Living Raleigh Styles – Back in the 80's

This is my 2 or 3-part series (we’ll see how it goes!) about looking back at fashion through the decades I actively participated in. Starting with the good ‘ol 80’s.  Whoaa… can you believe that’s around a quarter century ago!

But, while I didn’t grow up in Raleigh, I did grow up at the malls. So I share that in common with a lot of you.  I sure did shop a lot. Gosh, I can’t believe it all started with the 80’s…what happy, fun times!  By the way, that’s me in the photo just a few years ago.

When I was a teen in the ‘burbs (of DC) in the 80’s, there were a handful of places to shop. But the BIG BRAND names were ESPRIT, Benetton, Guess and the Limited. Oh and you wouldn’t be caught without a brand name. That would be so un-cool!

Stylish clothing in the 80’s were so colorful. The mall stores were bright and they had models dressed up in layered looks that was such a hit. Remember the Madonna looks, legwarmers, stirrup pants, paisley, neon bracelets, Risky Business sunglasses, Jams, untucked button down shirts with the collars up, rolled up sleeves??? I also wore a lot of mini skirts. Here’s a trip down memory lane photo. Me and a couple girls at the beach in the late 80’s.

Late 80's photo!

I didn’t look too dated, did I?…well, okay maybe the big plastic pink hoop earrings were an 80’s dead giveaway but you can’t really see them!  Most my photos back then were blurry for some reason.   This is one of the few photos where there’s not just one eye or our heads chopped off in photos.  I know how hard those disposable  idiot boxes can be to operate  And, this was post-BIG Hair that we all had. If you wanna re-live those days, go rent the movie “Rockstar”. Remember Guns n Roses, “Sweet Child O’ Mine”. Love that riff. I was Sweet 16. Okay just gave away my age. Gosh so many great 80’s songs!

But anyway, mind outta the gutter…getting back to fashion. If you think about it, styles haven’t really changed all that much. And they do come back in cycles.

Remember the big Jackie O’ type sunglasses that were popular?… well they ARE still big and have been for years. And the jean skirt that never really went out of style when paired with the right top. And hoop earrings as fallback fashion accessory.

But these good ‘ol standbys are exceptions.  For most fashion pieces, they go in and out like yesterday’s news. But, when you buy a piece of clothing, it may be ‘in’ then, out next year, but back ‘in’ years down the road. The question is, do you wanna hang onto it for that long?

I think it depends. If you never really cared for it, then why have it taking up closet or storage space? But if it’s an item that you loved when you bought it and wore all the time for the first year, then maybe you’ll like it and wanna wear it again decades later. I mean I still have a Banana Republic purse that I bought when I was 16 and wore on one shoulder and across my chest. Remember that style! Then moms back then starting doing it and it became uncool…sorry!

But I must say I was always stylin’ with my getups! And I had this cropped black and white checkered snowflake sweater that I just loved that I bought at the hip mall store Contempo Casual. I finally donated that sweater, but I could see myself wearing it today. Back in the day, Contempo Casual was the cool store for teens kinda like what Bebe is today.

And remember the 80’s preppy looks like argyle sweaters and polos. Definitely not ME either. I like the more modern contemporary stuff that’s form fitting but not tight! I like having some style. It’s a part of who I am.

Just fyi, Banana Republic and the Gap had just come into the scene. Boy, I feel lucky in many ways that I grew up with the fashion and stores of today. I really couldn’t imagine growing up any other time although my generation has been called “The Lost Generation”. We weren’t lost, we were just trying to find what best fits us.

One thing that hasn’t changed that I’ve noticed in my closet is PINK! It’s timeless. I can always find a reason to wear pink. Pink is what black is to most people’s closet. I’ve got a lot of it! My favorite is a pink cardigan that I can wear with almost anything.  What’s your favorite color and piece of clothing?

Category: Brandy's Special "Dish"