Friday, June 1, 2018

Modish Matrons #24: Inspired by the 1980s


Hello friends! You are welcome to join my gorgeous MODISH MATRONS squad for our new theme - Inspired by the 1980s! When I offered this theme, I imagined I would combine bold colors, batwing sleeves, big bling jewelry, colorblocking... something like it or all of the above. But when it was time to come up with an outfit, my mind went blank - it just couldn't decide what to focus on. Until I remembered the denim dress which I bought back in Winter or early Spring and which immediately brought me back to my own 1980s (the late 80s to be precise), when my distant auntie handed me her unwanted deep blue velvet suit, not too different from what Princess Diana would wear (HERE) - a midi length pencil skirt with a peplum jacket. I remember that at first, it seemed very outdated and matronly to me, but then I made it fit my then slim, perfect hourglass figure, to attend a New Year's Eve party - and I think I looked pretty adorable and classy in my hand-me-down suit!


The upbeat Cyndi Lauper's song Girls Just Want to Have Fun went through my head during our improvised photo shoot right in our blooming garden, and I definitely had tons of fun - as did, I hope, my beauties TINA und BEATE who never cease to amaze and inspire me!




This gorgeous dress by Eloquii (still available on their website) has a few characteristics of the bold 1980s fashion. First of all, this enormous peplum (or баска, as we call it in Russian, from the French word basque) that looks flattering on any body type, and certainly does on my not-so-ideal-these-days hourglass figure, masking my round tummy. It has wider sleeves (no shoulder pads needed for my broad shoulders) and provides the typical 1980s inverted triangle silhouette. All of which you can find in abundance in the old 1980s fashion magazines and sewing patterns (images below are from Internet).








The dress is made of real substantial denim and has a good amount of stretch, so it is very comfortable to wear. And even though I am not a huge fan of denim, I fell for this dress because it's so unique! Jean fabric is neutral, so there are endless possibilities as to dressing it up or down - many styles will make a good match. I chose to wear a colorful pair of Converse, to keep things in tune with the casual fabric, and bold costume jewelry - my old necklace by Talbots, and the hat brooch and yellow plastic earrings are vintage finds. Justin and I went to the movies that evening, and surprisingly I received multiple compliments in the first two minutes. Thank you, thank you!



I felt very playful and lighthearted wearing this outfit, as if I was in a time machine that brought me 30 years back, and I was 15 again! The 1980s was a decade when I went to school, it literally started when I went to the 1st grade, and ended when I graduated. Almost all the years in school, I had to wear a uniform every day, which was quite boring: brown and black for girls, with the exception of holidays when it was brown and white; and dull blue for boys. We only had more relaxed rules about clothing in the last couple of years of school - no uniforms as such, but we still had to keep it formal. At least, I could borrow Mom's colorful blouse with a bow (tailor-made), and I could wear sweaters that I knitted myself. It was a decade when I learned many useful skills, and made a lot of my own clothes by both sewing and knitting, since stores in Soviet times were mostly boasting empty shelves, and it is not a figure of speech - outside of Moscow, literally everything was deficit. But we, stylish girls, had tons of fun searching through the available-in-my-town Polish and German magazines (in Siberia, it was our Wild West!), such as Uroda, Burda Moden and Verena, along with a few Russian magazines and brochures which provided sewing and knitting patterns (I still have some of them!), and finding fashion inspirations from the movies and music videos of that time (not Cyndi Lauper though - good Soviet girls weren't suppose to have fun, not according to the official media anyway). 


Upper right: the very first sweater that I knitted (not counting sweaters I made for my dolls as a child). Lower right: my school uniform (white apron for national holidays, and plastic loops in my ears as a fashion statement). On the left: this knitted top, as everything else in my tiny wardrobe, I wore to threads, with everything I owned. I made fashionable puffy hair by braiding my hair into about 50 tiny braids, and I made hair ribbon from a piece of blue lacy fabric I got a hold of - we were quite inventive! I was 15-16 years old then, in 1988-89.

It was a decade of my childhood and early youth, and I do have many good memories about those years, but I am glad that the time machine brought me back to our times! There is so much criticism towards the modern ways of living, but I guess we all compare with what we had to experience. And while the fashion was fun, I am so glad it's not 1980s anymore. I'm happy with the way life progressed both for me personally, and for my home country. We haven't succeeded all the way, but we are far from being done yet! And while I do believe that it's great to appreciate what we have, at the same time I think that life, just as the Universe, is meant to expand, not to be lacking or shrinking, in all ways - materially and spiritually. I'm looking forward to the new decades!


Tina, Beate and I will be happy if you join us in our time machine. How would you interpret the 1980s with the clothes from your current wardrobe? The link-up is open for the whole month of June! Have fun!

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22 comments:

  1. soooo sweet!! loooove your photos from the 80s!! <3 <3 <3
    as living not that far east i had cindy lauper back then and was a huge fan - still be. but we faced the same material bottlenecks - so DIY was the (almost) only way to be fashionable here too.....
    your dress is a stunner - love the "working girl" look of sport shoes to an elegant outfit - so new york 1985!!!!
    and yes - the designer took a big portion of 80s fashion to the process. even a tulip skirt!! such skirt was very high end in the 2.half - had one in silk moiré, 2 layers, one bright pink, one bright purple....thanks to the sis of mom who lived in duesseldorf and raided the 2.hand shops there to send me cool stuff :-D
    sooo much fun to have a party with you!
    tons of love! xxxxxx

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    1. Would you believe that I mad a tulip skirt myself in the mid 1980s?!
      Thank you for your lovely words, and for your collaboration, my dear! I always look forward to the 1st of the month now! :)

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  2. That denim dress is fabulous, such a great fit and so much fun. Love the shoes, too. I loved peplum waists, I wasn't a fan of 1980s fashion at the time I was all about the 1930s and that was a style that embraced both eras.
    Those old photos are just gorgeous. You're beautiful then but even lovelier now as you radiate happiness.
    For many of us western teenagers the 80s was a time of alternative culture and youth tribes. We didn't buy fashion, we went to jumble sales and customised vintage clothes or made our own. Our heroes were Boy George and Steve Strange although I loved Madonna and Cyndi Lauper's style and tunes! xxx

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    1. Thank you, Vix! I definitely am more comfortable in my skin compared to my 14 year-old self (and who isn't, by their 40s?), but partly what you see on my old photos is the difference in cultures. Smiling for pictures wasn't "a thing" back then, and if you look at photos of my friends or family, you'll see the same "serious" faces... On the left photos, it was my 16th birthday, an I was actually quite happy I remember. :)

      And yes, alternative music and literature was a HUGE part living in the USSR, but it's a topic for another blog post.

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  3. woww, lovely post, so interesting images from 80's, those big shoulders and big hair!, and Cincy Lauper! (I was a huge fan of her style). I remember all the creativity and how much we valued being original!.
    Your denim dress is fabulous, and fits you so nicely!, you look gorgeous, comfident and cool!. And I love particularly how you styled it with your sneakers and bold color bijouterie!, so lovely!!
    besos

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    1. Thank you, Monica! I think I first heard Cyndi Lauper in early 1990s, when the pirate version of MTV came to town... :)))

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  4. Gorgeous dress and necklace. But those shoes are to die for! Love the whole thing!

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  5. Your denim dress is a thing of beauty! It's a silhouette that really suits you. It does look deceptively simple, possibly due to the denim fabric, but it's cut superbly and it has such beautiful detailing! I love your shoes and necklace too. You are looking very much at ease in this outfit, which is the most important thing. And I agree with Vix: you are looking so much happier now that your younger self did. Lovely to see the young Natalia, though! Hugest of hugs xxx

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    1. Thank you, Ann! I am glad that you appreciated my new dress!
      As for old pictures, as I explained to Vix - I definitely am more comfortable in my skin compared to my 14 year-old self (and who isn't, by their 40s?), but partly what you see on my old photos is the difference in cultures. Smiling for pictures wasn't "a thing" back then, and if you look at photos of my friends or family, you'll see the same "serious" faces... On the left photos, it was my 16th birthday, and I was actually quite happy I remember. :)

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  6. Oh Natalia what a wonderful time travel. I forgot, I love knitting too and wearing the handmade colourful sweats :)). I used the Verena magazine too. Maybee we was knitted twins :))
    Your Denim Outfit is adorable and you look sooo gorgeous. So gorgeous as you look as a teenager. Love this old pictures.
    This colourful necklace is very nice snd I love that you wesr coloured sneakers.
    A very huge hug and much love Tina

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    1. Thank you, Tina! We could definitely be knitting twins! :)

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  7. I absolutely LOVE your denim dress. I love denim dresses in general but that one is so unusual and the detailing is beautiful.

    I too had a similar suit round about 1987 - a black jacket with a peplum and brass buttons, and a white pencil skirt.

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    1. Thank you, Buttercup! And wasn't it such a gorgeous silhouette? I would buy this dress in other fabrics and colors too - it's so comfortable and beautiful!

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  8. I was married in 1988 and my wedding dress had big sleeves and tight waist as you described.
    Your outfit is so suited to you. And you look so much happier now!
    xo Jazzy Jack

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    1. I was in 8 or 9 grade in 1988! :) Just started thinking about what to study in the future, what university to choose...

      As I told Vix - I definitely am more comfortable in my skin compared to my 14 year-old self (and who isn't, by their 40s?), but partly what you see on my old photos is the difference in cultures. Smiling for pictures wasn't "a thing" back then, and if you look at photos of my friends or family, you'll see the same "serious" faces... On the left photos, it was my 16th birthday, and I was actually quite happy I remember. :)

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  9. Dearest Natalia, it was so nice to see your youth photos! You were a very pretty girl - but nowadays you look happier, sunnier. Your denim-costume is great - and I love your chain! And it reminds me of a peplum blouse I wore. (In German language peplum is called Schößchen :-) I like this word!) I would have forgotten this blouse without your posting. But I think there are photos of it, I have to look for them.
    xox, Traude
    https://rostrose.blogspot.com/2018/06/was-gibts-sonst-noch-vom-mai-zu.html
    PS: In my current post you can see an original 80s-blouse in blue and beige...

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  10. You all look amazing! Wonderful 80ties interpretations. This denim combo with a peplum detail does look amazing on you, it accentuates your waste. I wear a lot vintage clothes, so I'm sure I can find something in the eighties feel to join your style link up.

    I agree with you. I'm not nostalgic about the past. Every time period has its challenges. In the end, life is what we make of it.

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    1. Thanks, Ivana! We can always enjoy the style of clothing or music of the past years, and there is no need to feel that "all is lost"... :)

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  11. I was not a fan of 80s fashion, however I LOVE how you each incorporated this theme into your style!!! BRAVO! The denim peplum, that two piece linen look suit - oh so FAB!!!
    Xx
    Joi|www.inmyjoi.blogspot.com

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