I look back on 80s fashion with a sort of complicated nostalgia. Born in 1972, I was unaware of fashion and style when the 80s hit. I was only eight. And then I went through the awkward part of my early adolescence throughout the mid-80s, so I did not interpret the big hair styles well (I have some excellent, cringe-worthy pictures), and I clearly remember how bad boxy tops and large shoulder pads looked on me. Also, keep in mind that grunge hit early out here in Vancouver -- so close to Seattle -- and we were at the perfect age to absorb the look and the sound of that. Alienation and cynicism can describe the mood at the time, and we felt much more at home with grunge style and music than the exuberant positivity of the 80s. By the time I graduated high school in 1990, I had long abandoned the 80s look -- I had been wearing long straight hair, plaid shirts and Doc Marten boots for at least a year. So when I think of 80s style, my knee-jerk reaction is oh no, please no.

But that knee-jerk reaction is unfair. I think my attitude to 80s style had more to do with my age and personal development than anything. I was one of those girls who had a distinctly awkward phase, the end of which happened to coincide with the end of the 80s. Thus, I equated feeling unstylish and unattractive with the 80s, but it's not the fault of the decade that I was a dorky teenager at its peak! There was actually lots of cool stuff during that decade that is easier to see from my perspective now. For example, I agree with Angie that Duran Duran were awesome. I remember becoming obsessed with them when I was about eleven because my beloved older cousin had wallpapered her bedroom with their pouting faces. I was too young to notice the details of their style -- only the colourful excess -- and while I was certainly aware that they were handsome, their backcombed hair and gleefully over-the-top outfits were such standard fare with rock and pop bands at the time that it wasn't noteworthy. Yet I look at pictures now and can find lots to admire, style-wise. (And I still can't help but like makeup on a man, at least for stage performance. It probably started with them). And it's not just Duran Duran. I remember how cool Annie Lennox looked with her manly suits and cropped hair. The blending of genders is right up my alley, even now. Lots of elements of 80s style were and still are cool -- low-slung belts, high-top shoes, military detailing, oversized tops and coats. Bring it on.

All this by way of reminding myself to keep an open mind. There is good to be found in ALL decades. Personal history might influence gut reactions, but broadening your choices is always preferable to narrowing them. Don't you think?