THE INTELLIGISTA FASHIONISTA: Who says you can't be fashionably cerebral?: 80’s Revival: Blazing Through Fashion

Ashley Olsen exemplifies blazer versatility

Mandy Moore and Diane Kruger dress their

blazers down for everyday street wear

Heinous. Abhorrent. No I’m not talking about the latest headline describing Jon Gosselin’s escapades, I’m talking about words people utilize when describing the 80’s as a whole. The fashion? Repugnant people would say. The movies? Frightening, one reader told me. In a recent Marie Claire interview with new it-girl Alexa Chung, she admitted that if there were one era she would skip it would be the 80’s. While I agree whole-heartedly with Chung’s fashion decisions, I disagree with her sentiments related to this era; and I remain objective toward this decade even though I was born during this time and still maintain an unhealthy obsession with 80’s shows like Saved By the Bell (or known during the 80’s episodes as Good Morning, Miss Bliss) and Full House (Even at 9 months those Olsens knew how to enchant audiences). Don’t panic yet pop culture fans, I know these shows had their heyday in the early 90’s but their official benchmark begins in the 80’s.

This season the 80’s have returned but with a revamping that will soon make any ambivalent shopper purchase items with certitude. One would have to be blind as a bat not to notice a blazer in every window or on every magazine page. However, unlike their 80’s counterparts, these current blazers still maintain strong shoulders but without the large uncomfortable shoulder-padding. These remodeled blazers also come in a myriad of shapes, styles, materials, and colors.

The best part about a blazer is that it can be worn with absolutely any bottom from shorts, leggings, jeans, harem pants, to pencil skirts when you are at work. You may have already guessed how versatile they are, but I just had to share my enthusiasm! Invest in a plain black blazer that you can wear to work and out at night (they can be expensive but will pay off in the end because of their decade transcendence). For a more casual look, the cotton blazers made by Mike&Chris (this husband and wife duo produce the comfiest outerwear) and Topshop are amazing and can be found at budget friendly prices.

Several of the newly generated blazers have also been given a face-lift with resplendent embellishments. Some of the best blazers I’ve viewed have been presented with jeweled adornments or chunky metal detailing along the front pockets and lapel.

Always on the cutting edge, Gossip Girl’s second season recently paid homage to this era in an episode, which shows a young Lily van der Woodsen (Brittany Snow). Although Lily’s spinoff was shelved for the time being, I’m certainly not advocating dismissing the fashion. The year is 1983 in Malibu, California and Lily validates that the 80’s aren’t all bad in her timeless Ray-Bans and effortlessly cool Ralph Lauren blazer. In one of my favorite scenes from the series, the episode also has a young Lily trying on various outfits before deciding on lace leggings paired with a structured jacket, while “Dancing with Myself” plays in the background. Well call me trite but if this scene does not make you a champion of the 80’s—I don’t know what will.