Buried in a photo album back home, there’s a picture of my mother in a white Joseph suit. The shoulders are pointed and padded; the gigantic buttons are gold. I came across this picture years ago and laughed my head off, thinking that no one in their right mind would wear clothes like that now. Boy, was I wrong.
Fast forward 10years or so, and an eerily similar array of power suits stormed down the runways of Paris and New York. Hot pink shoulder pads were worn in the name of Tom Ford, while puff sleeves were put forward by the likes of Saint Laurent and Stella McCartney. And while Dolce & Gabbana channelled animal energy in their liberal use of leopard print, bucket hats and boxy cuts featured in the menswear collections of both Prada and Fendi. Meanwhile, the Commes des Garcons Hommes Plus Spring show sashayed onto the disco dancefloor, with more voluminous shorts and neon trainers than you could shake a stick at.
That’s right, the 80s are back, back, back again. And it’s not just on the runway, either. Step onto any campus and you’ll spot at least one second-hand, oversized ski jacket; at least one pair of stone washed, high-waisted jeans. And, if you’re a follower of street fashion, no doubt you’ll have noticed the influx of sheer tops – which could have been sported by Madonna or Kim Basinger back in the day – and those huge structured shoulders, plucked straight out of an episode of Dynasty.
Speaking of Dynasty, it’s no coincidence that shows like this, Full House and Cagney & Lacey are returning to the small screen, while iconic films like Baywatch and Blade Runner have been remade for the big one. And if there’s any doubt that 80s music is still having its moment in music, explain Taylor Swift’s 1989, Paramore’s After Laughter or Carly Rae Jepsen’s Emotion. These days, it seems that wherever you turn, 80s nostalgia stares back at you (from underneath a crust of blue mascara).
But is this a case of simple nostalgia, or of something more significant? Maybe this is about more than looking back to the glory days of costume jewellery and The Human League, and donning the big-shouldered pantsuit for old times’ sake. In actuality, the return of the 80s in 2018 has a distinctly modern feel – it strikes a youthful, edgy, forward-thinking note. In a time when university fees are rising and government cuts are rife, young people are pushing against the tide by reaching for the days when more was more, bigger was better, and enough was never enough. After all, what could be a bigger act of rebellion to the recession than eight bangles and a sparkly bodysuit?
A far cry from the muted colours and minimalism oh-so-popular in recent years, the 80s were all about abundance, excess, and an unrestrained freedom of expression. Tess sums it up pretty well in the iconic 80s film Working Girl, looking for a dress that “makes a statement. Says to people confident, a risk taker, not afraid to be noticed.” As the hair reached new heights, so did a sense of irreverence; of volume, of wearing your identity loud and proud. 80s music, TV and fashion all spoke of a new kind of power; of embracing life and style with unabashed vigour and joy. If the 90s were your too-cool-to-dance-friend slouching against the bar, the decade before it was your pal doing the worm on the dance floor.
So it's in no way surprising that millennials and Gen Zs want to channel this kind of joie de vivre. By packing on the jewellery and wearing colours to make the grungers wince, we aren’t letting our bank balances dictate our wardrobes. While our overdrafts might be cavernous, we’re not giving in to grey jumpers, boring shoes, and a few sparse accessories reserved only for the weekend. We're piling it high. The late-80s party might not still be happening when it comes to the economy, but the younger generations still deserve that same attitude of devil-may-care indulgence and untempered self-expression. No way is fun fashion out of bounds yet.
Now excuse me while I blast some Tina Turner and drag a brush up my hair, shrugging into shoulder pads not dissimilar from the ones on that Joseph suit I once laughed at. It’s strangely liberating getting reminiscent about a decade I don’t remember, but suddenly feel like I do.
Kitty's 80s starter kit
WATCH: Working Girl
A not-so-typical New York rom-com following a Staten Island secretary with dreams even bigger than her coiffe. Her mid-movie makeover will make you (and Harrison Ford) swoon.
STREAM: Whitney Houston's I Wanna Dance With Somebody
Because no song screams the 80s quite like this one. That synth, those earrings, and let's please just take a moment for Whitney's orange/blue eyeshadow.
FOLLOW: @NeonTalk
Get the sunglasses ready. Giving a whole new meaning to #tbt, this feed delivers a daily fix of all things 80s – from music and movies to fashion and interiors.
Image: Heathers
