Guest Post by Twizzle of Baboon of Magnesia: I've Come a Long Way, Baby

I'm taking a little blog break for the next couple of weeks but not to worry, you are in very good hands. I've lined up some of my favorite bloggers to mind the store. They'll be showing off their mad writing skillz while I'm away. Their assignment (because I'm a sentimental person and I've been feeling nostalgic lately): Write about the 80's. Anything goes.

Next up up is Twizzle, my Kimchi Mama Seoul Sister and fellow San Francisco Bay Area dweller. The Esprit outfir she describes? I know I wearing that in the 80's.

I've Come a Long Way Baby

In the 1980s, my idea of tasteful décor involved Miami Vice glass blocks; stand-up halogen lamps in brushed stainless steel; and anything colored light grey, cobalt blue, light pink, or sea foam green. If you ever saw the film Dead Ringers (starring my then-heartthrob Jeremy Irons), the set design—featuring modern Italian furnishings—to me epitomized elegance and sophistication.

My 1980s wardrobe was comprised of boxy clothing from Esprit, which— back then—was actually a decent brand. Whenever I’d trek up to the Bay Area to visit my friends at UC Berkeley, I’d make a point of going to the Esprit Store, the company’s flagship establishment, which I thought represented the ultimate in hip fashion. I once went on a shopping spree there and bought an oversized black and white checked blazer (complete with very large shoulder pads, making my figure look distinctly triangular); a pair of fitted red and black checked pants; and a baggy goldenrod and black checked lumberjack shirt. To complete the look, I cinched the jacket with a big, wide black leather belt. For shoes, I wore red, pointy flat pumps, which are responsible for the toe calluses I still have today!

My 1980s hairdo was very short and choppy, and habitually drenched in mousse or gel, ensuring a tousled, “just out of bed” look. My make-up consisted of exaggeratedly thick, dark eye-liner, both above and below the eye, and bright pink blush applied in wide, 45-degree-angle swaths across each cheek.

 

I smoked cigarettes, too, and lots of ‘em! How else did one keep one’s weight down back then? (Certainly not by going to yoga class!) Besides, I thought that cigs increased my sex appeal.

 

Reminiscing about my 1980s sense of style makes me laugh because – aside from seeming horrendous -- it’s the exact opposite of what I like now! My eighties tastes seem highly artificial, affected, and even garish!

 

Nowadays, the colors I most prefer are “natural” tones such as aubergine, pumpkin, and avocado. My clothing are plain, simple, and comfortable. My hair is currently un-moussed and un-gelled. I prefer natural-toned makeup– and not a lot of it. My home contains wooden furniture and incandescent lights, not brushed metal or halogen.

 

What happened? How could I have changed so radically in just twenty years? (And I’m not even talking about my musical tastes, personal habits, or my choice in men!) I guess it has to do with coming of age and growing to feel comfortable in one’s own skin.

 

When I was a late teen and in my early twenties (I graduated from a Southern California high school in 1982), I cared deeply about what others thought of me. I so badly wanted to be one of the cool kids, I went to great lengths to dress fashionably, don trendy make-up, and wear pointy shoes. French Elle, Cosmopolitan and Glamour magazines were my templates for what was hip and cool, and I strived hard to emulate the models therein.

 

At the end of the decade, after I graduated from college, I moved to Berkeley. Things were different there: people were not happy and shiny the way they were in So Cal; they were somber, existential, and grey, but wicked smart! Soon, I shed my spandex skin; made some new, like-minded friends; and began to care more about substance than style. I guess I grew up, finally.

In retrospect, the eighties now seem ridiculous. The idea of “Yuppies” getting Yale MBAs and driving Beamers is anathema to the socially and environmentally conscious world we now inhabit. Back then, everything was about me, me, me and immediate gratification. Now, everybody’s concerned about stewarding the earth, saving the polar bear, and donating to worthwhile charitable causes.

When put this way, I guess the eighties were a pretty damned excellent time to have been young and self-indulgent. Now that I’ve reached a certain age where I am happy with who I am, the current zeitgeist seems to mirror my own personal values. Have I changed with the times, or has the world changed with me?

Twizzle, who also blogs for Kimchi Mamas, is mom to a four year old daughter and works full-time as a fundraiser for higher education. She and her family live in Oakland, CA.

Comments

[Writer Dad]

I remember when Esprit was big time. My sister made my mom drive to hours to the outlet mall, just to go to Esprit. Ha. Now people rummage past the Esprit at Ross.

[chez shoes]

Oh, Esprit! I remember making the pilgrimage to the Esprit store in West Hollywood - the one that used to be Flipper's Roller Boogie Palace.

I can assure you that here in Southern California, things *haven't* changed all that much. Oh sure, there's lots of lip service given to "going green" and all, but in my daily travels to and from my Westside job I definitely encounter more Beamer-driving Yale MBAs than I do the socially- and environmentally-conscious types. There's a certain demographic here that is trying with all their might to remain young and self-indulgent, and they still seem to be the majority. Sigh.

[LizP]

Even though I lived in SF during most of the 80's I only went to Esprit a couple of times ... my mom didn't want me going to "that" part of town. Whatever mom.

[Akemi/svtwinmom]

I was a habitual shopper at that Esprit store on Mariposa. (This was before their stand alone stores came and went.) My friend and I tossed garment after garment into our shopping carts, then entered the huge communal changing room to try 'em on. So. much. fun! I remember the ads, the whole look. Everyone I know was wearing an Esprit logo sweatshirt - so cool. I think my grandma somehow ended up with that sweatshirt! She wears it from time to time.

[QGirl]

1987 - I was 17 and would borrow my mom's car to drive into the city for a shopping spree at Esprit with my younger sister(with all the money I'd made working part-time at Contempo Casuals!)
We thought we were so cool and hip. Then we would hit the Hard Rock Cafe for lunch.
Those were the days!

[Go-Go Mommy]

The question is: did you wear anklets with frilly lace with those pointy red flat pumps?

[Asianmommy]

Hee! I loved Esprit then. Now, comfort is key, and I like aubergine, too.

[Asianmommy]

Hee! I loved Esprit then. Now, comfort is key, and I like aubergine, too.

[twizzle]

Hi Go-go Mommy:

Indeed, I DID wear little lace anklet socks with my red pointy shoes. And I listened to Haircut 100, too!