"When I was a teenager in the 1980s, I had a lot of favourite items of clothing: scrunchy turquoise cargo trousers with an elasticated waistband, grey suede pixie boots, a skimpy beach T-shirt with the word Hawaii written on it (a place I have never visited), a Cyndi Lauper-inspired ra-ra skirt with ruffles in pink, white and, yes, turquoise. But there were so many objects of desire that I was not permitted to acquire: crinkle-effect stilettos, a Frankie Say Relax T-shirt, jelly shoes, drainpipe jeans, a matador hat like the ones Mel & Kim wore Also out of my reach for most of my teens was the thing I wanted most: the effect of a whole outfit."
"It was all sourced from my grandma's wardrobe, except for the sunglasses, which were my mum's. The outfit consisted of pieces that no one else would or indeed should put together: a pink sparkly minidress with a silver-sequined hem and collar, silver sparkly elbow-length gloves, square-toed gold vintage shoes and a fake fur leopard-print coat which was not to be removed, even indoors."
A teenager in the 1980s collected beloved garments such as turquoise cargo trousers, grey suede pixie boots, a Hawaii T-shirt, and a Cyndi Lauper-inspired ra-ra skirt while being denied other fads like jelly shoes and drainpipe jeans. For a school dance at nearly seventeen, an outfit sourced from a grandmother’s wardrobe—plus a mother’s sunglasses—combined a pink sparkly minidress, silver-sequined details, elbow-length sparkly gloves, gold vintage shoes, and a fake fur leopard-print coat worn indoors for modesty and confidence. Hair was set with heated rollers and heavy hairspray. The look blended influences of Debbie Harry, Madonna, Wendy James, Jackie Kennedy and Marilyn Monroe to assert individuality.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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