When it comes to ’80s prom dresses, the first thing you have to understand is the utter, absolute importance of Seventeen magazine. And even in the eighties, the costs added up: Dresses ranged from $80 to $200, and most girls said they were spending $130 to $150.
Remember the old Palmolive dish soap ads, featuring Madge the Manicurist (actress Jan Miner), who was always telling women how terrible their hands looked?
Girls who grew up in the late 1970s and early-to-mid 1980s: Do you remember these little ‘Lip Lickers’ brand of lip glosses that came in metal slide-top tins?
In the summer of the ’80s and ’90s, jelly shoes were the fad footwear. The popular jellies are made of plastic and came in vibrant, translucent colors.
Love’s Baby Soft hit the market in the mid-’70s with a creepy ad campaign with lines like ‘that irresistible, clean-baby smell, grown-up enough to be sexy’ and ‘innocence is sexier than you think.’ So how did America respond?
To see where each shadow color should go for the different eye looks, just follow the diagrams.
See how to recreate and color 11 different ’80s hairstyles with this step-by-step guide and retro beauty tipsheets from 1986!
Here’s an interview with Wonder Woman actress Lynda Carter from 1980, when she was just about to star in her own CBS special – and just before she started to model for Maybelline makeup.
Vintage Maybelline Kissing Potion, Kissing Slicks & Mini Kissing Stick – different ’80s lip glosses in mouthwatering flavors like strawberry and cherry.
See more than two dozen examples of vintage makeup, showing the evolution of blue eyeshadow from the ’50s to the ’80s. As you will see, sometimes it works… and sometimes it really, really doesn’t.
Swatch (short for “Swiss watch”), an up-to-the-minute quartz marvel introduced in 1983 with bold colors and zappy graphics, is gambling that clunkiness will become the byword in chic, or reverse chic, for the 1980s.
Here’s our collection of vintage Lip Smackers ads, featuring delish fruity flavors (like a drool-worthy watermelon!) and those of popular sodas, including Dr Pepper, Crush orange soda, Hires root beer and 7-Up.
What were the hottest shoes for men from the 1983 JC Penney catalog? Guys were swapping traditional shoes for either running shoes or casual shoes with the lightweight and cushiony comfort of a running shoe.
Pajamas that, by their appearance, whisk you back to the memorably warm, cozy little bed you slept in when you were 10 are all the more efficiently escapist and, therefore, all the more to be prized.
Academy Award-winning actress Jennifer Connelly started out as a child model. Here’s a look back to those days in the early ’80s when she was just getting her career off the ground!
Casual ’80s menswear was something new — more relaxed than sportswear, but more socially-acceptable than pajamas. The big new star of this era: jogging suits.
Looking for some fancy retro footwear? Women of the ’80s could select from spike heels, wedge heels, “flats,” pumps, penny loafers, moccasins and boat shoes, just to name a few women’s shoes from the 1983 JC Penney catalog.
What was big in terms of fashion for girls in the 1983 JC Penney catalog? Some styles featured grown-up fashion translated into youthful looks – oversized shirt-dresses, dirndl skirts and drop-waist minidresses. See inside the catalog here!
19-year-old Debbie was not even born during the heyday of the bubble, the beehive, the flip and the bouffant hairstyles — yet, she regularly performs a grooming ritual that dates back to that other era: she is a hair-spray fanatic.
Gee, Your Hair Smells Terrific shampoo & conditioner are extra rich, extra thick — so it leaves your hair shiny clean and fresh. Slightly spicy. Slightly flowery. And ready for compliments.
Brunette Alison and blonde Larisa show off the newest, sexiest ’80s swimsuits for every figure type… yours included. 1986 was time to shine in a swimsuit that makes you look terrific!
Aapri is made with finely-crushed seeds immersed in a creamy base that will actually get rid of that dead skin layer that can clog your pores and cause skin problems.
Prom gowns are going romantic! Full-length pink taffeta-confections – like those from Gunne Sax — are the hottest-selling dream creation as high school prom season nears. Take a look back!
Apple Computer was once known for their apple-shaped, multi-colored rainbow logo. In keeping with that style, you could buy all kinds of Apple-branded merchandise — from gym bags to running shorts, and thermoses to picnic baskets. Take a look!
While the stars were still aligning for her first big part – a recurring role on Falcon Crest that started in 1988 – the 24-year-old daughter of the legendary beauty Jayne Mansfield took on a job modeling for a Southern California clothing store.
Start 1982 with a to-the-minute layer hairstyles like the ones shown here for short, medium, and long hair – plus four new makeup looks!
109 colors of nail polish from 1981, from Super Platinum to Spunsugar Pink to Blackberry. The professional nail enamel you can use at home. Dries fast. Looks wet. Stubbornly resists chipping.
“Don’t hate me because I’m beautiful.” “This was my perm two weeks ago.” “My hair was so dull and dry! And my conditioner made it
Choose the style that suits your hair type — we’ll tell you how to make it work for you!
Winning new look When Kim Seelbrede, Miss USA 1981, asked us to give her a glamorous new look that would be easy to manage, versatile
Roundup of country sweaters to knit and crochet Take your pick from our prettiest looks for fall, partnered with your favorite country-music singers in Opryland,
Polished, professional… and pregnant (1987) From the time you begin to show, you want to look your professional best. These tailored — and sophisticated —
“Even Europe never made shades more beautiful than lustrous, luminous Ultress.” – Linda Evans
For the rich girl look at penny-pincher prices, sew silk! Opulent enough even for Linda Gray (Dallas’ superspender Sue Ellen Ewing), who models them here,
Prell shampoo was popular starting with its introduction in the 1940s — and was best-known for being a bright emerald green haircare product.
Showtime: Mothercare fashions are a hit >> Also see: Polished, professional… and pregnant: Maternity clothes from the ’80s Workdays: For moms on the go Let’s
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Note: ClickAmericana.com features authentic historical information, and is not intended to represent current best practices on any topic. Material on this site is provided for education, criticism, commentary, cultural reporting, entertainment, historical reference, and news reporting/analysis.
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