Okay - I actually feel old today. It is "80's day" at the high school.

[HopeHoops]

My youngest was trying to figure out how to dress like they did "in the 80's." I STILL dress like I did in the 70's and so does my wife, so we weren't of much help in the "here's what they wore in high school" department. We both got out of high school in '81.

When I was in school, we had "50's day". For the guys, that mostly meant wearing denim jackets with the collar up because nobody had a leather one. I remember a teacher telling the guys who were bitching about it that most people in the 50's didn't have them either because they were just as expensive then as they are now (and were in the 70's). He finished the lecture by telling everyone they'd spent too much time watching "Happy Days".

[kentauros]

1. Go with youtube videos of the likes of

Cyndi Lauper
Flock of Seagulls
Adam Ant
Ultravox

and all those other 80s bands that set the styles :)

[HopeHoops]

2. Too late - she's already at school - but thanks.

She went with jeans cuffed up to the calf, leg warmers, fishhead sneakers, and a tunic top with a wrap scarf attached.

[kentauros]

3. Well, that'll work, too.

She can watch 80s videos when she gets home ;)

[seabeyond]

4. SHOULDER PADS.... lol. and big hair. i know too late. but SHOULDER PADS, lol. ah ha. nt

[Fleshdancer]

9. the shoulder pads were hilarious

First women would put on the shirt/blouse with the weird looking, small pillow-like shoulder pads in them and then add the business jacket "power suit" with its own massive shoulder pads. Winters were the worst because the coat with the shoulder pads that rivaled the ones in the jacket had to be worn. Women in the 80's never had necks, LOL! My theory is that the big hair was needed to distract people from the fact.

I bet sleeping on buses/trains, etc was much easier for women back then.

[Deep13]

5. Frankie says "relax."

:7

[PassingFair]

6. The 80's were TERRIBLE.

I was a young woman in sales, and I didn't
have any of the 80's crap EXCEPT the
"power suit".



And yes, they all had shoulder pads.

I also wore "tunics" with belts and what they NOW
call "skinny jeans".

Never did the ridiculous shit with the hair....

[Heidi]

7. I graduated in '81, too. If your daughter has to do this event again next year,

I'd suggest y'all hit the nearest Claire's. The Claire's here, at least, has tons of inexpensive fashion accessories (fingerless gloves, accessories to go in poofy hair, "material girl" tutus, fishnet stockings, etc.). http://www.claires.com/

Also:
http://www.only80s.com/80sFashionFile.html
http://www.suite101.com/content/1980s-fashions-you-secretly-miss-a20906
http://www.rad80sfashion.com/

Although I don't recall any of my classmates dressing like Madonna or Cyndi Lauper, I still think it was a hideous decade for fashion. :D

[HopeHoops]

8. She was going to wear fingerless gloves (no clue where she got them) but it is almost 90 out.

I advised her against the leg warmers and gloves based on the projected temperature. She still went with the leg warmers.