From Shoulder Pads to Huge VCR's: The Style and Decor of the 80's

[maraleia]

Here is the place to discuss all things 80's outside of politics.

[methodwriter85]

I really like the brass bedpost. Seriously, when's the last time you've seen one?

 

I also really like the classy, preppy look they gave Paige. It really suits her. I also love what they did with her hair this season- it's got an 80's vibe to it, but like a classy way.

 

Some people noted Paige taking down her Rick Springfield poster- that was also a really nice touch. Jessie's Girl would have been at least a year ago at this point and she's over him.

Edited March 7, 2015 by methodwriter85

[lucindabelle]

The original Walkman!

Nice to see.

still do not believe Paige would be listening to alt group yaz. And agree that yes, during the 80s, Christmas began right after thanksgiving, he'll Santa is the last float on the Macy's parade (see miracle on 34th at).

I know the show does research but sometimes it's obvious tis research not memory. I am not buying yaz, and the absence of the hugeness of mtv appearing and cable seems strange.

I think I liked season one best fashion wise, knee high boots with heels,

[sistermagpie]

Someone pointed out to be yesterday that there's a scene last season where Paige dials the phone in the kitchen in a way no one in the 80s ever would. She totally dials the phone with her thumbs as if she's texting. In the first season she used a payphone without checking the coin return when she finished. Holly Taylor clearly never used phones in the 80s!

[BW Manilowe]

Someone pointed out to be yesterday that there's a scene last season where Paige dials the phone in the kitchen in a way no one in the 80s ever would. She totally dials the phone with her thumbs as if she's texting. In the first season she used a payphone without checking the coin return when she finished. Holly Taylor clearly never used phones in the 80s!

Well, considering she was born on Halloween, 1997 (in Canada, as well, so she's not American by birth--as I think someone said in another forum post), which makes her only 17 in real life, I should think Holly Taylor never used phones in the 80s (smile).

[lucindabelle]

Hah! That's funny.

Like when kids (I swear I'm not making this up) talk about people using cell phone en route to Woodstock....

[ToxicUnicorn]

Re: fashion ... Wasn't anyone else wearing skirts just below the kneecap?  A lot of Elizabeth's skirts are mid-calf.  Then again, there was the peasant skirt phase, so maybe my memory is wonky.

 

The cars always make me smile.  Good grief, they were huge.  And the non-electric garage doors are a nice touch.  Otherwise, the houses seem too modern to me.  I don't recall people having so many home accessories, and the Jennings' kitchen is HUGE.  Who knew anyone with a kitchen island back then?

 

I do like the snippets of real news footage that get worked in every now and then.

[King of Birds]

The cars always make me smile.

Oh man, the Chrysler K-cars of the 80s! I somehow am thinking the car-prop guy has to piece them together carefully (our family K-car didn't make it out of the 80s)

 

I also got a big kick when Fred (John Carroll Lynch) had to drop off the shoes, get to a phone booth, call another phone booth, that Philip and Elizabeth were camped near. A reminder of how just trying to meet up sometimes would go in college. Always had dimes on me.

 

Also, the glasses/ frames they wear in disguise just crack me up.

[Cara]

Delete post

Edited March 9, 2015 by Cara

[methodwriter85]

The guy with the guitar slung on his back on Paige's wall- is that just some random model? It's a great picture/painting.

Edited May 5, 2015 by methodwriter85

[SororitySue]

I'm surprised they don't show more of the preppy look on young people. These were my college days and I lived in Calvin Kleins, Izod shirts, add-a-beads and Topsiders. And anything monogrammed, too.

[algebra]

Re: fashion ... Wasn't anyone else wearing skirts just below the kneecap? A lot of Elizabeth's skirts are mid-calf. Then again, there was the peasant skirt phase, so maybe my memory is wonky.

The cars always make me smile. Good grief, they were huge. And the non-electric garage doors are a nice touch. Otherwise, the houses seem too modern to me. I don't recall people having so many home accessories, and the Jennings' kitchen is HUGE. Who knew anyone with a kitchen island back then?

I do like the snippets of real news footage that get worked in every now and then.

[algebra]

My 80s wardrobe was mid calf length plaid wool skirts, with velveteen or corduroy or linen jackets. Silk blouses with high necks and billowy sleeves. And boots. I had several outfits like that, wore them all the time. Big glasses. Huge lenses. And a shag haircut. Summertime I wore cotton dresses with a-line skirts, all below the knee, and high heeled sandals. If you wanted to show your legs you wore your Daisy Dukes. And a tube top. Ha!

Sometimes I wore spike heels with jeans. Too old for that now.

I still sleep on a brass bed. It's real brass. Haven't polished it for years though.

What I remember most was that because shades of brown showed up well on color TVs of the day, the 70-80s were brown. The whole world was brown. We had gotten used to black and white TV so when everything turned brown we hardly noticed. but we were all buying clothes and furniture in shades of brown, because we thought it was fashionable. I'm glad that's over with.

[AllyB]

I'm halfway through a re-watch and have an 80s question. The Jennings seem to be very comfortably off and presumably the center would cover any shortfall their income from the travel agency can't cover. Would it have been incredibly unusual for a family with two working parents to have had two cars. It just seems like a hassle for them to have to ride together all the time and two cars would make their lives easier. Would that have drawn attention with their neighbours as very unusual?

[Loandbehold]

Not so unusual, but also not unusual to only have one car. My family only had one car, even when we lived in a house. When we moved to an apartment, we could only have one parking spot. For many houses, like the Jennings' the garage was only for one car, and if the second car was in the driveway, the outside car would have to back out so the garaged car could leave. 

[RedHawk]

What happened to Phillip's bitchin' Camaro? That was his cool car -- not a new "family" car. It's really hard to keep up with which is their actual car because they are always in other cars during their missions. I thought it was really crazy for Philip to buy that car when it was such an obvious/noticeable thing. It's probably sitting in the garage with 50 miles on it.

Edited February 14, 2016 by RedHawk

[sistermagpie]

Philip still has that car. I think they show him driving it occasionally. Not when he's "working" of course, but I don't think they use their family car for that (save for the pilot--and that didn't turn out well!). So he probably uses it as much as a regular suburban dad would use it. Oh, and he did drive it to meet with Kate once, leaving it some distance away.

[AllyB]

Do they still have their original car. I had assumed Philip traded in the first car when he bought the second. Do we see him and Elizabeth in it again after he bought he white one?

 

He stopped loving the new car in the episode he bought it. He is seen touching it lovingly before going to meet Kate. Then she told him that they stole fake plans and 160something young men drowned on the sub the propeller was on. When he arrived back at his car he was looked at it with regret as it represented the America that had fooled him into being partly responsible in the death of those 'boys' and he knew he would never be able to enjoy owning it again. It's one of the very few times when we have seen Philip feeling genuine loyalty to Russia. There was that time and when he killed the Afghans who were bragging about killing Russian soldiers at the start of season 2.

Edited February 16, 2016 by AllyB

[sistermagpie]

Don't they bring the other car when they run off at the end of S2 to get away from Larrick? Philip winds up in the trunk of it. I don't think he would have gotten rid of a family car for a sportscar.

[AzraelKay]

I just binge watched the third season and Elizabeth's glasses on one ep -- the one where they went to the real estate open house -- just killed me!  I was just a kid then, but I had the smaller version of those glasses!

 

My question is though, is some of the episodes, they have multiple disguise changes. For example, in one, they tell the kids they have a late client meeting and next scene is hotel lobby, they're in costumes.  Then back in car/garage at home and I guess they are back to themselves, and  Phillip says he has to go over to Martha's... but obviously he has to go don his Clark disguise.  Where exactly are all these wigs/outfits etc. stored.  And why didn't Phillip change from hotel disguise to Clark disguise and straight to Martha's, rather than change back into his own clothes, drive home, and then go back to where ever the costumes are??  I don't know why this caught my attention more on Season 3 than any other one.  Also, I don't know how they are not dead from exhaustion -- between the travel agency, the various missions (with aforementioned complicated costume changes), meetings with handler, cultivating new assets, raising children, and doing the usual cooking/cleaning/laundry, they must only get about 3 hours of sleep per night.

[ToxicUnicorn]

the glasses/ frames they wear in disguise just crack me up.

Elizabeth's glasses on one ep -- the one where they went to the real estate open house -- just killed me!  I was just a kid then, but I had the smaller version of those glasses!

These get me going, too.  I was so excited to have plastic frames and lenses (rather than metal frames and heavy glass lenses).  We got to choose colored frames!  Elizabeth's huge frames with multiple colors (the pale pink swirled with the brown) were dead on.  That, and I think she was sporting the lip gloss look as well.  Does anyone else remember Bonne Bell?

[BW Manilowe]

These get me going, too. I was so excited to have plastic frames and lenses (rather than metal frames and heavy glass lenses). We got to choose colored frames! Elizabeth's huge frames with multiple colors (the pale pink swirled with the brown) were dead on. That, and I think she was sporting the lip gloss look as well. Does anyone else remember Bonne Bell?

Heck yes! I had Lip Smackers, in those really fat tubes, when I was in late Elementary/Early Jr. High School, maybe all the way until I got to High School (around the mid '70's-early '80's)! Especially the fruit flavored ones (I had strawberry) & the ones flavored like popular soda brands (I had Dr. Pepper & 7Up). I think you can still get a set flavored like soda brands (Coca-Cola products & Fanta Orange) made by Coca-Cola on Amazon.com. I think Bonne Bell & Love & Blue Jeans were the big makeup & cologne brands targeted at the young teen (now usually called "'tween") set when I was growing up.

[ToxicUnicorn]

maybe all the way until I got to High School (around the mid '70's-early '80's)!

This is my demographic as well.  Do you remember the Christmas edition life saver books?  I would love to see the kids get those on this show.

 

I just caught up on Season 3, and the discussion about Paige's birthday present stood out for me.  Trying to choose the one big present that would be best: a bicycle or a necklace.  I remember asking for a 10-speed in high school (everyone was getting them) and it was a big deal.  My dad asked why it would be necessary, wouldn't a 3-speed be perfectly fine?  Looking back, I did not have a good answer for that.

 

Back before the internet (and when using that one family car to go to a store was a treat), we kids spent very little time thinking about interesting consumer goods.  The things I coveted pretty much extended to a new pair of pierced earrings or a record album, until the big bicycle ask.

[sistermagpie]

Oh man, this thread is bringing back the memories. I looked forward to those boxes of lifesavers every year, totally loved the soda-flavored Bonne Bell and had an awesome ten-speed when I finally got a bike that wasn't a hand-me-down. I rode it to work.

[RedHawk]

Philip still has that car. I think they show him driving it occasionally. Not when he's "working" of course, but I don't think they use their family car for that (save for the pilot--and that didn't turn out well!). So he probably uses it as much as a regular suburban dad would use it. Oh, and he did drive it to meet with Kate once, leaving it some distance away.

I just spotted the Camaro in the S3 "Walter Taffet" episode. After P&E as "Michelle" and "Jack" go to the Italian restaurant with Michelle's AA sponsor Lisa, they pull into their home garage in it. 

Edited March 6, 2016 by RedHawk

[Inquisitionist]

Nice use of Lucky Number by Lene Lovich during last night's bowling scene.  Although it was released in the late 1970s, it has always felt like a very '80s song to me. 

[methodwriter85]

Now that the early 1980's are almost over, can they PLEASE get rid of Henry's bowlcut?

[ChromaKelly]

I noticed granite countertops in Young Hee's house. Were those around in 1983? I feel like everyone had formica or laminate, even nicer houses.

[sistermagpie]

11 hours ago, methodwriter85 said:

 

Now that the early 1980's are almost over, can they PLEASE get rid of Henry's bowlcut?

 

Almost over? It's not yet 1984! 

But Henry is still way late on getting his feathered hair. His hair should absolutely be feathered by now.

[ChromaKelly]

33 minutes ago, sistermagpie said:

Almost over? It's not yet 1984! 

But Henry is still way late on getting his feathered hair. His hair should absolutely be feathered by now.

Possibly a mullet. Are they going to give anyone a mullet? All the boys around that time had the feathered, parted in the center hair. Ooh, will anyone have a rattail?

[sunsheyen]

21 hours ago, ChromaKelly said:

I noticed granite countertops in Young Hee's house. Were those around in 1983? I feel like everyone had formica or laminate, even nicer houses.

Young Hee's kitchen was quite modern. The color of the cabinetry, door/drawer pulls, and like you said, the granite countertop all looked really out of place, IMO.

[Umbelina]

I didn't even notice the kitchen.

[RedHawk]

On May 12, 2016 at 1:02 PM, ChromaKelly said:

Possibly a mullet. Are they going to give anyone a mullet? All the boys around that time had the feathered, parted in the center hair. Ooh, will anyone have a rattail?

My live-in boyfriend had a ratttail in 1984! It was more like a thin ponytail in the tradition of the Founding Fathers. I still have several strands of it in an envelope...guess I kept it when he cut it off later. 

Edited May 14, 2016 by RedHawk

[sistermagpie]

35 minutes ago, jrlr said:

LOL!  But off-the-shoulder sweatshirts, leggings and tight jeans were also in style in the early 80s.  Phillip should introduce Paige to Kimmie for some less-hideous fashion advice. :)

LOL. This reminds me of review or something I remember reading where the reviewer was just goggling at Paige's outfit (despite I believe living through that time themselves.) They said something like "Did she get dressed and then look and the mirror and think 'I need more sweater'?"

This also makes me remembering something I've noticed, which is Paige's hair. It's interesting how they've given her these styles that she seems to keep for a certain amount of time. She's always had the long hair which wasn't particularly fashionable. At first she had the bangs. Then she started doing the side thing just like her mother. But I note that after the time jump she's always in that low ponytail which seems really unfashionable. The 80s were about high, bouncy ponytails. That covering of the ears thing always seems so 70s to me. She also seems to maybe be dressing down more. At the start of the season she was still wearing those outfits that made her look kind of like an office worker wannabe or something--blouses and skirts and boots--alternating with standard pants and sweaters. Once she was wearing a very 80s dress. I wonder if she's dressed like that since she changed her hair.

[RedHawk]

"I need more sweater" -- love it! True, it was a more covered-up era. 

Paige isn't the type to get into '80s fashion (yet) and hairstyles -- she has more serious issues to keep her mind occupied! So yes, I think she's supposed to be mostly copying her mother and the church girls/ladies and dressing conservatively. Sometimes I think they just dress the actress in whatever they can find in vintage shops that fits the era. 

Elizabeth should share wig and makeup tips with her. Talk about mother-daughter bonding!

Edited June 8, 2016 by RedHawk

[hellmouse]

I found this short interview in Variety with Peg Schierholz about the wigs and hair styles on the show. It's from June 2015 but still interesting. She even talks about how Paige's style became a little more sophisticated mid-season 3. It makes me think the basic ponytail of post-time jump season 4 was a very conscious decision.

'The Americans' Hair Department Chief on the Show's Creepiest Disguise

ETA - the creepiest disguise they talk about is Philip as Jim.

Edited June 14, 2016 by hellmouse

[kokapetl]

Claudia's Boy Scout type scarves, did people/"grannies" dress like that in the eighties?

[Bubbetv]

Haha yup they sure did! And kids Paige's age were starting to dress like Cindy Lauper...

[kokapetl]

Can anyone tell me what this machine is?

[Epeolatrix]

It's a diner-booth jukebox. The top left black circle is where the coin goes, the top right is the coin-deposit knob, the giant blur in the middle is the song catalog, and the bottom black center rectangles are the letter and number keypads so you can choose a song. The small black square on the side is the coin return, and the giant black corner rectangle is a speaker, one on each side.

Edited June 21, 2016 by Violet Impulse
Because I am confident in my diagnosis; no more 'hedging'.

[methodwriter85]

Has anyone watched Stranger Things? I feel like that show nailed the style of the early 80's way more than this show did.

Now that it's 1984 I'm hoping to see at least some brighter colors making their way in. Although the fact that this show is always taking place in late fall/early winter does make it hard to change up the color palette.

[qtpye]

I agree about the kitchens being too large and modern.  One thing that is very seventies is the wall paper in the house, particularly Paige's bedroom.

Kerri Russel looks great in the early eighties styles.

Edited February 27, 2017 by qtpye

[Hanahope]

2 hours ago, qtpye said:

 

I agree about the kitchens being too large and modern.  One thing that is very seventies is the wall paper in the house, particularly Paige's bedroom.

 

My parents remodeled our house around 1979-80 that included widening the kitchen an additional 3 feet (goodbye front porch) and we never had wallpaper in our house.

[kokapetl]

It's like the disguises for Melissa McCarthy in Spy!

[Umbelina]

Many women look great in those styles.  I miss some of them, including the high waist pants, the cool belts, and even the tops.  I was never fond of extreme shoulder pads, mostly because I didn't need them, but I loved the hourglass combo long and lean shape of those clothes.  This show is doing it fairly well, not Dynasty extremes, but everyday wear that is surprisingly flattering to many body types.  (As long as you had a waist)

BTW, anyone know if they padded Martha's waist?  I know they often placed her waistline high or low to make her look dumpier and also gave her fairly ugly colors/patterns to wear.  They seemingly accidentally put her in a lovely royal blue dress that fit once, and she looked fantastic.

ETA, apparently so, she has a waist in this photo.

Edited March 21, 2017 by Umbelina

[methodwriter85]

I feel bitterly disappointed that we aren't likely to see 1988 or 1989 on this show, when fashion got truly hideous. (Although This Is Us basically ignored any of the hideous fashion from the late 80's.)

Although one thing I learned, when studying yearbooks from 1981 to 1986, is that fashion in general was pretty tame during the early/mid-1980's, especially because preppy was the default for most American suburban teenagers. Sure there are fem mullets and not-flattering hairstyles, but things don't really get crazy until somewhere around 1987/1988. The crazy 80's style really peaked around 1990-1991, I think.

[qtpye]

On ‎3‎/‎21‎/‎2017 at 7:50 PM, Umbelina said:

They seemingly accidentally put her in a lovely royal blue dress that fit once, and she looked fantastic.

You can really tell that Martha would be really great looking, but the show tries hard to frump her up.  I never understood why she is supposed be considered so homely, even with the dumpy clothes. 

[RedHawk]

Hah!  I was in DC in the 90's for college and we shopped at the Social Safeway, and even called it the Social Safeway, but had no idea why were calling it that.  Glad to finally know.

I also share the dream that Martha and Oleg will meet somehow.  I know it probably won't happen but it would make me happy.

My friend who went to Ellington School in the late '70s said he and his schoolmates used to hang out at the Social Safeway after school and harass a "European gigolo" who "worked out of the produce section". They thwarted his attempts to pick up divorced rich Georgetown women by saying things like "He'll steal all your jewelry!" Such hooligans.

I firmly believe that Henry is hanging out with the nascent DC hardcore punk scene members and going to gigs at the 9:30 Club and Food for Thought restaurant, which had hardcore shows on Sundays IIRC. There were definitely kids from Arlington and Falls Church who got into those scenes.

[RedHawk]

Quote

 

   3 HOURS AGO,  SAILORGIRL SAID: 

Oh yes! And do you by chance remember the little pizza place that EVERYONE went to after hours and they had a little band that always played "Tequila" and we all did the PeeWee Herman dance -- standing on the bench?!?!!!! Or was that just me. . . :-D

 

Maybe that was just you! ;-)

I don't remember a band. There was a restaurant called the Georgetown Diner, I think. (It finally closed in the early 2000s.) It was a late-night place in a former row house on Wisconsin Ave just above Q Street where people hung out. It was a greasy spoon basically, where you could get breakfast food at 2 a.m. after everything else had closed. I remember that place and Au Pied de Cochon being the only late-night dining options, at least in Georgetown. There was also Whitlow's down near DC Space and the 9:30 Club, and the Waffle place (not called Waffle House was it?) across from Ford's Theatre.

Until reading this I totally forgot that Au Pied had a KGB connection story! It takes place in November 1985, so we might even get a hint of it next season.
http://ghostsofdc.org/2012/01/23/if-walls-could-talk-au-pied-de-cochon-and-1335-wisconsin-ave-nw-part-1/

Edited March 23, 2017 by RedHawk

[Umbelina]

whoops, wrong thread!

Meanwhile, I still miss those pants Elizabeth wears, tired of my ass hanging out of the super low cut jeans. 

Edited March 23, 2017 by Umbelina