Thank you for being a friend. Not just because you were on my TV screen every week, Dorothy, Blanche, Rose and Sophia. But because a sense of peace came over me every time the opening credits of The Golden Girls ended and the screen was filled with a close-up of your house. And then we were transported inside, where tropical fabric, high ceilings and a plethora of lush plants were juxtaposed with your over-sized clothing and large enamel jewelry.
A 1980s Office Makeover
After reading the title of this post, you might think we’ve taken an office packed with ’80s decor and given it a more modern look. Not entirely so. The point of this interior design DIY was to take an office–in this case, the home of Mirror80–and give it a streamlined nod to the ’80s.
“Kings of the Wild Frontier” by Adam & The Ants: Friday Video Pick
During a week when Vivienne Westwood designs took center stage at Mirror80, we had to keep the fun going with this video pick by Adam & The Ants. Westwood and partner Malcolm McLaren conceptualized the “Pirate” look embraced by early ’80s musical acts like Bow Wow Wow and the band at the center of this post!
Vivienne Westwood’s Pirate Fashion
Rewind to 2006. Yes, 2006, when the Sophia Coppola film Marie Antoinette was released in theaters. Featuring a post-punk/New Wave soundtrack of musicians like Adam & the Ants and Bow Bow Wow, the film combined 18th Century visuals with 1980s New Romantic sensibilities–excess, decadence, frills, and of course, style.
Kids Incorporated: The Best of the Musical Numbers
If you were a child in the ’80s, you will most likely remember the hit television show Kids Incorporated, which featured a cast of child and teen singers performing the pop hits of the time. But they weren’t just singing and dancing–musical numbers were integrated into an overarching story about the challenges and adventures of tweens and teens, such as making new friends and navigating that first crush. The show ran from 1984-1993 and was the star-making start of singers and actors like Martika, Fergie, Jennifer Love Hewitt and Mario Lopez.
“You Got It All” by The Jets: Friday Video Pick
The ’80s teen scene rules this week at Mirror80, so we couldn’t resist posting this gem of a video by the Wolfgramm siblings, who together formed The Jets, an ’80s pop band whose hit “Crush on You” is now a staple at hipster parties.
’80s Interior Design Spotlight: The Teen Hangout
Neon lighting–check. Glass block–check. Bright hues and geometric design referencing the Memphis-Milano movement–check. Throw in a dash of 1950s malt-shop, and you have the ’80s teen hangout in all of it’s glory!
’80s Coil Bracelets – Remember These?
At a recent Easter party, I became giddy like my students when a plastic egg opened and a neon spring emerged. But this wasn’t your ordinary coil… It was a coil bracelet, or a “springy bracelet,” as I used to call them when collecting enough to shamelessly cover my arms as a child in the ’80s.
“Love Action (I Believe in Love)” by The Human League: Friday Video Pick
This music video from 1982 features a fictional wedding in which Human League vocalist Joanne Catherall weds her groom while lead singer Philip Oakey pines over her from the upper balcony. Yes, just like Dustin Hoffman in The Graduate. Only this is a New Wave Dustin Hoffman with killer cheekbones and a beauty mark (which seems to be a requirement for band members, as mirrored by Catherall and her blonde counterpart Susan Ann Sulley).
1980s Interior Design: A Floral Challenge
This week, I enjoyed the design challenge of creating a dramatic floral arrangement to be used in a portrait that will be my official blog photo! My love of ’80s design has resulted in a large collection of ceramics–’80s Deco vases (as shown above), spherical pieces, swans in a variety of hues. This spring I decided to document my collection, and to be included in the picture.
