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8 Horrendous 80s Fashion Disasters ...

Those of us old enough to have lived through the 1980s are able to remember some real 80s fashion disasters! The really funny thing is, though, that many of them have made a recent comeback (mercifully, fashion being fashion, only putting in a temporary appearance). Here are some 80s fashion disasters that nobody in their right mind should ever have worn …

1 Ra-Ra Skirts

Ra-Ra Skirts There were some terrible 80s fashion disasters, and the ra-ra skirt was out there leading the way. To my eternal shame, I can remember, aged about 12, being desperate for one, and hating my parents for refusing to give in. Now I am profoundly grateful that there are no embarrassing photos of me in one of these awful layered skirts!

2 Neon

Neon This summer, when I walked into a store I thought for a moment that I had been timewarped back to the 80s. I was confronted by wall-to-wall neon clothing that made me want to put on sunglasses. Folks, nobody can get away with clothes that bright. Respect the retinas of those around you, and lay off the neon!

3 Big Hair

Big Hair You can generally date an 80s photo by the fact that the hairstyles are huge, in a way that nature never intended. This look was achieved by backcombing and applying massive quantities of hairspray (goodbye, ozone layer). And then there were the perms … oh God, the perms …

4 Leggings

Leggings should really only be worn by small girls. Yet this item, which should not be seen outside the gym, became strangely popular in the 80s. However, they make slim legs look like twigs, and bigger legs look like overstuffed sausages. Do yourself a favour, and get a decent pair of jeans instead.

5 Shoulder Pads

Shoulder pads became synonymous in the 80s with shows like Dallas and Dynasty. Unfortunately that is not where they stayed. Throughout the decade, no jacket, dress or top was complete without that “American footballer” look. Then we saw sense and started ripping them out. Truly, they made everyone look awful.

6 Denim

Denim 80s denim tended towards the acid wash and stone wash look. This led to the odd situation of people paying a fortune for something that looked as though it had been half-destroyed. True style offenders also did “double denim” – that is, combining acid washed jeans with an equally faded denim jacket. Definitely a step too far.

7 Bodies

Bodies In theory, this was a good idea … but like many good theories, it didn’t work in practise. The body was a one-piece garment, designed to avoid the annoyance of having your top come untucked from your skirt or pants, and to give a smooth line. However, for practicality (you wouldn’t want to take the whole thing off every time you went to the bathroom), it fastened at the crotch with press studs. Doing these up was bad enough when sober, but virtually impossible after a couple of drinks …

8 White Stilettos

White stilettos, like many ghastly 80s fashions, have for some strange reason been declared back in style by none other than Vogue. Proof, it seems, that magazines are not in touch with what is actually flattering. White shoes are impractical, unflattering, and should be consigned to the garbage bins of history.

The best thing about 80s fashions, for those of us who were fooled into wearing them, is that time moved on. So if you are young enough to have missed out this hideous fashion era, be aware that if you are tempted by any of them, you will be laughed at by people who remembered them first time round! Leave the neon and leg warmers on the rack. What is the most embarrassing “fashion” that you used to wear?

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Comments

victasia Is there any way to DISLIKE this post lol
Molly I LOVE my white stilettos and I get compliments on them every time I wear them. How they are unflattering is beyond me. You just have to make sure you keep them clean!
lilleila Neon colors were always the worst.
Karren I honestly think these things can be fashionable. If you modernize it a bit. It looks bad a lot of times because people may tend to over-do the retro look.
Priya I like pretty much all of them... It probably just isn't your style and that is completely fine. But all of those things are fashionable now even if they don't appear so to you
Barbro Style isn't a disaster?!
Alysia In the 1980's there wasn't an obesity epidemic, skinny jeans did not come in a size 18 nor did stretch pants. "Spandex is a privilege, not a right".
Natalie People need to take a look around before they assume somthing is a disaster.
Shenise They all look good.
Jaclyn It's too bad that legit all of these things have come back in style. They aren't disasters, if they were they wouldn't have comeback. Plus some people can't help but have big hair now so that's not a disaster either.
Ali Hmmm, I wonder if you will all say the same thing in 10 or 20 years time, or if you will look back at yourself and cringe at what you used to wear? This was meant to be light-hearted, people! Neon really doesn't look good on anyone! And Ada, naturally big hair is great :)
Katisha This article made me laugh because its sooooo true. Unfortunately these styles have made a comeback so some people are upset.
Ada I can't help that my hair is big!!
Maggie What is horrendous is this article
Anonymous i don't really like this article, i like some of these that you mentioned and i think you shouldn't say that somebody else's fashion choices are horrendous, even if you don't like them.
Pinky I love all of these =] I think to each their own! Xoxo
Dawn Style is truly biased by what an individual likes or dislikes
- Diana @Dawn Brady Connor, Very true! I personally have a soft spot for neon. ;)
Jamie Neon is an expression color for summer. Body suits are wonderful with high waisted skirts. These articles are too biased.
Jay I think this article is terrible !!!! Most of the things on here are back in style

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