Growing up, I remember going through my mother’s old pictures and seeing those amazing vintage shades, high-waisted bell-bottoms, beautiful long hippie dresses and strappy Jesus sandals she used to wear, pleading “Why Mom? Why? Why did you give it all away?” Now, that I’m all grown up, I walk into a store like American Apparel and wonder if they went fishing through my give-away bags when I was a kid in the 80’s. When it comes to fashion, everything comes back in cycles. What’s “new” is really just an evolution and tweak of what’s past. Here’s a post for all you 80’s kids who like me, are probably regretting all those e-Bay opportunities you must have missed seeing hipsters strut around in our old gear.
Remember these?
Slap Bracelets
I used to have a collection of these self-harming accessories, including my very own New Kids on the Block one. They were popular among pre-teens and teens in the late 80’s but were eventually banned from schools after many students suffered wrist injuries. Now that enough time has elapsed and people have forgotten the potential dangers of arm jewelry that once splayed open a kid’s artery, slap bracelets are back!
Jelly Bracelets
To go with their giant hoop earrings, girls used to wear jelly bracelets up to their elbows. Mine went about half way, on one arm only, and glowed in the dark.
Fishnet Gloves
My mother would never let me leave the house wearing a pair of these, but the hooker-look was certainly as fashionable then as it is now.
Off-The Shoulder Sweaters
Colorful Wayferer Sunglasses
Flip through the pages of Nightlife or Vice and you’ll find scenesters love to hide their coke-blasted eyes behind a pair of Wayferers. My pair was neon pink and black and I used to wear them while playing my Sanyo synthesizer.
Nerd Glasses
Flip through the pages of Nightlife or Vice and all of a sudden that kid who used to get pointed at, or pummelled for wearing those enormously awkward, thick, plastic-rimmed glasses is a sexy, love-getting machine. The nerds finally got their revenge.
Scrunchies
Though the elasticity of scrunchies was sometimes debatable, I loved them because they were gentle and didn’t rip out the fragile hairs from my scalp. Scrunchies have now made a comeback, continuing to help ponytails stay high and off-centered.
Gem Sweaters
Gaudy, grotesque and utterly glam. For those of you have never had the privilege to see Leslie Hall sing about her gem sweaters check this out:
Leg Warmers
Certainly practical when wanting to keep those shins warm, leg warmers bring back another fond 80’s memory. Anyone else use to layer their socks?
Animal Print Leggings
Animal print tights used to be a girl thing. That trend seems to have extended to some guys now too.
Tapered Acid Wash Denim
Now, this was probably one of the most shocking comebacks I thought I would never see again. Stripping the color of the top layer of denim, acid wash jeans were sincerely hideous, but when I slipped into my skin-tight pair of acid-washed Guess jeans with zippers at the bottom, I was a rockstar. Can’t say I’m glad to see these again though.
Kid Bikes
Not sure how or why it is cool to ride around on your kid sister’s bike, but I’ve seen some of the baddest looking guys do it.
BMX
BMX will always be rad.
Peewee’s Bicylce
I know you are but what am I? Unlike Peewee’s awesome bike, which could fly over rooftops, I’ve seen bikes like these being sold for over $600 with but one measly speed.
Keds
Now worn in white to better amass dirt.
Converse
Reebok Freestyles
Let’s get physical.
Jellies
Snap-Crotch Bodysuits
Personally, I was never a fan of the wedgies I’d constantly tug at in snap-crotch bodysuits. Guess I’m alone on that one.
Parachute Pants
Parachute pants have been all the rage in Europe for at least five years and are slowly beginning to infiltrate the North American market. Perfect if you like the diaper look.
Cycling Shorts
I lived in cycling shorts, though I preferred the black neoprene ones with thick neon stripes running along the sides.
Adidas Tennis Shorts
Stirrup Pants
Any other 80’s fashions that have made a comeback, you can think of?
Unsolved Mysteries Forum said
Hello , very nice blog , it was pleasure for me to read it.
Miss Cellania said
Your parents wore this stuff? Geez, I feel so old. I recall buying these fashions in the 80s and thinking “I’m too old for this.”
Alli said
hey. i still have and wear my red reebok sneakers; i still wish i had them in yellow as well.
Scooter said
I miss my narrow neckties.
Bunny said
rrow ties are definately missed.
Though I really miss the white or light pastel denim or cotton overalls girls would wear in (approx) 87. Was it just me, or did most teenage girls wear absolutely nothing underneath so they could unclip at the shoulders and let gravity strip them?
Oh and dress jackets on tshitrts, and those oversized dress jackets.
Froggotheman said
Your parents? Geez I feel old. Everyone I knew looked like that in high school. But I always looked good in my white linen suit and pastel t-shirt with a nice pair of sandals, a la Miami Vice.
World’s Strangest | Things The 80’s Child Shouldn’t Have Thrown Out said
[…] Link […]
Delux said
Just more proof that the current generation sucks and can’t be original with fashion or music. Seriously… What have we come out with that hasn’t aready been done a billion times over?
The 60’s - distinct/unique: Hippies free love etc.
The 70’s - distinct/unique: Disco babeee
The 80’s - distinct/unique: Shoulder pads, big hair, punk, etc
The 90’s - Distict/unique: Grunge, Goth, Alternative
The 2000’s onwards… ??? buzz.. you get NOTHING except rehashed music/fashion/trends from prior generations and think you guys came up with it.
Findlay.D said
Colourful clothing in general I’d say. Iron-on-Patches is pretty 80’s retro. And those tiny coloured plastic beads.
Slap Bracelets = AWESOME! Nice post
Findlay.D said
WALKMANS!!!
Things The 80’s Child Shouldn’t Have Thrown Out « Dark In The Boy said
[…] Have Thrown Out I saw the picture of those Slap Bracelets and knew exactly what Mary from Fashion-Victims blog meant by the word […]
MadMolecule said
Those aren’t parachute pants. Those are Harem pants, aka Hammer pants, so-called because MC Hammer wore them. Parachute pants were different: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parachute_pants
bananna said
I loved my flair skirt with built in knee length leggings. Even better with multi-layer ruffles…in neon!
Sara's Whimsy said
I was not allowed to wear my neon pink slap bracelet - but I was allowed to hold it (!?!?!?!?).
I remember making my very own parachute pants in sewing class (OMG!).
I still miss my purple leg warmers. They were cable knit.
And Findlay: I still use my yellow sport walkman. I don’t care what looks I get.
I miss the blazers over t-shirts too!
TxRanger said
I miss pretty much everything they sold at Jeans West and Chess King (up until about 88/89 when they started going hip hop)
Definitely skinny ties.
selunesmom said
Jellies… I miss those. They were a nice alternative to sore feet from wearing thong sandals in the summer.
Melody said
Im sorry but this list is crap.
Im gonna have to disagree alot with this
The things that dont exist anymore SHOULDNT, and the things that SHOULD, still do
I liek slap bracelets
and jelly bracelets are still around
same with fishnets
over the shoulder clothes - everywhere
scrunchies should all be burned to death, for forever
gem sweaters… /vomit
I dont understand why bmx is on this list at all
and I have a cruiser BETTER than peewees bike, and its 3 speeds, not 1
get those onesies out of the adult world
and since when did converse go out of style
and WHO THE FUCK would wear parachute pants anymore
Coco said
Juuust a little negative there Melody? Sad. The list is great. I remember it all well…high school!
Kujujuwa said
I think Melody had a bad 80’s childhood.
I personally loved it! Everything on this list brought me back to the good old days of Saturday morning cartoons with a big bowl of Trix. :sigh: Oh wiat, I still do that! lol
But really, it’s true that there realy haven’t been any major fashion shifts since the 90’s. So some of this stuff will make it back, hopefully the stuff that doesn’t look so bad.
flavio said
Faltou aqueles relógios que trocavam as pulseiras coloridas !!!!!!!
gaby said
I’m brazilian.
I don’t speak english. I never speak english.
Good bye!!
gaby said
oi
é ieu di novu!!
como eu disse, Ai doun’t spiq inglysh.
tiau, tiau!
bai, bai!
gud bai!
“Got Coconut?” said
[…] Things the 80’s child shouldn’t have thrown out. […]
Voicedude said
Crayons shoes for men.
Various colors (like red), and I still have my white Crayons.
Perfect with baggy, pleated pants and skinny ties.
Voicedude said
…but what I REALLY miss from 80s fashions is the Men’s stores at malls like Oaktree. Got some very cool, classy and stylish stuff there, things you can’t find today like pleated pants or instrument themed shirts.
Ladies clothing stores have a hundred variations, but there are only THREE kinds of men’s clothing styles today: Business wear (plain shirts & ties), Golf wear (and similar casual junk), and Grunge wear (must everything have that Affliction style?)
THAT’S IT!
Anonymous said
Looks like some people can’t tell the difference between parachute pants (or balloon trousers) and DHOTI PANTS (its precursor). I could assure you that parachute pants aren’t making a comeback, but dhoti pants are becoming a trend.
Also, some of these apply to the early 90s too.
meme said
hammer pants are not parachute pants!
Scooter said
Parachute pants is a broad term that covers two styles. Late 70s/early 80s witnessed tight pants with numerous zippered pockets. These pants were made of light, rip resistant nylon fabric - parachute fabric - so they were called parachute pants. Breakdancers wore them and similar jackets because the slick material provided more protection and less friction in floor moves.
Later in the 80s, loud printed cotton material was used to make much too large, loose, baggy pants - reminding one of wearing an entire parachute - so they were called parachute pants. This style was flashy but flowed and gave mobility and visual motion to the developing hip hop movement.
The term is correct for either style, but confusing.
SPORT 24 - Media* » Το Ποντίκι αλλάζει said
[…] Καταραμένα ‘80ς Όταν ήμασταν μικροί. […]
tenFoot foreskin » Things I Miss said
[…] sources: 1 2 3 4 5 6 […]
Seksenlerin Çocuklarının Alışkanlıkları said
[…] Bu gün bakınca komik göründüğünü biliyorum. Ancak her dönemin gençlerinin trendleri bir kaç nesil sonra bakınca böyle gönüyor. Utanç duymuyoruz. Yaptık, yine yaparız:) Vatkalı montlar, omuz altı süveterler, renkli bileklikler, renkli çerçeveli güneş gözlükleri, Bmx bisiklet, asitte yıkanmış kırçıllı kot, Converse (hala hayatta), şalvar pantolon vs..vs.. Bunlar bir kısmı. Dahası BURADA… […]
Wegas said
new blog
drumphil2 said
I had a pair of pants that I’ve also heard people refer to as parachute pants, but I’m not so sure that’s what you call them. They weren’t made out of parachute material. It was more like the kind of material that the Member’s Only jackets were made of. They fit more like normal pants, but they had zippers on the sides of the legs that went from the hip down to the ankle. Under those zippers was a thinner material in a different color. So if you unzipped the sides there’s be a flair of another color. Mine were black and the flairs were white. Anyone know what these pants were called?
brokenblu said
the funny thing is
i work at urban outfitters
which is a leading clothing and fashion store for people 17 - 25 years of age
all of this is comming back.
more that 50 percent of what you showed here is in my store
=]
love
blu
Dee said
i’m a 90s child but i love 80s fashion, i think high waisted chic jeans should have been added to the list, also.
giraffe said
i think its sad that my friends and i own MANY of these fashions and none of us were even born until AFTER the 80’s, if not mid 90’s. i think its because we all missed it and its so fun that it had to be brought back so that we could enjoy it.
Jeremy said
I am a guy who misses bodysuits. My sister used to have tons of them- crew and turtlenecks. I would always borrow hers. I liked to wear turtlenecks, and I liked how the bodysuits fit and stayed tucked in. They should make them for guys. I actually looked damn good in them!