My 80s Club Wear Experiment Begins: Raiding the Thrift Stores
Okay, so I decided to really dive into this 80s club wear thing for tonight’s throwback party. First step? Hitting every thrift shop in town. Seriously dragged my partner along for hours. It was chaos. Most stuff felt like Halloween costumes gone wrong. Found a leopard print blazer stuffed between grandpa sweaters. Jackpot! Snagged that immediately. Also grabbed these ridiculously huge shoulder pad things that looked like they came straight off a Joan Collins TV set. Dug through bins of old belts – landed one shiny silver chain belt that weighs a ton. Felt like a treasure hunter finding actual gold.
The Nightmare of Putting It Together
Getting home, dumped everything on the bed. Reality hit. How does this actually become an outfit? Partner started laughing when I clipped on the shoulder pads under the leopard blazer. I looked like a confused linebacker. Tried pairing it with ripped skinny jeans I already had. Wrong. Totally wrong vibe. Needed volume up top AND bottom. Found an old pair of acid-wash mom jeans lurking in my closet. Rolled the ankles crazy high. Better! Underneath? Fishnet tights, obviously. Cut the sleeves off an ancient black band tee for an undershirt. Had to safety pin it in the back to make it tight enough. Almost stabbed myself twice.
Accessory Mayhem
Accessories felt make-or-break. Remembered the chain belt. Draped it ridiculously low on the hips over the mom jeans. Almost fell over trying to walk with it jangling. Needed more shine. Found these cheapo chunky plastic bangles in purple and neon green. Put on like five per arm. Then came the jewelry avalanche:
- Big hoop earrings. Like, dinner plate size hoops.
- Several layered necklaces. One with a giant fake gold medallion.
- Sprayed glitter gel in my hair because why not?
- Found awful pink and blue eyeshadow. Blended? Nah. Just slapped it on.
Looked in the mirror. Felt like a disco ball threw up on me. Perfect.
The Grand Reveal & Rocking It Tonight
Walking into the party was an experience. Got stares immediately. One dude yelled “Heyyy Miami Vice!” Wasn’t offended. Leaned into it. Started dancing to some synth-pop track. Shoulder pads became air traffic controllers. Chain belt nearly took someone’s eye out. The trick? Zero hesitation. Went full ham. Big hair movements, exaggerated poses against the wall, over-the-top laughter. Forgot how fun it is not to give a damn about “looking cool” in a modern way. Felt powerful and ridiculous at the same time. Key takeaways for rocking it?
- More is more. Pile on the patterns, colors, layers.
- Volume is crucial. Big shoulders, big hair, big pants.
- Shiny anything wins. Metallics, plastic jewelry, glitter – all good.
- Own the ridiculousness. Confidence sells the look more than the actual clothes.
Got tons of compliments? Maybe. Hard to tell over the music. Some people definitely looked horrified. Doesn’t matter. Sweated through the blazer by midnight, glitter stuck to everything, felt utterly absurd. 10/10 would dress like an extra from Flashdance again.
