I thought it would be fun to try and see how well I could take an outfit from the 1980’s and recreate it for today. My original plan for this post was to show some of my favorite fashion accessories from the late 80’s (when my memories are most clear), and maybe I still will, but while I was doing my research, I had a very clear and vivid memory of one of my favorite outfits which was based on my FAVORITE VHS tape at the time: The Debbie Gibson “Out of the Blue” tour from 1987/1988. I watched it over and over again – not just because of the music, but also because of her outfits! My favorite one is actually on the cover of the tape: she’s wearing a black circle skirt with checkered trim, a black & white striped blouse with polka dot sleeves, and of course her signature black hat. I was in 3rd or 4th grade at the time and wanted so much to find an outfit like it. I do remember having something similar; I can picture my skirt with a gold trim. And now that my eldest daughter is at the same impressionable age, and fixated on certain singers and YouTubers, I’m getting in touch with my inner pre-tween for this post. Below are two ways to replicate the look with clothing available today.
I started with the circle skirt and bike shorts. The shorts were easy; finding a skirt with a trim was a challenge. But that’s fine – if you’re a DIYer, you can always add your own. After the skirt, I looked for the hat. The wide brim style is popular again, and I knew I had seen one on FabKids a few collections back. The most challenging piece of the outfit was the shirt. Even though stripes and polka dots are still a common combination, it was a challenge finding a blouse that was either just stripes, just dots, or even a toned down version of Debbie’s. Even though my picks are not exact matches, they have similar patterns and still represent the idea of her blouse.
Hat: Boho Wide Brim Hat
Bike Shorts: Girls 4-10 Jumping Beans® Bike Shorts
Left Outfit: Top – Tie-Front Blouse; Skirt – Girls’ Textured Knit Circle Skirt Cat & Jack™ – Black
Right Outfit: Top – Knotted Shirt; Skirt – ALLY B Girls 7-16 Black Skater Skirt
Who was your favorite singer from the 80’s? Share below and maybe I’ll recreate a look for the next #tbt post.
