Oh my. That's a little frightening to imagine, though I know exactly what kind of outfit you're talking about. *cringes* I was nowhere near High School in 1986, but I remember quite well enough the styles and the hideous things I wore. My mother had this thing about jeans being something for "older" people, like age 12 and up, and since I didn't turn 12 until after the 80's were over, I was thrilled when in about 1988 my mom let me wear a pair of jean shorts handed down from an older cousin. The problem? They were the most hideously acid-washed jean shorts I have ever encountered, but I felt soooooo cool wearing those with my white beaded indian moccasins and my side pony tail. I seriously need to burn those pictures. I'm glad acid wash is one trend of the 80s that has NOT come back with the new 80s wave.

My brother is 4 years older than me and he used to help me roll my socks down and my acid wash jeans over and up...he said I looked rad. My best friend's older sisters would curl and tease our bangs and give us sideways ponytails. My favorite accessory was a hot pink plastic circle that I wrapped my shirt in...not sure what they're called. and I topped it all off with my acid wash, cropped jean jacket. I must say I thought I was super fashionable and cool...after all, my outfits we approved by the older, much cooler siblings! :D

Oh yes, I thought the circle thingies I put on my shirts were totally awesome too. And anyone remember "donut rolling" their socks? We thought it was so cool during my early elementary years. I'd walk around with my donut rolled socks, side pony tail (my mother only allowed this on the weekends, so it was ultra special) and my shirt gathered to the side through various circle things. Sometimes I'd just use a pony tail holder and a scrunchie on top instead of the plastic circle holders. And I always wished I was old enough for the cool big earrings my sister wore. Now I own those earrings and they're kept in a plastic bag for when I need an 80s revival outfit. They're not as cool as I used to think they were. LOL.

I'm Nicole's age and I was a teenager throughout the '80's and it was frightening. Pegging jeans, wearing 2 pair of shoulder pads, teasing my hair, florescent lipstick and topping it off with the widest plastic belts you could find. I suppose my most garish outfit was a red jumpsuit with knickerbocker-style pants and oversized gold buttons that I wore with gold and purple plastic winkelpickers (plus rolled down red ankle socks) and huge plastic purple hoops. I'd add extra shoulder pads and thought I was the bees knees. I shudder to think. But everyone around me looked the same so you felt fab!

What is a winkelpicker?

All these stories are great. In fact, I can't help thinking that if fashion is adaptation of the eye, as Angie says, we are destined to consider something we wore in the past as hideous. But if in the moment we feel completely fab, I think ignorance of the future is bliss. Everyone keeps bringing up the eighties, and I remember it too as a preteen. While I would never wear the outfits I had then again, I think the main thing I remember is that I was about 10 times more daring with what I wore than I am now (I don't really have a daring personality in the first place). And I think that is something celebrate. I think with the eighties revival, that spirit is coming back. Maybe it's one of those situations where the more daring you are, the more fab you feel now and the more you regret later. ;)

My whole life has been bad fashion until recently. I don't know where to begin. As a kid I wore side ponytails and "poufed" my bangs by drawing them back with a headband and then pushing the headband forward. I also wore shirts that were too long for me and either clipped them with a shirt clip, or bundled them up and knotted them, or sometimes tied them up with a scrunchie.

At 13 (1997), I was in JNCOs (anyone remember those?), babydoll dresses, and some degree of Seattle grunge. I wore this ridiculous dip-dyed goth dress from Hot Topic to the 8th grade dance. I still have it in my closet and sometimes wear it to bed (yes I am the same size as I was ten years ago...only then I was considered tall, and now I'm short).

At 16, I went punk. I actually carried around a pair of scissors with me and cut/frayed my jeans whenever I had some time to kill. I had some platform combat boots, lots of plaid, spiked jewelry, lots of glitter, fishnet stockings, a bag decorated with safety pins, etc. No one believes me when I tell them that but my friends from high school can attest to it, as can my parents, who regularly fought with me over it.

So I guess I have no excuses. Unlike everyone else who has posted so far, I was wearing unfashionable stuff KNOWINGLY...whereas at least the shoulder pads and scrunch socks were worn by many...

Maya, I'm the same age as you and I too did the Punk thing...but it started a little earlier...prolly 11ish. Again, this was influence from my older brother. (But growing up in WY, it made me stand out A LOT!) lol. I cut thumb holes in my hoodies and gashes in my jeans. Wore striped shirts underneath my Misfits and Green Day tees. My parents went rounds with me, esp over the spiked jewelry. But I wore it anyway. I not only safety pinned my bags, but also the hems of my shirts and pants and notebooks. However, my brother left home when I was 12 and I continued to dress like this for another 4-5 years. So it turned into a fashion-lacking choice. Hehe!

However, I have a friend who is fabulously punk...multi colored faux mo, 4 different plaids with a striped neck tie, etc, and she's so happy and comfortable with her style. I love that she is super confidant with how she looks. So on her...it really is fashion.

These stories are hilarious! I’m sure that Nicole can commiserate when I say that I was a preteen in the 70's and what I wore then was just as mind blowing. The 80's seemed "so modern and space agey" in comparison.

Winklepickers are a plastic pointy-toed 80’s pump with a skinny heel, or a “Lady Di shoe”.

Pinkcobra: I remember putting safety pins through everything. In fact I probably looked for things that didn't fit or that were falling apart just so I could pin them together. If anyone in my school tried to out-punk me, I'd find some way to one-up them. It was ridiculous.

I knew a woman who got her degree in fashion and opened up her own punk boutique with her own original designs. She was just on a completely different wavelength than all the other fashion students. Punk isn't anti-fashion, though I'm sure a lot of punks would be offended by that analysis :)

If we are "confessing"...i also was a teen during the '80's and i have CLEAR memories on having to lay down to zip up my pants with a leather strap! They were so tight! I also loved the zippers that came on the bottom of jeans...and oh, how i loved to peg my pants and i dated a hottie who wore z.cavaricchi (sp?) pants which he also pegged. swoon :) the '80's were so fab because they were SO over the top...the bangs, the lipstick, the Madonna inspired double leather belts that looped around my waist. i need to watch 16 candles right now!

OMG Lori---you brought back some memories...my friends and I used to call our tight jeans "roofers" because you had to jump off the roof to get into them.

I almost forgot about the zippers on the bottoms of the pants. I had a pair of off white, wide wale corduroy pants with zippers on the back! I LOVED those pants! I also forgot about the thin belt that was twice as long as necessary so you would wrap it around your waist twice...letting one of the layers of the belt hang lower than the other. Oh oh oh....remember the denim bomber jackets with leather sleeves? Oh, and Champion hooded sweatshirts so big that they came down to your knees? Oh and stirrup pants? And harem pants--with the crotch down at the knees? And jellies....and jelly bracelets?
Speaking of 16 Candles....I wanted to be like Molly Ringwald in Pretty in Pink. I thought she was so fabulously funky!

Oh my goodness Nicole and Lori - more memories! I had burgundy corduroy pedal pushers that I wore with my suede ankle boots and tri colored striped leg warmers. I thought I looked so fab. I also remember borrowing my boyfriends shirts and fitting them with shoulder pads to wear with black stirrup pants. I wore fluorescent earrings and tulle bows in my high side pony tail. My oh my, I’d forgotten about my truly 80’s wardrobe. I adored Denise on the Bill Cosby Show and desperately wanted to emulate her style. The coolest blokes in the world in those days were Duran Duran and Simon le Bon walked on water. I can confidently conclude that in my world the 80’s were the worst decade for fashion but the best decade for music.

Angie, I'm completely with you- I've been saying for years that the 80's were about as good as it gets when it comes to music, but the fashion was downright nightmarish! I also thought Denise was soooo cool and used to wish I was old enough that my parents would let me dress that way. My sister totally had Denise's bangs deal going on though.

Someone earlier mentioned the denim bomber jackets- I wanted one SO badly, but now I'm glad I can say I never owned one!

Well Kit....I owned a bomber jacket, a membership jacket and just about any other hideous ‘80’s fashion garment. I choose to believe that we cannot be held accountable for what we wore in the ’80’s! Thank goodness I’ve moved on, although I stayed stuck on the music (intentionally).

As for the gals who did punk in the 90’s (mayapple and pinkcobra), I distinctly remember punk being huge when I was a preteen in the 70’s, along with disco and remnants of hippie flower power. The 90’s was definitely all about grunge, so what will the turn of the century bring to the fashion plate?