Stair-step and diamond motifs. Teal, mauve, peach, purple and turquoise. When it comes to interior design, many of us may have assumed these ’80s living room patterns and hues were a trend of the past. But on a weekend shopping trip to Urban Outfitters, I learned that the colors and patterns of ’80s Southwestern style may be finding their way back into the mainstream via the fashion realm. Check out the hand tattoos above…
’80s Textiles in Halloween Hues
With Halloween just three days away, I thought it would be fun to spotlight festive textile patterns from one of my favorite books, 1980s Fashion Print by Marnie Fogg (available at Amazon.com). Wonderfully curated, it features some of fashion’s best, from the neon to the glamazon. Here are some designer prints in the colors of Halloween:
Liz Claiborne Purses
About four years ago, I was looking through my closet for a beige purse and coming up empty-handed. Then in a flash of triangle-covered glory, I saw it in the back of my closet…my Liz Claiborne from the ’80s (pictured above, right). “Has enough time passed for the purse to be hip again?” I wondered, remembering how these designer bags had once fulfilled every grade-school accessory-based whim. I grabbed the purse, filled it and was off for the night…
Shiny ’80s Purses
They were bright. They made a statement. They were leather. Or snakeskin. Or vinyl. It almost didn’t matter, as long as they were eye-catching. And now they’re back!
’80s Flat-Beaded Necklaces
Coin beads. Lentil beads. Saucer beads. Call them what you will, these flat beads added a dash of colorful plastic to many an outfit of the 1980s. I’d all but forgotten about them until an Ebay search for ‘80s jewelry produced a flat-beaded necklace amidst a heap of selections, from toy-like charm necklaces to rubber bracelets.
