My next writing project involves looking back at growing up wild and free in the middle of nowhere in the 1970s and 1980s.
Periodically, I’m going to be using this space to ask for your help.
Like now.
I posted this question yesterday on my Ironic Mom Facebook page:
What weird clothing or accessories did you wear growing up?
The answers are awesome.
If you’re wondering what bizarre items I may have worn, check out this compilation, which I posted here two years ago. It’s a collection of the hair “styles” I had over much of the 80s. Before pressing play, ensure you have a wide-angle screen.
Please take me back to the 70s and 80s.
In the comments below, tell me
what weird clothing or accessories did you wear growing up?
Jelly shoes…in every color..plus some solid colors and some “see through” colors! wrapping your feet in plastic? How was that a good idea?
See through ones. I think I had some. Or were they white?
Long pants (as opposed to short pants?), thongs, (flip flops) and PF Flyers…
Thongs!
That’s what we called flip flops and it drove my daughter nuts until she broke me of the habit!
Leanne, I’m a good generation ahead of you – 50’s and 60’s for me – bell bottoms, platform shoes, miniskirts. In the 70’s and 80’s my focus was on baby clothes! Your montage is awesome! I’m not certain I would have the courage to publish one myself. p.s. Tapping fingers, patiently waiting for your book!
Fashion of the 50s and 60s stands up better, that’s for sure.
Oh my! In the 80’s I was a teenager in “Down Neck Newark” no! Not downton abbey, down neck newark. Our “hair arrangement” consisted of a tight perm that we blow dried while holding our heads upside down and spraying it with a can of hairspray! Oi! Lets not forget the outfit – HUGE shoulder pads, stilettos and fish net stockings! NICE! Lol! Thanks for the flashback memories 🙂
The shoulder pads. Ugh. Forgot about those
Striped bell-bottoms with tight fitting shirts tucked in, sky-blue crushed velvet Leisure Suit, silk shirts with prints,cut off shorts as high up as your (blank) would allow, and maybe a platform shoe ro two. Yes, I was a child of the 70’s!
Awesome. Or should I say Groovy…
You know what I’m surprised I don’t see here? A vest! I wore lots of bandannas. Think Van Halen. Two around each ankle, one on my neck, one as a headband, and possibly one as a bracelet.
I had vests, but I think I wore them lots in the early 90s. I was behind…
Being tall my fashion statement was usually of the ‘high-water’ variety. 😉
Yes. There were no long inseam pants!
Absolutely none! And high waters with bell bottoms was not a good look!
Cougar boots, leather ties, leg warmers (i did not wear these, but my sisters did), and high top Sparx shoes. That’s all I got. Lemme rummage around in the brain a bit today and I’ll have more, oh wait, that’s right black ACDC t-shirts with 3/4 length white sleeves.
Cougar boots…yes. With the “leather” worn off.
I remember wearing corduroy shorts that were so tight they looked like they were painted on, keeping a comb in my back pocket to make sure the ducktail haircut didn’t get messed up, and Iron Maiden concert t-shirts.
The back-pocket comb. I forgot about that.
It was a must! 😉
How about knickers? (I had hand-me-downs in every color). Spandex with one of my dad’s long dress shirts (long on me, not on him). Slouch socks and jelly shoes. Oooooooo and jelly bracelets!!! Those doubled nicely as pretend braces. And occasionally, on special occasions, I had one hand colder than the other because I was cool like Michael Jackson. On those days I would roll up my pant legs (to reveal flashy silky patterns underneath), pull my t-shirt to the front, and give it a good roll and tuck it under. See my naval? “oops.” I’ll undo it before I go home…
I had black corduroy knickers.
That’s like double hot right there. How did you ever let off the steam?
Banana clips for the hair. Jellies shoes in many colors. Parachute pants (that my Mom hated so much she convinced me they would melt into my skin if I stood too near a heater). Converse high-top tennis shoes in many colors. A wall of bangs hair-sprayed straight up. Huge bows in the hair in colors to match every outfit. Rolled up pant legs folded-over to be nice and tight so our brightly-colored coordinating socks would show. There was also a thing with the boys in my high-school of wearing pacifiers pinned to their shirts & occasionally sucking on them (this may have been just at my school – those boys were weird).
Banana clips. Yes. And bows. No pacifiers, though.
The 80’s are tough for me to look back on… Being the daughter of a hairdresser, I had to deal with a lot of mullet’s & back-combed bangs. Some of my favorites? I remember having lots of different pants & leggings with stirrups. Double-tongue shoes were pretty awesome, too.
Too short stirrup pants. Bad memories…
Parachute pants. Black and red. Converse Weapons. The purple and gold Magic pair.
Dude!
Stirrup pants and spiral permed hair with straight full bangs. Are you jealous? 😉
Spiral perms: of course!
Oxford bags..platform shoes,denim bell bottoms and of course the wrangler jacket … Would you dare really ….
That reminds me. I had a faded denim jean jacket with white leather sleeves.
I remember accessorizing with safety pins. Safety pins pinning the bottoms of our pantlegs so tight we couldn’t take them off at night without a lengthy unpinning session. Then we had safety pins with beads on them attached to our shoes.
I also remember braiding embroidery thread into strands of hair.
And who could forget jelly bracelets and friendship bracelets? I think those have made a second or third round already.
I’m trying not to think about the bangs I used to sport.
The bangs. Awful. I think I missed the safety pin trend. It never hit rural Manitoba.
Are you sure about that?! I was living it up in Steinbach, MB!
70s – knee-high socks with wedge-heeled sandals, feathered hair (a la Farrah Faucett), Dorothy-Hamill hairdo, Gunne Sax dresses.
80s – Swatches, stirrup pants w/granny boots, a single bandanna tied around one leg of the blue jeans (why, I don’t know), “culottes,” then “pedal pushers,” one stud earring and one long (Hey, ONJ wore them!), leg warmers.
Love the montage!
Leg warmers. Yes.
I had my share of mesh tops and off-the-shoulder sweat shirts. Kind of a Madonna/Flashdance mix. Definitely owned stirrup pants, leg warmers and my shirts were all infested with shoulder pads. I had permed hair and ruthlessly feathered hair at different times. And what were those headband things we tied across our foreheads? Oh, and Izod shirts with the collars turned up. And bermuda bags – you know the ones with the wooden handles and interchangable button-on covers. Or maybe bermuda bags were the open purses made of colorful woven twine or something. Anyway, I had both of those.
Turned up collars! I think I missed the bermuda bags, but I know what you mean…
This made me laugh and miss the 80s/90s at the same time. Ditto for the jelly shoes and parachute pants. First concert was Brian Adams and I wore white outfit with colorful ‘paint splatters’ and Fluorescent Neon yellow neck ‘band’. As kids we had these plastic charms that were representative of your cool status, ex. Toilet charm, abacus, etc. I was big with black sheer sleeves in the 90s and cow print.
Neon, the great equalizer: it looks horrible on everyone.
I was a little on the chunky side in the ’80s. Okay, let’s be honest, I was THE fat kid. That did not stop my mother from buying me solid white Hammer pants (parachute pants), bright pink corduroys, and acid-wash tapered jeans. I destroyed the parachute pants running from the roller rink to the car on a muddy evening, split the butt of the corduroys trying to do a back flip out of a swing, and got stuck in tapered jeans at a slumber party. I grew into my weight by the 90’s, but am forever traumatized by Department Stores. Thank God I’m a mom now and can just wear sweats.
Acid wash! Ode to sweats. I pray nightly for the person who made yoga wear hip.
lots of chains with crosses, long heavy earrings with crosses. I was being ironic 🙂 since I’m an atheist. That was the Madonna influence. leggings and legwarmers coupled with over-sized waffle sweatshirts slouched over one shoulder. And chains with crosses. skinny cords tucked into pseudo-cowboy boots with a fleece-on-the-outside baby-blue sweatshirt with the pink panther on the front. Sexy…. Oh, and permed hair that was so long it always got tucked into my high waisted jeans. My version of toilet paper stuck to your shoe.
Ouch. I remember getting long hair stuck in the seat belt when it recoiled.
That picture!!!! Made my day. I have a whole new level of respect for your hair.
Gravity did not exist in the 80s…
Late 80s outfit–shiny blouse buttoned to the top with collar partially up with brooch in the middle, long beaded necklace, long pencil skirt or stirrup pants, and a spiral perm…..of course.
What was with those high-up collars anyway?
Born in ’83. And for some reason i’m feeling grateful for that right now 😀
As you should be. 🙂
Although I was almost born in the 80s I have an old soul/closet. I wore tourquoise bike shorts while not on a bike; scrunchies; oversized plaid shirts, ripped jeans & work boots when not at a work site; and hippie dresses, bell bottoms. I even wore a fluorescent yellow ski jacket with matching bell bottom ski pants…in 1997
I had a fluorescent ski jacket (3 colours) in the early 90s. Ugh.
We wore two different colored pairs of socks at the same time. They always matched our crazy colored oversized t-shirts.
That’s some fantastic hair! I definitely had the jelly shoes and lots of those tacky oversize sweatshirts with stuff appliqued on the front. My crazy curly hair naturally yearns for the 80s…
When fluorescent was in, there was a brief period where it was cool to put the bright band-aids…on your clothes.
I think you looked very fetching.
Not nearly enough NEON. And shields for earrings. I wore those till my holes split apart and bled like crazy. Gross. Love the hairdos you sported. So Duran Duran.