Fashion Memories from Years Gone By

[lszu]

Lois - I'm 37, graduated in 1985. Seems like just yesterday, hard to believe it's been almost 20 years. My DH graduated in 1977 so I can't say you're that much older than I am! ;-)

 

I remeber a lot of the '70s things, too. I had Earth shoes and bell bottoms. I think in Junior HS some girls had those stretchy satin pants and wore tube tops (not me, my mother would have killed me) and listened to Donna Summer. I remember my older cousing ironing their hair because it had to be long and straight and parted in the middle.

 

Gymbrat - Were your designer jeans so tight you had to pull the zipper up with pliers. I can't even imagine wearing something that tight now. How about white capezio shoes? Or off-the-shoulder Flashdance sweatshirts? Our rule was that girls could wear tank tops, but not guys so one guy shaved under his arms and wore a tank top and no body said anything to him.

[twinds]

Sorry to butt in ladies, can I speak for men's fashions.............

 

POLYESTER LEISURE SUITS WITH SILK SHIRTS.

I had 4 of them with matching silk (satin) shirts, you know, the one's with the large collar's that would fold out over the jacket collar. My collection consisted of a) powder blue, b) lime green checker (ugh!), brown cordoury, and d) light tan for the more formal occasions. Of course they were matched with either two tone shoes or clogs!

I have a picture of us at my cousin's wedding (late 70's) with dad, and my three brothers, all decked out in our leisure suits, what a sight!

Every Friday after thanksgiving they have "THE WORLDS LARGEST DISCO PARTY" in Buffalo, NY. Over 10,000 in attendance with guest apperances by Greg, Peter, & Cindy Brady. If only I had one of those leisure suits.

Should I bring up the tuxedos with the BIG frilly shirts.... I still see one or two on any cruise. Where's the fashion police when you need them?

[scarletine]

Oof. I was a dork in the 80's. Total nerd. Anytime I tried to dress like the "in" crowd, I just came off looking ridiculous. Then I discovered vintage, and used to go to school in old 50's prom dresses, and everyone thought it was cool. What a hoot. And the collection of rhinestone jewelry I had! Enough bling to last for years. I still have some of it, as the long danglys and chandelier earrings have come back into fashion. :)

 

Once I got out of high school and moved out of the house, I was goth all the way. Black hair, pale skin, red lips, and wore nothing but black. My mother was appalled. She was sure that I was a devil worshiper. There are no pictures of me during that time, because she REFUSED to take any of me. But then I finally evened out, and now I'm downright conservative. How things change!

[lszu]

Eeeeek! LOL.

 

Did you also have the Gabe Kaplan on Welcome Back Kotter afro or the John Travolta on Welcom Back Kotter feathered hair?

[Lois R]

Ohhhhh.......these memories:eek: eeek is right LOL

 

lszu....nope, not too much difference.....9 years.....It just SOUNDS bigger...30 year reunion:confused: ...rather than 20:eek:

 

oh wait...that leisure suit thing...oh my gosh...when my middle sister got married it was 1972(we are 7 years apart)....the Men had suits on (it wasn't black tie)....and the suits were supposed to be dress clothes? LOL I remember the ties..they were like this big LOL oh they were married 30 years in 2002!!! SMILE

and girls, remember the old Shag or Gypsey Hair cuts? I had one....and my dad still has a picture of me:confused: ...that has got to be one of THE UGLIEST hair styles ever made.......and he still likes the photo LOL....I think I was in the 8th grade maybe! I had a peasant blouse on....oh gawd....I guess that was "the in thing":rolleyes:

[Nasmas]

When I was in junior high it was a status symbol how many mohair sweaters you had.

 

Anybody wear the little bows in your hair---either at the side or smack dab right in front above your bangs! :eek:

 

How about madras? Purses---wrap around skirts--headbands---shirtwaist dresses. Head to toe madras!

 

Did you wear the flowered girdles? Bright colored pettipants?

 

Great thread!

 

Anne

I have pictures with my hair ratted out to here with a little velvetten bow stuck in my hair at the part between the bangs and the poof. Hip hugger bell bottoms. They're back. I can't believe it. They were ugly then, they're ugly now. But, we were so hip.

[twinds]

Iszu,

Looks like your DH and I are in the same boat (no pun intended) class of 77.

Yes, I did not have the "GABE KAPLIN" look, Mine was sort of the "JUAN EPSTEIN" look I guess "BIG" hair was also the in thing. Today the hair clippers are set at 1/4 inch. Cant stand it any longer. Who'd a thunk it!

[ladymanor1]

great thread!!! I graduated in 1972...but the only thing I can remember is that I wore basically, jeans (straight leg jeans, not bell bottoms) and tea shirts, no shoes in the summer, except of coure when I had to go to summer school, then it was the converse high top sneakers, I had a pair in yellow, and the traditional black and white) and in the winter it was jeans, sweat shirts and what I still call timberland work boots. I never wore make up, and never wore bows in my hair lol although it was the "shag" cut. I guess I was never a fashion person lol I suppose I am still not, as I still wear jeans, teashirts and no shoes in the summer, and timberlands in the winter :)

Guess you can't teach an old dog new tricks LOL

DEBBIE

[TrqoisWtrs]

Oh my gosh, I forgot about the angora and the class ring!!!! It absolutely had to be angora and not just any old knitting wool.

LOL - I forgot about that too - and I could never get it to fit right, it was always too tight and turning my finger blue from poor circulation!

[lszu]

Lois - A couple of my BILs and SILs have wedding pictures like that. DH is the youngest.

 

I had the shag haircut, too. My mother wanted to be a beautician (but was really a secretary) and took out her frustrations on my hair. Once I got too old for my dad to cut it (think traditional bowl cut), my mother had to make sure I had the most current style. Talk about some scary school photos. Remeber the Dorothy Hamill cut?

 

Twinds - mine had the blond Barbarino look going, now also has the clippers around 1/4". LOL. Have you noticed that the big hair on boys look is coming back. I think Justin Guarini from American Idol started it a couple of years ago.

[madelinerose]

Yep, the shag cut. Actually, it's not too different from the long layered cuts now. I have a pic - gold wire-rimmed glasses, the shag, bodysuit and bell bottoms - LOL! :D

 

I LOVE the bootcuts! They're not wide and they do amazing things for the leg length and the hip width. Also, if you DO want to wear boots, it doesn't take a 1/2 hour to try to tug the straight legs on over the boots. Ahhhh, I love to simplify things.

 

We never did the angora/ring thing. I wonder if if was regional?

 

Twinds - Leisure Suits??? The guys I dated didn't wear them and they had long hair, but it wasn't poofy. However, I DO remember a particular baby blue cheap polyester rented tux with a black ribbon trim on the HUGE lapels topped off with that dreadful ruffled shirt that my date wore to the senior prom......:eek: Oh, and I forgot about the pleather rented tux shoes - LOL!!!

 

And we all thought we looked soooo hot!;)

[JennyT]

I remember the 70's - wearing my shiny Danskin outfit with the wrap around skirt, scarf knotted around my neck, and of course my platform Candies slides. And don't forget the Farrah Fawcett hairdo!! This was my typical disco outfit; it had a nice flow as we danced The Hustle.

Back in the day when I weighed a bit less than I do today...ahem...I remember wearing tube tops (with the prerequisite scarf around my neck) and those shiny spandex pants. Remember Olivia Newton John at the end of Grease?? I guess I thought I was something back then. LOL!!

Sharon H.

 

Oh my gosh! Me too! This thread is great! My Danskin set was burgundy in color. Chemin-de-Fer jeans (I still have a pair - it's how I'll know I've lost too much weight - if I ever get back into them). Of course all pants had to be very long to reach the ground and cover the platform shoes. Also dittos, walabees, Earthshoes. I used to be able to walk around Disneyland all day in my Candies' shoes - now it's stricly flats for me!

[kitty9]

Lois, when I was a junior in college I had long straight hair down to my waist. We used to roll our hair in soup cans to get it just right. Then right before my senior class picture and my sorority pictures, I went to the salon and had it all cut off into a shag !!! Biggest mistake ever. I looked like Mama Brady with the little flip at the end of the hair.

 

Nehru jackets and leisure suits in pastel colors. My dad wore a powder blue leisure suit, with the white slip on shoes and powder blue socks---nasty !!!

 

For the high school prom I had my hair done up in one of those Grecian up-dos and I swear I couldn't get a comb or brush through the darn thing when it was time to comb it out. It was so ratted and sprayed---you could have stood on your head for an hour and the curls never gave out.

[Lois R]

Angora sweaters....not sure if that was a Regional thing either...or just different family backgrounds.

I never owned one of those sweaters........and I wasn't into the "class ring" thing either:eek:

I know some gals (and guys) LOVED their HS years and that is fine....but....others...like me....I HATED HS....hated everything about it. I was never into "cliques".......I was never good enough to make the sports teams:rolleyes: ...even though I loved sports. I was basically a loner.....had a handful of friends and even then, sometimes I felt like an outcast...don't ask me why...sometimes life is weird.

Now 30 years later.....I have done ok;) .....I am still basically a loner but am much happier with myself:)

oops sorry..didn't mean to ramble.......we were talking about clothes. Hmmm what else..well, I ALWAYS wanted to wear my blue jeans so they dragged almost to the floor.......well, there was my Mom...LOL...no way would she let me wear them that long LOL...she made sure they only came to the middle of the shoe (IF that long)...

 

One really fun memory.....If I got sick..say with a stomach flu..they let me put my dad's pajama top on!....yes he wore pajamas LOL and I think he still does!

[Elizabeth Gillian]

Middi and Maxi skirts..oh my! What about Gaucho skirts or culottes? Aound here, saddle shoes were also known as Rah Rahs! Love this trip down memory

lane.

[Lois R]

ohhhh gouchos LOL LOL I remember them:eek:

[ASM]

The really bizarre thing is that my DD went to a 1974 party for her friend and was able to buy everything she needed because it's all back! She was voted best dressed at the party and asked how she hit it so dead on. Her answer:" I remember what Mom used to look like." Horrors!!! She wore a cotton floral top in a very retro pattern with a short denim skirt, platform Candies and long hoop earrings and a hemp choker. She parted her hair in the middle and straightened it as much as possible. I can't wait to see the photos. She says she shocked herself by looking like me all those years ago. Actually, many years AND many pounds ago ( she was too nice to mention that).

[dustyroad]

just thought of another one-- how about your mini skirt and go-go boots. mine had to zip up the back. and when i was young i remember women wearing fish-net nylons :eek: and what looked like 10 inch high heels. can we still walk after wearing those things. and unfortunately pointed toes are back. my feet looked twice as big in them.

[coka]

Wowsa, lots of memories of styles and brands that I could not afford back then! In my house of 13 family members, the first one up was the best one dressed!

 

Am I the only one who had to wear hand-me-downs from older sisters and brothers? Am I the only one who got the last of the pickings from the bags of clothes people dropped off (because I was the youngest)? Where I come from, we are ten years behind in fashion, so you can imagine how I looked walking around in clothes even further outdated! Sometimes, what was in the green plastic bags that people dropped off were back in fashion if we were lucky!

 

All these years I thought we were sent to Catholic schools because my parents wanted us to have a good Christian upbringing...it was actually to save money on clothes!

 

Below are my fondest memories in the area of fashion...funny they are all linked to shoes:

 

My first pair of saddle shoes for CYO cheerleading...wore them every day in the 5th, 6th, 7th, and 8th grade even when not cheering! They looked great with my hand-me-down men's Levis jeans and t-shirts.

 

My first paycheck from Dunkin Donuts at age fourteen was seventeen dollars. The first thing I bought was a pair of clogs. I wore them everyday in the 9th, 10th, 11th, and 12th grade. They looked great with my school uniform. Oh, they also looked great with my hand-me-down men's Levis jeans and t-shirts.

 

I bartended my way through college and wore a pair of converse sneakers in the summer to the bar, to school, and to go out in. They looked great with my hand-me-down high-waisted woman's Lee jeans and a t-shirt.

 

I never forgave my older sister for giving her new husband my treasured Timberland S***-Kicker Boots. I wore them in winter to the bar, to school, and to go out in. They looked great with you know what! It was July and she thought I did not want them anymore.

 

Today, I refuse to wear Levi jeans, Lee jeans, and t-shirts (except maybe to bed). If you need something to wear, you can find it in my closets. Anything not worn after two years gets sent to the Salvation Army...only after my sisters and nieces have gone through it first!

 

Coka

 

P.S. Anyone remember Farmer Jeans? My older sisters never let me borrow them!

[Lois R]

Coka..wow...13 siblings? you came from a BIG FAMILY:eek: ....I didn't wear hand me downs, as my sister's are older than me by quite a few years. My middle sis is 7 years older and oldest sister is 11.......they are 4 years apart. Of course now the years don't seem so far apart as we are all adults.

 

There were only 3 daughters for my folks.....and when I was 8, my oldest sister was 19 and already out of the house and actually getting married.

Its interesting how will all come from such different backgrounds.

[LoriLinay]

8th grade....First trip alone to the mall with one of my friends. I bought the sacred powder blue pinwhale (sp?) corduroy Levi's. And the "baby" shirts that had short puffy sleeves, v-necks, and I think were gathered under the bust. And they tied in the back.

 

The most amazing part is that I remember them telling me they didn't carry Levi's in the size I needed, so I had to go UP a size and they always were sliding down.

 

I needed a 26X36. Holy cow!!!! I think a 26 would fit around one thigh now....

[Ta421sBtrHalf]

I'm 33 now, and I remember the super tight Jordache, Gloria Vanderbuilt, and Sergio Valente Jeans. The super tight mini skirts. (The guys in my high school got so mad one day because we were allowed to wear those short mini skirts and they weren't allowed to wear long bermuda shorts, so one day they asked us to let us borrow our mini skirts and they wore them to school the next day. They looked super funny and the local news stations came to our school to film them.) The black tights with long shirts. Denim skirts and denim backless dresses.

 

 

Did you grow up in FL? I remember guys did that at Haines City High school and the principal (sp?) wanted to suspend them!!! A couple of years after that they started letting us wear shorts to school in High School. Remember Coca-Cola rugby shirts? I must have baby-sat every night somewhere for a month to get one before school started. By time I got to high school I could care less about fashion. I wore a CONCERT(led zeppelin, ozzy osbourne, black sabbath ect.) t-shirt, jeans (must be acid washed) and high heeled boots every single day. If it was cold I wore a long-john shirt under the t-shirt or wore a long black trench coat. and black knee-high moccasins. The hair was big! Teased and sprayed with almost a whole can of AQUA-NET the ultimate hold! (was that the orange can or white can?) Make-up was to make me look as pale as possible and only black eyeliner and black mascara, and bright red lipstick (what was I thinking?) The sad thing is I used my then BOYFRIEND'S makeup!!! Those were the days.....when you could say "sweetie, I forgot my eyeliner at home, can I borrow yours?" The late 80's were the best.

[mcfaddensfarm]

Iszu & Scarletine, I also was an 80's high school gal. I graduated in 1986. I remember in junior high, all of those Chemin De Fer (how do you spell that???) jeans and Jordache jeans. But we couldn't afford Jordache jeans so my mom bought some from the swap meet that were called "Corniche" jeans. Total knockoff!! Of course, I was teased by the popular girls and called a Cornish game hen for months!:mad: But in high school I had a TON of those little silver metal bracelets and black rubber bracelets. (Think Madonna in her early days) I went through a pretty strong punk phase for a couple of years after that. My hair was so many different colors. My mom was such a sweetheart about it though! She used to tell all of her friends, "I'd rather have her experiment with her hair color than with drugs or alcohol." She always stuck up for me no matter how goofy I looked!:D

[coka]

Lois, 11 children and 2 parents! I say the reason I love to dance so much is that my mother practiced the "rhythm" method for birth control (and she could not count)! Our next door neighbors had 14 kids and 2 parents...totalling two football teams and a few subs!

 

Coka

[Seaya39]

I was in HS in the late 70's, early 80's. I remember IZOD shirts with the collar UP. The tallest, clunkiest shoes you could find - Candies and those wedges with rope wrapped around them.

 

I don't know if it was a regional thing but in Junior High it was all about San Francisco Riding Gear jeans. New pocket designs and everyone had to go buy a pair - very wide legs. And satin jackets - mine was white! Oh and levi's buckle back jeans. All the really wide leg fashions!

 

I think its funny to see so much of the clothes worn in the 60's, 70's and 80's now. The kids think it's "new" and I see old clothes that I never want to wear again!!

 

Beth