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I suppose it had to happen.

When the "Greatest Generation" were in their early forties, twenty years past their big event, the kids and the media gave them holy hell; they were squares, the "establishment" against which their hippie, babyboomer children rebelled.

And when the big bulge of the "Baby Boom" was in that same age bracket, the greed, statusmongering and avarice of the former hippies became a national cliche.

So I suppose it's inevitable that all of us seventies and eighties kids get our turn. But honestly - are "the fashions of the eighties" really the best ding they can take?

Just when you thought it was safe to give those leg warmers to a museum, they're back in style -- along with a host of other iconic pieces of 1980s fashion.
Designers such as Alexander McQueen, Stella McCartney and Marc Jacobs seem to be saying "I love the '80s" with their updated versions of a decade many associate with ugly fashions.

Grooooan.

First of all, given that the article was written by Allie Shah - a name that can not belong to anyone over the age of 34 - it behooves me to make it clear that the fashions of the eighties were no uglier than those of any other decade.

Just more flamboyantly awful:

Anthropologie is selling cropped parachute pants, and Ragstock is advertising skinny black jeans [Note: Coooool - Ed.] for men and leg warmers for women. But perhaps the dominant '80s-inspired fashion of the moment is a pair of leggings worn under dresses and short skirts.

Of course, writers will focus on the decade's sartorial equivalents of Flock of Seagulls:

The decade that brought us oversized knit tops and jackets with shoulder pads was all about volume. From cowl necklines to dolman sleeves to blouson shirts and bubble skirts, the look was mostly full on the top and narrow at the bottom.

With the birth of MTV in 1981, music stars such as Madonna, Cyndi Lauper and Michael Jackson played a huge role in setting fashion trends. Earlier in the decade, the new-wave music trend also influenced styles that are in reruns today -- skinny jeans and black-and-white striped shirts, for example.

Be advised the only item of 'eighties fashion I ever cared about were:

• Thin jeans
• Flannel shirts with the sleeves ripped off
• Army-surplus BDU jackets
• Jim McMahon's headbands. Mine said "Hubbard"

I'm going to go and crank The Kings now.

Posted by Mitch at March 31, 2006 06:24 PM | TrackBack