Whee! I might actually be the first commenter!

Be-dazzler! Ha -- you can sometimes catch the commercials on late night TV!!

Didn't the 80s JUST END?? We have Madonna to blame for this...

Laurie, I am nearly 10 years older than you and I've been through the thing where what was fashionable in your teen years come into vogue. It's not good. I went through this when "That 70s Show" first came on. All I can say is, get ready for some flashbacks. there's no stopping it.

I'm in pain at the thought of stretch lace. And perms. PERMS HATE ME. hehehehe

So I'm guessing that you haven't seen the iron-on tshirts that are coming back (http://www.funrockn.com/transfers/) or the gauchos that are _everywhere_ right now (2,553 results for gauchos at a certain search engine's shopping site). I think I saw some stretch lace last week, and my eyes have still not forgiven the offender.

Jen and I were in Macy's last week and I saw the stretch lace .... the gauchos. It skeered me.

Dear lord, save us from metallic teal taffeta bubble skirts. But I'm liking those round-toe flats with bows from J. Crew. . .

Helen

NO 80's revival please NO!

I am cringing at the thought of how I used to get perms and go through 2 bottles of Spritz Forte per month. I have not owned ANY hair spray in over 10 years. I work on a college campus and saw one very hideous poof skirt on a girl yesterday.

If all of this vile stuff comes back at least I will be able to say that I will be able to save money by not giving in.

I would also like to add... for the, uh, more "apple bottomed" girls of this world like moi, the pouf skirt is TORTURE and FUG.

ugh! Perms, yuck! And the BANGS! Please O Higher Power, save us from the BANGS!

STRETCH PANTS! Ten pounds of sausage in five pounds of casing! Remember how the shoulder pads would come loose causing a third boob?! Good times, good times.

Haven't you noticed all the leggings? The leggings are everywhere! Evvvvvvverywhere! It's like attack of the killer tomatoes, except with stretch pants instead of tomatoes.

Utterly horrifying. And I will never, but NEVER be caught dead wearing blue eyeshadow.... but truth be told, it's more because it just doesn't look good on me.

You mean we'll have to refrain from lighting any matches for a while, because of the scary hair product?

...sh*t...

You're too late - it's way back. Started with Uggs and mini skirts and I don't think it's going to stop until we're all in oversized shirts and peg legged jeans. Gnarly.

bike shorts under skirts. And aqua net. although I have to admit i kinda like the pink and lime green combo

its time to invest in the hairspray industry

Alas, it's already happening. The gauchos are all over the place here, and I recently saw a woman waiting for the train wearing an acid-washed denim jacket over a hot-pink BeDazzled t-shirt, a pink bubble shirt, legwarmers, and... purple pumps. I'm so not kidding.

Amen sister!

Hey! Waitaminute! The Bedazzler is out of style???!!!!

Not to mention that this season's fashion color appears to be... brown. This is bad for two reasons: 1) here in New England, no one will take you seriously in the workplace if you wear brown (you can wear blue jeans, just not brown jeans) 2) I look horrible in brown. Not to mention that it appears to be not rust, not copper, not chocolate, but the identical color of that crayon in your 16-color (16 colors! we're talking ancient video-card history here!) Crayola box labeled BROWN.

Not to mention that it is not easy these days to find a suit with a skirt. Not that I ever wear suits, but if I did, I have things to hide here.

Like Nancy R. (only I'm older), I've been through the revival-of-fashion-you-hated-when-you-were-a-teen-and-at-least-had-a-good-body-to-put-in-it. 70's show, bell bottoms, mini skirts, oh dear. My rule is, if I wore it before, I am exempt from wearing it now...

On the bright side, we could make PILES of cash selling hand-crafted legwarmers! How's that for debt elimination?

Good lord no! Not the legwarmers and the off-the-shoulder shirts (ala Flashdance) again. I mean, bra-less was all good and fine back in the errr ...... "perky", shall we say.... days. But I'm not thinkin' that would be such a good look for me now. Though ... hmmmm ... I certainly could show up those youngsters by wearing ones with huge, HUGE gaping off-the-shoulder necklines ... what with nothing indecent showing til the neckline got 'bout down to my navel. Just sayin'.

I saw a jumpsuit the other day. in a store. a high end store. and it was knit, with a tube top for a top. It screamed of mork and mindy. and yes, the gauchos, they are everywhere already. the highwaisted pants can't be far behind them. although I must admit I will not be sad when the muffin top and thong show goes out of style. As bad as the 80 were, at least the leggings and big shirt were comfy...right? But dayum, not the mullet. Not again!!

Pegged leg jeans with zippers in the back and scrunch socks. Yuck!

What about the poor misguided folks who never really let go of their 80's style in the first place? Like a guy in my neighborhood who has a mullet (business in the front, party in the back!), wears acid washed tight jeans and muscle shirts in all weather and drives a Camaro. If the 80's comes back, he'll just feel justified. That is, if he even notices. After all, he's been oblivious to fashion for 20 years, why start noticing now?

But you forgot one main thing:

"If you wore it the first time around, you CANNOT wear it the second time around."

You have to shop online at Chico's now...

I've seen the BeDazzler ad on tv!!

Gag me with a spoon! I saw a bedazzler infomercial last week with that bedazzler girl (Tana?) from the Apprentice last season. I wanted to reach through the tv and strangle her scrawny neck.

Somehow I think the 80s were quadruple-ly horridous due to being half my teen years. I always took out the shoulder pads anyway and used them in my bra :)

Target has gauchos. I cried.

we are phasing out of the early to mid 80's and heading on to the late 80's

i read in a fashion mag last summer that strech pants (yes you heard me) are coming back in. Oh wait Leggins. is what they called them.

I wore them as a pre teen I REFUSE to jump on that trend. I'm almost 31. They didn't look good on me when I was 12, 13, or 14 and they sure as hell won't look good on me now. I think they are trying to kill us.

I just don't want grunge to come back at all. or mullets (well I know some people with Fashion Mullets and I just laugh at them for being stupid hipsters) I can't imagine wearing shapless clothes and dirty plaid that I wore when I was 15, 16, 17, 18. the early 90's are a horrible horrible fashion time. But maybe being in my 30s means I'm not allowed to have a fashion opinion? Maybe it allows me to laugh at 16 year old girls in shoulder pads while I stick to the gap and my classic clothes/vintage love? god please let it be that way.

Since we are discussing ways to get rid of debt, take a look here . . . .

www.mybedazzler.com

Tana made 10K in two weeks! It could happen, right?

Since we are discussing ways to get rid of debt, take a look here . . . .

www.mybedazzler.com

Tana made 10K in two weeks! It could happen, right?

laura ashley dresses....noooooo!

I so much agree with you (again)! Except I equate blue eye shadow with trashy women (sorry), and I still like collars that stand up.

I so much agree with you (again)! Except I equate blue eye shadow with trashy women (sorry), and I still like collars that stand up, mostly because I have a wonderfully long neck so it looks good on me.

Dear Higher Power,

I'm with Laurie on this one. Please, God...no. Just...no.

Amen

Confession: I did sorta love the '80s fashions. I had both my babies in that decade and those leggings and big shirts made great maternity wear.

and um...i'm 42 and i miss the grunge days...and i still were jeans with holes in them. (~sigh~)

Do you know how many years it took me to finally realize that I NEVER looked good with pegged pants? And the sweater dresses...WITH shoulder pads!!! God help us all!

does this mean that we can’t rock the scarybright neon? ‘cause i totally miss that. it was better than caffeine, man. totally kept me awake.

Amen, sister. AMEN.

And can you imagine if all the knitting magazines only had patterns for those crazy oversized sweaters? dealing with this novelty yarn craze is difficult enough ...

I've been noticing leggings alot lately. *shudder* Leggings are great...if you do not wear them out of the house (or are pregnant). And who wants to hide behind a mask of icky make-up? Some things were okay, it was the excess of everything that makes me cringe.
Now grunge I could do...I lurve my Docs.

Hmm. I just thought the 80s revival has been and gone - big plastic jewellery, dodgy outfits. Maybe it was just a blip and the real 80s revival is on its way.

(Hides behind the couch)

Oh, dang. I was hoping to be able to peg my pantlegs again. I do not, however, miss buying Aquanet by the case.

Our local radio station has been playing 30 years/30 days for the past couple of weeks and today we are at 1987... brings back memories of grad school. It's weird falling back into that head space after all these years. Made me go into my closet and finally get rid of all the dolman sleeves and sweater dresses!

I'd like to add that popped collars have made a serious, though controversial comeback.

Neon! Need I say more?

I saw the commercial for the bedazzler yesterday. Holy cow, I tell ya.

Gauchos - no can do. Too fat and don't need anything that makes me look shorter or draws attention to my thighs.

I refuse to participate in an '80s comeback. :)

(I do like the flat shoes though. Anything but those awful pointy-toed shoes!)

Holy crap. I like pink with green (I know, I know), but the whole poofy-skirt thing should NEVER be resurrected. Yick. And no parachute pants, neither.

Oh, mann ... y'all are way off base!

Speaking as a guy of the '80s (High School class of '84) nothing is better than big hair, bright makeup, tights and that big, off the shoulder sweatshirt/sweatery thing!

Ooh, Belinda Carlisle, be mine!!

take on me. take me on.

The big shirt and leggings thing? Yes! It's like being in jammies all day. Of course, one doesn't leave the house when one is in one's jammies. Maybe we should just stay home till it's over!

The only good thing that came from the 80s was Duran Duran, and even they are tired and re-hashed now. I'm well over men with frosted hair.

I've noticed that these things seem to go in 20 year cycles. In the 70s were were entranced by the 50s (Happy Days, etc). Then in the 80s we saw a 60s revival. In the 90s they started thinking the 70s were cool again. We're due for an 80s invasion, I'd say. I'm also a product of the 80s (class of 84 as well), and while my hair looked pretty good back then, and my CD collection reflects my musical coming of age, I think the line needs to be drawn somewhere! But not before I run out and get a new pair of saddle oxfords (you can take the girl out of the Catholic school, but...)

K. - are you my long lost twin?! Also 42 and still haven't given up my flannel and baggy (not saggy) worn-down jeans. Comfort is key.

I never got the "fashion" of the 80's. At the time I thought I was tragically unhip, but now I see I was fantastically fortunate. Some great music, tho.

This is all Dubya's fault (but then again, I blame most everything on him. It's very convenient. But still...) If you think about it, the glitzy, trashy fashion of the 80s was a direct result of a tanking economy combined with a population that completely and willfully ignorant to the fact. Fashion seems to take a turn for the worse every time we elect a Republican to a second term. Good goin Bonzo! Fashion never really recovered until the Clinton administration.

Am I kidding? I don't even know anymore...

But wait... don't you love legwarmers?

I've been noticing a lot of '80's style punk kids out here in the midwest lately: you know the ones with the plaid, skinny black jeans, big clunky shoes or boots, and best of all, the fan shaped mohawk. I love those '80's punk kids...

I will agree with that. 80s punk was great, but it went underground or got transformed when grunge came in. I liked the 80s mod look, too, which was in and of itself a holdover from another time and place.

How am I gonna cope with the 80s resurgence? I'll just keep dressing punk/mod/vintage like I always do. It'll never go out of style [crosses fingers.]

I loved the early 80s punk thing, I was way way way trying to be the best little punk in my lil' chickenscratch town. Ah, the good old days, wearing all black, listening to circle jerks, seven seconds, anything we could get our hands on. I dyed my hair blue and about gave my daddy a heart attack. Good times ;)

I'm also 42 and am eagerly awaiting the second-coming of grunge! Of course, to look at me, you'd probably think it never went away.

I just sent someone an email with an "it's" instead of "its" in it, ack! should I email with a follow up that says, hey, I'm not illiterate ...I just suck at typing? Or... just ignore it?

anyway. back to legwarmers!

Oh my gawd. Mall hair. Hypercolor t-shirts. Parachute pants. And who...WHO...looks good in bubble pouf dresses?

Oh hell, I had forgotten hypercolor!!!

My 21 year old daughter is wearing gaucho's and I saw a really cute gaucho outfit at Victoria's Secret the other day myself LOL. Loved the look but on me NADA!

Ummm, I kind of miss grunge and flannel. But that's just because I'm a slob at heart and would like to see a revival in slackerism and serious coffee house type boys with sexy hair in their face.

Jeans, t-shirt & sneakers.
My style since 1975 and I ain't changing.

I'm just happy to see my son's pants above his butt crack and his girlfriend does look cute in her gouchos. I leave the fashion trends to younger generation but I enjoy the show.

Oh gaaaaaaaaawd, 80s fashion....the thought just makes me shiver.

I'm having PST induced flashbacks to curling irons and big bangs. A look I never mastered.

But slap bracelets were fun.

Um, I saw bubble skirts in the paper this weekend. And the gauchos, they're everywhere! Even at my school. Icky. I had a red pair in junior high, so yeah. I'll follow Drew's advice and skip 'em this time around. Although, Chico's has an advantage...I wear a size "2" there. Heh. Nice marketing strategy for the woman of a certain age. Not that I am. (41) So when does that certain age start anyhoo?

Hmmm, even though I'm *ahem* 41, I seem to have missed most of the 80's fashion. Guess that's what happens when you spend most of the decade in Maternity Wear and clothes suitable for breastfeeding (yeah, the choices there are/were *limited*).

However, I'm aside from putting pink and green together (I just like the combo) I'm taking the rule "if you wore it the first time, you can't this time" and extending it "if you *could* have worn it the first time".

Liza {who has to admit, she's already knit legwarmers~for her teen!}

Never say never, I guess. In the '80s my unhip roommate often wore a knee length A-line skirt and I was all, "Oh my GOD, I can't believe you're leaving the sorority house in that awful '70s thing!" Totally, I totally said that.

Now as I sit here wearing my favorite A-line skirt, I'm dreading wading through racks of skinny minis (with full-length zippers!) next time I go shopping.

But I did love the make-your-own fashion thing. We'd buy colored t-shirts from the men's department and then cut out the neckband, cut off the sleeve bottoms and tie them at the waist. Pretty cute with zippered-leg jeans and a saucy big-bow headband.

Not.

Two words -- stirrup pants! Not only did I see them in a high fashion magazine (where they were raving about them) I recently witnessed a pair on a tragically hip Los Angeleno. Heaven help us all!

And don't forget about yacht rock....

You're preaching to the choir, sister! Our salvation will come, I think, in the fact that we are much, much smarter this time around.

Cause I can tell you, you'll never get me back into one of those ruffly, poofy-sleeved blouses with the big-shoulder-padded suits. (Never, I tell ya!)

But the leggings and the big oversized shirts? Maybe. Just maybe.

Let no one tell you that North Lake Tahoe (Kings Beach in particular) is the fashion center of the world. I realized this the other day at Safeway when I could not stop staring at a young lady with "THE HAIR." You know what I mean. I thought she must be lost...or a time traveller...She, in turn, was looking at everyone in a "what a fashion disaster" kind of look. Who were we to know that /she/ was in "style." We're a podunk mountain town 'round here.

What about stirrup pants and swatch watches (don't forget that swatch guard!) and thos Esprit stripped sweaters!

I had the great misfortune to attend a birthday party at Chuck E. Cheese this past weekend. There was me, 18 years ago, fried perm, Texas-mall bangs, peg leg jeans. Course this lady was my age (33) and apparently hadn't changed clothes since 1988.

The 80's were worse than the 60's?? I think NOT!!

I heard Cyndi Lauper is mking a comeback....

I'm sorry, Laurie, but haven't you been outside, in a setting where you'll encounter other humans (especially young ones) lately? Your prayer is about a year and a half too late, I'm afraid. It's been coming on for a while now and has the power of an avalanche at this point. All I can do is wish you strength. :)

Amen sister! I will not do the eighties again for anyone. And we've only just got my mother to stop wearing stirrup pants and baggy sweaters, and she needs no encouragement to go back to them, really.

But seriously, if the eighties style comes back in, what's this poor forty-something lesbian to do? I mean all those chicks with popped collars, mullets, acid-washed jeans, damn, they're going to set my gaydar alight!

And gauchos, and jumpsuits. Oh how inconvenient to wear if you need to use a public bathroom. Can't seriously believe that another generation are falling for that again. Shoulderpads, well, they just made me look like a quarteback in dress, nuff said!

But Laurie! Think of the leg warmers you can knit! (in neon!)

ahahaha I saw the bedazzler commercial on TV this past weekend on the Style network claiming "The bedazzler is back and better than ever" then showed the shirts you buy at the store that look decent enough to gift to someone, but not wear then they show the bedazzler version. AHAHAHA the store version was a rose and leaves and stuff, but the bedazzler was an anchor. It was well bedazzlingly ugly. ;) just say no to the 80's one word...MULLET.

Yeah...they've been trying to push this for the past few years, little by little. However, I can't believe people are actually WEARING those gauchos... I guarantee it won't last long though. The boot-cut thing still looks good on most, and that updated 70s idea has lasted what...10 years now? Not going away, no matter how many gauchos Target tries to hawk or how many times (and there have been a few!) they tell us "skinny pants" are making a comeback. Ummm...NO THEY ARE NOT.

I also predict the neon crud will disappear as quickly as they've snuck it back in. But - if anyone wants to wear it, they should save their buckage and just get that same just-as-ugly item at the thrift store. Most of it is still there!

But...there's no accounting for taste sometimes. My fiance LIKES bushy 80s eyebrows. Eeesshh...

Bring on the Aqua-Net.

My mom will be pleased to hear it. She's still wearing the shoulder pads.

I have visions of my big sister in short shorts with flourescent leg warmers and white boots in the middle of an Australian summer. Very funny. Also Richard Simmons - who could forget him? or Flashdance?
Do y'all remember Fame - what happened to that great tv show? They need to make a new hip version of that
No I just can't see me in too much 80's gear,way too busy to spend all the time it took to put that much gunk on! I am a go-er not a goo-er!
Mia

Remember hair tails? You know, someone who had long hair and then cut it REALLY short -- except for a tail? Or was that just a Santz Cruz thing? I spent the eighties in polar opposite worlds -- Santa Cruz and Houston, TX. Arrrrrghhhhhh....it was confusing. I pretty much lived in a white v-neck hanes t-shirt and 501s. It made it simple to get dressed for school regardless of what had come my way the night before ;-)

Where was I recently that I saw gauchos? No kidding, it said "gauchos" right there on the sign. So wrong on so many levels. :P

Don't EVEN complain about the Bedazzler, woman who was searching for iPod bling with me this weekend (said with much love and horror at leggings).

Guess you haven't been to Target lately, gauchos are back! The high school girl next door had on a pair yesterday morning, YIKES!

Guess you haven't been to Target lately, gauchos are back! The high school girl next door had on a pair yesterday morning, YIKES!

Gauchos revival is the first sign of the Apocolypse.

Also there is this designer of frou-frou stuff that they are making a big to-do about at Target. I saw her line and guess what......taffeta dresses with bubble skirts. Straight out of Jessica McClintock ads from 1983.

Aaannnndddd.... I saw a college student here at Very Expensive University wearing breeches (knickers, depending where you are from) the other day.

What is this world coming to?

W. :)

I hate to worsen your anxiety, but...my 16 yr old son who is a skateboarder and heavy into bands like Led Zeplin(did i spell that right?) and Pearl Jam, asked me did I want to listen to his Depeche Mode CD!! I said "No! Why would I want to do that?!" Appearently, it is now hip to listen to them again amongst the skateboard dude crowd at my son's high school. It's like a recurring nightmare lately, this 80's stuff!
Ang

Oh no, not perms--ewwww!!

OMG have you seen the leggings? I saw them on girls last year in England and now they are coming here! It's that damned Sienna Miller!!!

It has come to my attention that it seems that for whatever decade you are in, the fashionistas are sentimental about and trying to "bring back" the fashions of two decades ago.

Remember in the '70's, when Happy Days was king? In the '80's everyone was waxing poetic about the '60's. In the '90's, people thought, God-forbid, that the '70's fashions were cool. And so, here we are, in the ought-ought's, and as surely as you can turn a calendar page, folks are lovin' the '80's.

My theory is that after twenty years time, there's a new generation that doesn't remember the horrible fashion mistakes of two decades ago and therefore think they are "cool" and "hip" and are ripe for the fashion market's pickin'.

Idiots.

But it doesn't stick -- the fashion resurrection doesn't last.

And we can only thank our Higher Power for that.

OK, you really don't need 100 comments probably all saying the same thing, but TODAY I was driving to work and this little high school girl went dashing across the street in a...wait for it...POUF SKIRT! WHAT?! I seriously giggled all alone in my car. That's the weirdest thing I've seen in..ok, since I was in high school...and people, that was 17 years ago. Please, Lord, NO!!!

What always frightens me is the memory that I actually used to wear those MC Hammer pants. With gladiator shoes/sandals. Or ankle socks with pumps. Oh, the horror!!!

1980's fashion returning... would this be why I've been seeing more and more women wearing gauchos?

This too shall pass.

You have one of the best blogs I have ever read. I know it sounds trite, but your divorce may just may have been the catalyst you needed. I find it so goddammed ironic that your husband left you to find HIS creativity. What a self-absorbed idiot for leaving you. And by some divine providence from the universe, you found yours in spades. Keep writing...I love the line about success sometimes being as straighforward and as simple as endurance. Those of us who schelp through the days know exactly what you mean.

I was just at White House Black Market, definitely not a juniors store, and saw a chic-ified bubble skirt, subtle, but bubble nonetheless.
Everyone around here wears gauchos, with boots or ballet slippers or those little elf shoes.
We are only krimping and blue mascara away...

Yeah...I'm like a month late with my comment, but I heard about the peg leg jeans comeback and nearly gagged with a spoon...hahahaha. I also saw a bubble skirt at Target and wished I had my camera with me for proof...