Knickers
By Julie Anderson Knickers were girls’ and ladies’ pants that ended below the knee. They were cuffed and fuller in the thigh than, say, capris or clamdiggers. There were relatives of gauchos, another great eighties trend, but pretty distant cousins. (And all you people from outside of the United States can just stop with the snickering. We know good and well what you mean when you say “knickers.” These are NOT panties we’re talking...
Coca-Cola Rugbys
By Julie Anderson Coca-Cola rugby shirts were SOOO cool in the mid-eighties. With bold primary (or sometimes pastel) wide stripes and that famous cursive logo, we thought they were totally radical. My best friend had one and wore it, like, EVERYWHERE with her pinstriped pleated jeans. Coke rugby shirts were so cheerful! So colorful! So sporty! Heavy D & The Boyz performing “Mr. Big Stuff” in 1986 certainly gave the trend a nice...
80s Blue Jeans: The B-list
Sadly, we couldn’t all afford Gloria Vanderbilt or Guess jeans in the 80s. Even if we did boast a pair or two or three, we still needed some other jeans to fill out our casual-wear wardrobes. Enter the second-tier designer jeans. Like B-list (and C-list) actors, these jeans were probably just as good as the A-list varieties, they just didn’t manage to luck into the big time and didn’t command the big bucks. Just because they aren’t...
Designer Jeans
By Julie Anderson In the eighties, we totally valued designer labels. We knew that having that stallion’s head or question mark-triangle on our blue jeans’ back pocket would ensure our lasting popularity. Designer jeans were pricey, sure, but in the 1980s we were happy to save our pennies (and beg our parents shamelessly) for that perfect pair of high-waisted denims. Here are the Big Four designers of blue jeans in the eighties:...
Warm Fuzzies: Sweater Dresses of the 80s
By Julie Anderson It’s back to school time, so of course you’ll want to scope out Seventeen magazine for their fall fashion preview. Let’s see, tartan plaids, suede slouchy boots, stirrup pants, chunky plastic jewelry, big shirts, and… SWEATER DRESSES, of course. Check out an 18-year old Whitney Houston (photo 41 of 72) modeling the trend on the cover of Seventeen back in 1981. Sweater dresses were cozy and slouchy. We loved...
