It came from the '80s; or how to do the '80s

I'm looking at you H&M.

You see, on my recent trip to NYC, I had a conversation with my lovely travel companion on how not all 1980s fashion was bad. In fact, there's so many lovely items to be had from this decade.  Sure, what we remember is awful: the bright, shiny fabrics, the neon, the stirrup pants, the puffy sleeves, the ruffles and shoulder pads. But really there are good items.The 80s had a bit of an identity crisis, borrowing from a multitude of eras to create a new look, 1920s, 1880s, 1940s, it seemed like the 80s tried it all and some of it turned out well.

In the midst of all this convincing, we wandered into the nearest H&M only to be overwhelmed with all the bad parts of the 80s. My ability to convince my friend was quickly disappearing. We then ended up at a vintage shop where the staff was trying to educate a few teenagers about the cost of original 1920s clothing and directing them to 1920s versions. They (surprisingly) headed for the door.

So today, I did a bit of sneaking around etsy, coming up with some yummy 1980s tidbits.  Here's my proof things weren't all bad:

Black jacket by Rina Rossi, available at IKAHN for $42.

Red and black knit dress by Prive Petites, available at snappyfishvintage for $38.

 

Floral dress with dolman sleeves, available at starlet vintage, for $48.

 

 Italian woven crepe dress, available at starlet vintage for $52.

 

Black deep v dress, available at Capricious Traveler for $42.

 

Zebra print heels by Savvy, available at Rachael's Realm for $37.