The Return of Huaraches
It was the spring / summer season of 1986, Falco wanted us to Rock Me Amadeus and Robert Palmer had us Addicted to Love. Fresh off of seeing Ferris Bueller in the theaters, we were twisting and shouting about all that summer would hold. We had a new pair of Jams, some Wayfarers and new highlights courtesy of Sun-In. We were ready for summer. All we needed was the perfect pair of sandals. Enter Huaraches. They’ve been trying to make a...
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...
Underoos: The Underwear That’s FUN to Wear!
By Julie Anderson In the late seventies, Larry Weiss came up with a really great idea: print superhero costumes onto kids’ top-and-bottom underwear sets. In retrospect, it was marketing genius, but the idea was rejected by Hanes and then dropped by Scott Paper company. Fruit of the Loom, which had been lined up to supply the blank underwear for screen printing, stepped up and bought Underoos in 1978. It was a wise decision....
Press-on Nails
By Julie Anderson It’s 1987. You need to be full-on glamorous (for, like, prom or homecoming) which means shoes dyed to match your gown, pantyhose, a labor-intensive hairdo involving LOTS of styling products, and long, polished nails. However, back in the eighties we didn’t have a Star Nails in every strip mall. Sure, fancy salons had manicurists who could give you acrylic tips, but after springing for our Dyeables and our dates’...
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:...
