

Let’s explore the multitude of faux pas’ that the 80’s created.

Hairstyles were a big statement. Long hair was popular for rebel males, tough men like hard rockers and ice hockey players. Mullets were the worst side of these hair styles. A mullet wasshorter on the top of the head, and the back allowed to grow long. Probably the worst hairstyle that has existed. The latinos and dance minded men also had long hair but more like a puffy bouufant, shorter top and well groomed all round. Never touch their frizz or your in trouble. As for women bouffants were also popular. Hair was really well rounded, and kept together with full cans of hairspray or hair lacquer. Permed hair was in. A sad fact that it was also in for the men.

English: Tyler Castle from JCHS. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Fashion for the men consisted of either supertight jeans, or super loose fitting clothes. A loose shirt and loose pants with a belt to hold it all in. Earlier in the decade ridiculously bright fluorescent colours, were popular with complete bright multi-coloured combinations. Women would wear leg warmers, over stretch stiruup pants, some wearing fingerless gloves, oversized tops, and . T-shirts with themes based on George Michaels band Wham, were popular, white oversized shirts, with a large flouro coloured print saying Choose Life, Wham or Go Go. Later in the era tie dyed t-shirts became popular.

English: A tie dyed shirt. Photo taken my MpegMan. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Music in the 80’s has it’s good and bad points. Surveys show that people rate it as the worst era for music, which is true, but their were still many good songs that are relevant for a good easy listening radio format. Quality wasn’t always in the music. It was like they were just making music for filling the market, rather than making music because you had the talent. Boy George from the band Culture Club had the most abstract fashion sense of anyone from any era in history.

Synth pop had taken over the music scene. Almost all rock bands had started to include a synthesiser in their music mix, whereas bands that cross over from 70’s-80’s or 80’s-90’s, don’t include it their bands sound. Some bands especially British ones, were based on synthesiser sound, and were pioneers of later forms of synthesiser electronica. The beat usually performed by drummers was replaced the the inbuilt beat system of a synthesiser.

English: Boy George performing at Ronnie Scott’s in London 2001. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Sax offences as they are called were heavily breached. Sax leads were common in 80’s songs, but it’s up to the individual if you like it or not. Some well known ones are “The Heat Is On- Glenn Fry”, “St Elmo;s Fire theme song”, Men At Work “Who Can It Be”, and INXS were great providers of sax offences in their earlier work, one example is “I Send A Message”

Onion Music was popular. The sort of music that would bring a tear to a glass eye. Love songs ruled the day and sang of teary heartache situations. Some didn’t have much lyrics to them, or they just seemed to have really bad lyrics, but compensated with a good musical sound.

Television The upside of the 80’s was that it had better Television programs than most decades. Compare it to current television where reality tv has taken over from the standard television series. These series had to have a theme and a story every week, that had some sort of creativity, something that reality tv really doesn’t have. There is certainly a lot more talent involved in thinking up a story and delineating it and keeping it consistent and then keeping the viewers interests

Picture of leather fingerless gloves from Wilson Leather, size large. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

So if you like the eighties, put on your loudest non matching clothes, frizz your hair up, spray a ton of hairspray in it to keep it there. Let’s turn up the Culture Club, Van Halen, and Scorpion and party like there’s no 90’s. Good tip don’t touch the frizz man, or there’ll be trouble. While you’re doing that, if you like this story or any others, please by all means pass the name of Street Talk Savvy on to your friends.