Twist a Beads!
By Julie Anderson We appreciated color coordination in the eighties: shoes, belts, jewelry, hair accessories, and eyeshadow all needed to be in the same color family. Hot pink and turquoise, hunter green and maroon, black and yellow: we liked to MATCH. An awesome way for an eighties girl to achieve full-on matchiness was with twist a bead (also called twister bead) necklaces. With a wardrobe of the inexpensive, colorful strands and...
The BeDazzler
By Julie Anderson Got a boring tunic or jean jacket? Some Keds or a baseball hat that could use spiffing up? A purse that whispers “plain” instead of shouting “AWESOME”? Don’t be dull, baby – be DAZZLING! http://youtu.be/amicrtFYgVQ We were all about glitz and sparkle in the eighties. The BeDazzler, an As Seen on TV product, added sparkling gems and metal studs to pretty much any fabric item. Create your own design and, with the...
Feather Roach Clips
Back in the early 80s, feathered roach clips were all the rage in my elementary school. They were coveted prizes at the county and state fairs. Between rides on the Himalayan and the Swinger, you and your girlfriends might have won them by, say, tossing a ping-pong ball into an aluminum milk jug or playing Whack-a-Mole. (Meanwhile, the dudes were angling for framed mirrors sporting images of a Trans Am or Def Leppard.) These feathered...
Elastic Belts
By Julie Anderson An 80s girl’s silhouette was one of extremes: wide shoulders and full sleeves, baggy or skin-tight pants, and, often, a sharply defined, high waist. Elastic belts were an awesome accessory because they always fit snugly, while letting us breathe. What better way is there to rein in a blousy big shirt or slouchy shaker sweater over leggings? And when we wanted to tuck our shirts in, we needed belts that would sit up...
Luscious Leather Looks of the 80s
By Julie Anderson We LOVED leather in the 1980’s. Oh, yeah. We loved it skin-tight, ruffled, and pleated. We loved it zippered, studded, fringed, and candy-colored, for jackets, pants, skirts, and dresses. Leather ROCKED! As a Hair Band Rock Star outfit, leather biker jackets were a no-brainer. We changed up the colors and fit in the eighties, but the basic biker tough guy look, with wide lapels, snaps, and zippers, remained intact....
