Without doubt, the fashion era that has just past is always going to be the one that inspires the most ridicule and disbelief. The suited 60s boys would laugh at the 50s hillbillies; 60s/70s hippies would mock the fashion obsessed 60s; and the over the top 80s fashionistas no doubt sneered at their hippy forebears. That\’s fashion in a nutshell, really; the powers that be forcing us to keep changing the way we dress for fear of becoming social outcasts, but within a few years the looks have usually become re-thought, re-invented and rehabilitated again.

By the time the 1990s came, fashion had become a little more liberal, with strong influences of every era appearing in the dress of the day. Every era, that was, except the 1980s. The ethos of the time, from the smarmy yuppie to the politically active lefty – each of which group had distinct uniforms – seemed so alien as to be condemned never to reappear.

Then the late noughties happened.

Suddenly everything seemed fine with 80s fashion. And when people actually looked at it again, well, they realised they might have been looking at it through whatever the opposite of rose-tinted spectacles is. Plus, the younger generation who were lapping it up with such gusto had in all likelihood never seen a miner\’s strike or a yuppie\’s mobile phone, so it came a baggage-free vacation for them. And soon enough, the ones who had lived through it started thinking that maybe things maybe hadn\’t been so bad after all. Especially when they felt obliged to do it all over again.

So what exactly constitutes the 80s look? If it were possible to encapsulate it in a few words, it would probably be colourful, brash and loose-fitting, but that hardly describes the black pencil skirt, the ski pants or the boob tube, and they are about as 1980s as you can get. No, there must have been something else, a confidence, a suggestion, maybe even a sense of fun, that stands it out. Or maybe you can just tell the moment you see the accompanying hairstyle. The 80s woman\’s hair must have done more than its fair share of damage to the ozone layer with its sheer bigness and immovability. And as for the guys; who can forget the mullet, loved by rock stars and footballers alike, and still alive and well in rural parts of the developed world?

So creating the 1980s look today probably isn\’t as difficult as it would have been, say, ten years ago. For a start, clothing and accessories are available from retailers that would not have looked out of place in a Duran Duran video. But for a genuine look, you really do need to get down to a vintage clothing store. That\’s because inevitably, everything that came since the 1980s took the edge off its revival and softened some of the naivety, honesty and vitality that makes an era\’s fashion. And because the 80s took a massive quarter of a century to gain nostalgia status, much of the original meaning has been lost to a generation.

Yes, folks. To get the 80s look you have to make like Alex Drake in Ashes to Ashes – and step back in time. That is way cool.

Author Bio: Nigel Cooper is a fashion expert at Rokit, suppliers of vintage mens clothing and also of 1980\’s vintage clothing which is still very popular.

Category: Culture
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