Remember the 80s? Best era ever, at least for for my body type. High-waisted pants with baggy legs. Broad-shouldered tops. My hair was big enough of its own accord that I never bothered with a perm. I still remember wearing a pair of khakis in the “paper bag” shape, a dark pink short-sleeved “camp” shirt, with narrow white stripes, a khaki belt with gold buckle, and tan fisherman’s sandals. Remember fisherman’s sandals?
I am not sure those shoes could be found today, but the pants, yup. This summer I bought a pair of AGOLDE baggy jeans. I’ve been enjoying them worn with stuff from the past five years. Have been inspired, let me hasten to add, by Linda Wright on Instagram.
It will take a little work to imagine what the jeans might look like in the two options above. Bear with me, please.
With the Dickers ankle boots and striped Comme des Garçons fierce heart tee, I folded a big double cuff in the pant leg, to expose a tiny gap above the shoes. Added that same wide brown leather belt you see in the mirror selfie and a pair of gold hoops. Went to the city. Felt quite swashbuckling and also happy to see my waist again.
With the Gucci slides I left the pant legs long, almost trailing. I tucked the UNIQLO tee in, no belt, and wore teeny little pink ruby studs that I must have bought at Macy’s for $30 ages ago. The smidgen of earrings and the t-rex combined picked up the colors of my shoes. Traipsed around the suburbs. Felt quite amused, I don’t know why.
The point being that in a time like this, when all style is possible, we can either succumb to the overwhelm of choice, or we can remember that we know what we like – allowing for imaginary lives as comic pirates.
Have a wonderful weekend. I’m rooting for you.
DETAILS (after a fashion)
I wore the ankle boots here , the slides here, the striped tee here. And I told you I wanted the UNIQLO Basquiat tee here and turns out I meant it. I’ve not previously posted the baggy jeans on the blog; they are here. It would be easy to find everything above in similar, less pricy versions, except, I think, the jeans. Funny, that. New posts/links not monetized, many previous ones are.
25 Responses
I can even begin to count the times I’ve Googled “fisherman sandals” ~ my all time favorite shoe. I would love a pair now.
80’s best for me too – love your jeans and combos.
A question – now that my hair is silvery gray – I’m finding gold jewelry not good against my face. Do you find that true as well?
@KSL, I’m still on the cusp of gold/silver, but, yes, tending towards silver.
I’ve been thinking about these, I don’t want to spend a whole lot of money, kind of like the simplicity. https://www.bluenile.com/graduated-platinum-bead-drop-earrings_21733?elem=img&track=product&vtype=sample
The quartz I had for my rehearsal dinner are now too heavy:(.
I am quite smitten with Linda V Wright’s style…I like your ne baggy jeans and think you’ve hit it out of the park with this outfit!
I must google fisherman’s sandals…are they like the Mexican hurrache shoes?
@Leslie Anne Lord, Why thank you! Linda’s such an inspiration. And fisherman’s sandals, the closest I see on Zappos are these: https://www.zappos.com/p/hush-puppies-chardon-fisherman-tan-leather/product/8991931/color/665. At least that was their shape, the leather was different. So, kind of like huaraches but not quite.
Great outfit combinations. Very flattering. Clearly, you know what looks great on you. Not everybody does. I especially like your style that sends the message, “effortless.”
@Susan, Thank you. The blog helped me sort it out. And I too most enjoy the effortless component, because I put some effort into finding the right pieces, and learning what I like, the wearing of the outfits takes no toll on me. If that makes sense.
Oh, is this post ever timely. Spent week in more than one American Eagle store with my college daughter selecting jeans. She is on cloud nine because high waisted jeans are “in” and they flatter her long torso. She told me people are seeking out “mom jeans” at vintage stores and online. So if anybody has any buried in their closet, now is the time to cash in! Your styling, btw, is exquisite.
@Mary, Thank you so much! And please let your daughter know, NOW IS OUR TIME;).
The best jeans ever! I have long legs and short torso,but still love them.
They are perfect on you-I can completely understand the happines of finding something one loves and looks great in
I can’t find my waist at the moment,so no tuck in,but all the other options are in. My high waist jeans are dark wash and white-but love your version (much better and more original to 80s)
I’ve googled fisherman sandals-know them,only by the other name (can’t remember!)
I’ve spent my 80s working from the dawn till (dawn) dusk,and wearing suits to look older (-like Working girl-it was unappropriate to arrive in jeans although I’ve changed my clothes for work,so now is our time :-))
Dottoressa
@dottoressa, Ah now is our time for so many reasons:). My first job in New York was in a theater office, they did not mind what I wore, at all:). Later in the 80s I too was in suits, with skirts. Not my best look;).
I never knew they were called fisherman’s sandals. In the 80s I liked 501s with belts, black sweaters or tees, Doc Martens, red lipstick. On other people, mind you. I worked in Covent Garden area of London and it was practically a uniform but one I wasn’t brave enough to try then. Perhaps the time has come. But red lipstick makes me look like a very old cockney barmaid so maybe give that a miss.
@Annie Green, Your desired outfit was so much cooler than mine. I remember when some guys I was acquainted with traveled to London in 1977 to write their undergraduate college thesis on punk rock. I had no idea what that even was. Now of course I have some Doc Martens, actually I have your entire wardrobe – maybe I’ll wear it soon;). I bet you could find a red if you wanted to.
Yay for high-waisted baggy jeans or high-waisted any jeans for that matter! For me, high-waisted = muffin top. Plus, being long-waisted and short legged, the high-waist gives me a longer leg effect.
Wait! I meant to say hip huggers = muffin top!!!
@Jane, I am totally with you. And I appreciate that longer leg effect more than a little bit!
Oh how I loved the clothes of the 80’s. And high waisted loose jeans. As I am also long through the torso and short through the legs, those high-waisted jeans are a godsend. And you look fabulous.
Here’s to reaching a place where we know who we are and what we like and are ready to just get on with it.
@Mardel, Thank you:). Here’s to this time of denim and life. xox.
Ah yes, m’dear… or “mudder”as they say in Newfoundland where all my cousins speak in ways I can hardly understand…. but you HAVE a waist. Still they look marvelous on you and since I’m still perfectly happy in my skinny jeans with untucked tees, I won’t grumble. Too much.
I remember back in the eighties I wore a huge, baggy pair of plaid (green and gold and rust) wool dress pants with a high, paper bag waist, a brown suede belt, a lovely matching green wool turtleneck tucked in, and narrow brown angle boots. I loved that outfit. Until one day in class when, as I talked to the kids, I leaned back and sat on my desk. The front of the pants thus puffed up in a very unflattering way, and one kid asked me did I know that it looked like a diaper. Ha. I never sat in those damned pants again … unless I was behind a desk. Ha.
Hope the rest of your weekend is great, Lisa!
@Sue Burpee, Isn’t it wonderful that skinny jeans are just as much in fashion as anything else?
I LOVE the sound of your outfit. So stylish. You must have wowed the entire town.
Love your jeans, your outfit combination possibilities, and the idea of your $30 pink ruby studs. (When I was at Cal, for a time I worked in the credit department at Macy’s. When there was a staff shortage, the personnel department head asked me if I’d fill in at the jewelry counter. I sold a pair of gold hoops to Angela Davis. It was an exciting moment, and one in which I pretended not to know who she was so she could enjoy her new earrings and her day with her friend.) If I could, I’d wear jeans with a sweater (a fitted cashmere, wool, or cotton sweater) and short boots daily. It’s my favorite combination. Lately, there have been days when it’s too warm for that even in San Francisco. As you know, I referred to your post in other social-media locales, but I wanted to comment here as well. I’ve never worn clothing that was of a time, because I wear what I like, and I tend to have clothes that are a bit off the standard style so to me they look good and of the moment no matter the moment (people such as the designer Lynn Mizono were good at this). In the eighties I was like you and had a lot of hair in essentially the same cut I have now, though shorter and without bangs, so I never thought of a perm; I was comfortable with wide-shouldered clothes because my small frame has wide shoulders and I’d remove any removable shoulder pads; I loved the dresses of the Hino & Malee style, which managed to have both shape and no shape; and I liked and wore classic pants a la Katharine Hepburn in Pat and Mike, which seem timeless to me. During the low- and mid-waist jean era I managed to wear my existing jeans or find the few pairs of high-waisted jeans offered (often on sale), because I like them more, and they are so much more comfortable. The one mid-waist pair of jeans I own and love, by Citizens of Humanity, require a vigilant awareness of the back view in different postures with different tops; I’d prefer not to be vigilant. The Saturday you wrote this I was in an Old Oakland store trying on a grey t-shirt that said Power to the People in black lettering over the top of my black t-shirt, and the twenty-something store clerk admired my jeans and I told her their story. We agreed that we don’t want the back view worries of short-waisted jeans. I like this new age of wearing what one prefers because it matches my natural inclinations, and because I think it frees people to be inspired and inspiring. Happy Monday at Noon. xo.
@Katherine C. James, I like this new age too. I think you have a timeless and original style. Happy Tuesday at 1:07pm;).
My daughter calls these “mum jeans”, a reference to the original 80’s models I believe. They certainly suit your frame but for me, no way. I’m all hips and boobs so sticking with boot cut for now (I know, I know, not at all trendy but that’s me all over).
@Chronica Domus, I am glad you stick to what works for you – it’s an example to all of us.
For all you lovers of “fisherman’s sandals” (or just the curious), try googling “Clarks Women’s Gracelin Art Mary Jane Flat” and you’ll find a nice pair in black or tan, available at Zappo’s, Amazon, and other online sites.
I personally dislike the strap going up the foot from the toe straps to the ankle strap, and I need a bit more of a heel, so I’ll stick with my Clarks and SoftSpots from earlier in this century (which I purchased in various colors, against the day they would no longer be around) – I am old enough that being “in style” is meaningless, and “wear what I damn well want to wear” is all.
(shoe recommendation above is not monetized)
Nice outfit. This combinations of jeans and top really suit you. I am looking forward to more fashion tips. It really helps me
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