ot sure what to wear to an 80s costume party?
This is your guide to what to wear to an 80s party. The key to achieving the 80s look,
regardless of the specific costume you choose, is excess. It was after all
the decade of excess – the me decade, the greed decade. So don’t skimp or
be weighed down or held back by your 90s and 00s sensibilities – go for
it. Add the extra layer of blush or blue eyeliner, go for another spray
with the Aqua Net, and pile on another couple of bracelets. Moderation is
for other decades – there are no points for class, subtly or
understatement. The 80s look is about color, volume, and abundance.
Whether you choose the Like a Virgin, the Preppie, or the Let’s Get
Physical, do it with flourish and abandonment. Choose from the 80s costume
party ideas below or use them as inspiration and develop your own.
I was watching season one of Kids in the Hall
and they had this lamp as a prop in a sketch. I’ve seen it in several
movies from the ’80s, too, and it definitely brings back memories
because I had it as a kid, too. Was it that popular? Any other Tumblrs
grow up with this lamp?
EIGHTY hours of rock straight from the 1980s will be released as a CD compilation called 'Sunflower Nights' in aid of the Irish Hospice Foundation (IHF), writes Olivia Kelleher.
Some of the best known Irish rock bands of that decade are featured on the CD.
All of 'Sunflower Nights' was recorded live at Kiely's of Mount Merrion in Dublin between September 2005 and September 2007.
Bands featured on the CD are Full Circle, Bree Harris and the Alias B Band, BeatClub, Big Easy, The Bogey Boys, Rocky de Valera and the Gravediggers, Fit Kilkenny & the Remoulds, Jimmy Faulkner & the Houseshakers, Jump The Gun, Katmandu, The Donal Kirk Band, Stepaside and Rob Strong.
Copies
of 'Sunflower Nights' are on sale in Kiely's (www.kielys.com) and
online on www.hospice-foundation.ie. The double CD costs €20.
A true child of the '80s, I grew up watching MTV.
Back in the day when they did nothing but play music videos 24/7. I
know that's a hard concept for today's young whippersnappers to grasp,
but trust me when I say it was awesome. (I now get my daily music video fix with VH-1's
Jump Start mornings.) Martha Quinn, J.J. Jackson, Alan Hunter, Mark
Goodman, and Nina Blackwood were my friends. My very cool friends who
introduced me to very cool music videos, the likes of which -- first
viewing them at a very impressionable age -- were immediately and
forever burned into my brain. My dad would always tell me to "turn that
shit off," but the second he left the living room, I would always turn
that "shit" right back on. If I hadn't, how would I ever be able to
share with you some of my childhood favorites?
10. "Video Killed the Radio Star" - The Buggles The
first video to ever play on MTV, "Video Killed the Radio Star" made its
stateside debut on August 1, 1981. This was the epitome of cheesy
gloriousness for me. The video boasted women in
cool-at-the-time-but-never-since sunglasses, mod haircuts, and
leotards. A tinsel-bewigged woman getting sucked up a tube like the one
that sucked Augustus Gloop out of Willy Wonka's
chocolate river only made the video cooler. That same woman later flew
around on wires, bringing to mind the carousel scene in Logan's Run. And, for sure, the lyrics were a harbinger of what was to come. What more could I have asked for?
9. "Mickey" - Toni Basil Easy-to-memorize
lyrics? Cheerleaders? Combined with what was quite possibly the most
fun song I'd ever heard? Sold! Also the only time in my life I gave
serious thought to someday becoming a cheerleader.
8. "Hold Me Now" - The Thompson Twins Luscious
keyboards, cool British accents, split-screen imagery, and the fact
that the Twins were actually a trio all added up to a feast for the
eyes and the ears. And youthful confusion as to why they called
themselves The Thompson Twins and not The Thompson Triplets.
7. "Turning Japanese" - The Vapors All-around
coolness. British band, Japanese geisha, swordplay shenanigans. Sure,
they mention sex (they said "SEX!") at one point in the song, but how
was I to know that's what the whole song was about? Bonus points for the lead singer's mullet.
6. "Come Dancing" - The Kinks Quite
simply, this song and video never fail to make me happy. The Kinks
channeling a big-band era band is a wondrous thing. Having a lousy day?
Listen to the song or watch the video, and I guarantee you'll feel
happier almost instantly. And you, too, will rue the day they built a
parking lot where the palais used to stand.
5. "West End Girls" - Pet Shop Boys This
is the video that made walking cool. And the actual song? Music like
I'd never heard before. Therefore making the Pet Shop Boys the bomb as
far as I was concerned.
4. "Hungry Like the Wolf" - Duran Duran Filmed
in Sri Lanka, the first Duran Duran video I ever saw really stood apart
from the pack of videos of the day. More a mini-movie than a music
video, these Brits added adventure, danger, and all-around cool to MTV.
The fact that they were British only made them all that much cuter.
3. "Don't You Want Me?" - The Human League Dramatic
and mysterious, this song and video enthralled me with the tale of an
ill-fated relationship. The noir atmosphere, the movie-within-a-movie
concept, the style -- it was all good. And how beautiful was lead
singer Philip Oakley? One of my first musician crushes, he introduced
me to guyliner before I even knew what guyliner was.
2. "Take On Me" - A-Ha Like
there was any chance this wouldn't make the list. One of the first
truly groundbreaking videos I remember seeing, it still stands the test
of time. Arguably the Norwegian band's best-known single here in the
U.S., despite their having sung the theme song to the James Bond movie The Living Daylights. Lead singer Morten Harket was another early childhood musician crush. And how.
1. "No Myth" - Michael Penn Apartment
residents' live intersect in the music video equivalent of an art-house
movie. Sad and hopeful and yet romantic at the same time, I still think
this is one of the most perfect songs ever written. Not just one of my
'80s faves, but one of my all-time faves. Bonus points for Michael
Penn's wife being the equally cool Aimee Mann, formerly of Til Tuesday.
