Welcome back to Trendy or Timeless, a series here on Anything Goes, where we analyze various clothing items and fashion trends and I determine whether I think they are trendy or timeless.
And today we're specifically focusing on the 80s.
Why?
Seems kind of random.
Well, to me it's not, because I'm convinced that within the next few years, the 80s are going to have a comeback.
I've started to see the 80s slowly but surely trickle back into the zeitgeist over the last year or so.
It started, at least in my mind, at last year's Met Gala.
I was doing my interviews on the carpet and all of a sudden in comes Doja Cat wearing a spot on 80s outfit.
And I remember clocking her and being like, whoa, that's different.
I hadn't seen anyone do an 80s look like that in a long, long time.
And I'm not sure if that sort of opened my third eye to seeing 80s moving forward and everything.
Or if that was just the first 80s vibe that I personally had seen since the last time 80s vibes were sort of, in which I feel like was in what 2017, 2018?
I feel like there was kind of an 80s moment back then.
Or that was kind of more of like an early 90s moment.
I don't know.
Anyway, since then, I've started to see 80s vibes trickling back in, okay?
Another example would be on the runway.
Saint Laurent, got some 80s going on.
Versace, the latest collection, very 80s.
And then there's a little bit of 80s going on in one of the more recent Schiaparelli shows.
It's even happening in music, though, too.
Like in Sabrina Carpenter's latest album, there's some 80s sounds going on in there.
And it makes sense to me because we've been doing the 90s, early 2000s thing for like five years now, give or take.
We got to move on to something else at some point.
I wouldn't have expected it to be the 80s.
But because I'm starting to see it trickle back in, I'm like, I guess...
That's what we're doing next then?
And so today I thought to prepare us all for the potential 80s revival, we would analyze some 80s fashion trends and discuss if they're trendy or timeless, to help prepare us for when these things are in the stores.
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Starting with power suits with shoulder pads, like gorgeous, beautifully tailored, beautifully colored sharp, powerful suits for both men and women with big, broad shoulders.
Think like a deep maroon, stiff, monochromatic.
That's what I think of when I think of a power suit.
Shoulder pads are very 80s.
Shoulder pads aren't just present in power suits, but those two things go hand in hand.
So I thought I'd lump them together as one trend.
On a personal level, I actually really like this trend.
I love a beautifully tailored suit.
I love big, built-out shoulders.
I love shoulder pads.
I love the silhouette.
I don't like a shoulder pad when you can see the seam of the shoulder pad on the shoulder.
But when a shoulder pad is done well, it's done properly, I'm down for a shoulder pad.
So that's how I feel about that personally.
But I actually also think that this is timeless as well.
And I'm not saying that because I enjoy a power suit and a shoulder pad.
I'm saying that because I think a suit and a dramatic silhouette is forever.
I mean, I think it depends on the pattern.
It depends on how big the shoulder pads are.
Like, listen, within reason here, I think that a power suit and a shoulder pad is forever.
And to be honest...
I'm ready to call my stylist, Jared, and say, let's do this now.
Why haven't we done it sooner?
It's because we forgot about the 80s, to be honest.
To me, it's one of my least favorite decades of fashion.
I don't love 80s vibes.
It doesn't come to mind when I'm trying to reference a decade of the past.
I rarely am like, ooh, let's do an 80s vibe for this.
That's just not inspiring to me usually, but we're starting off strong here, literally with the power suit and the shoulder pad.
I'm into it.
Timeless.
Moving on to oversized blazers.
Okay.
Think a blazer, but a little bit too long, and the shoulders are cutting off, not at the top of the shoulder but rather a little bit down the bicep.
On a personal level, I don't love an oversized blazer.
It's just, to me, kind of maybe messy.
Like when I think of a blazer, I think of chic, sharp, tight tailoring, right?
To me, a blazer is supposed to be well fitted, well tailored.
And so an oversized blazer to me kind of feels gimmicky in a way.
There are some like cute photos out there of I think Jennifer Aniston.
I have this one photo in my head of Jennifer Aniston wearing an oversized blazer.
And like, is it cute?
Yes.
But it does feel a bit gimmicky to me because it doesn't fit properly.
Do you know what I'm saying?
Like, I think because the nature of a blazer is good tailoring, it being oversized feels silly.
But like listen, I think a really really simple oversized blazer, like perhaps like a black oversized blazer, like that to me could be timeless.
I think an oversized blazer that is like barely noticeable that it's like an oversized blazer.
Like imagine this, okay?
I'm imagining like an all black outfit, black slacks, black turtleneck, black oversized blazer.
Like that to me feels timeless.
But like if it's obvious that an oversized blazer is being worn because there's contrast in the outfit, like jeans in a t-shirt and then an oversized blazer.
That to me feels less timeless.
But then I'm torn, because a blazer is such a classic jacket that part of me is like could a blazer ever go out of style?
Even if it's oversized, maybe not because it's such a timeless style of jacket.
I don't love it personally, but it's definitely technically a timeless shape.
So I am a bit torn.
I'm going to go with trendy.
I think a blazer that fits properly is timeless.
I think there are a few rare occasions where an oversized blazer could be timeless.
If it's super understated, it almost doesn't even read like an oversized blazer.
Like technically it is, but it doesn't read that way.
Wait, but then does that make it timeless?
Wait, I think I just changed my mind.
See, I do think you can make it work.
You can make it work.
Wait, I think I just changed my mind.
Okay, now, you know what?
Timeless.
Oversized blazer is timeless.
As long as it's styled in a way where the oversized blazer isn't like the focal point of the outfit.
Okay, that's my answer.
Moving on to high-waisted jeans.
I'm talking really high-waisted.
OK, I'm not talking about like, you know, cutting off at the belly button.
I'm talking about going an inch above.
This is another thing that I don't like.
I do not like high waisted jeans.
I do find them to be gimmicky.
Like jeans don't need to go up that high.
I feel like my evidence for high waisted jeans being trendy is how I feel about them right now and how most people feel about them right now they feel choogy.
They feel of a different time.
You know what I'm saying?
Like high-waisted jeans were super in when I was maybe in high school, I think, maybe middle school, middle school or high school.
And now no one's looking for high-waisted jeans.
And I feel like the conversation around a high-waisted jean is I think they might come back, unfortunately kind of.
I don't really care.
I mean, it's not like a skinny jean.
I feel like a high-waisted jean is definitely less polarizing than a skinny jean, but I'm going to say trendy.
I do think that there are rare occasions where a high-waisted jean could be styled in a way that feels modern and unique and interesting.
You know, it's sort of a basic enough clothing concept that you could definitely get creative and find a way to make it feel interesting enough that it's almost timeless.
But I think 90% of the time a high-waisted jean is trendy.
And so to me, it's going in trendy.
I think the only timeless waist height for jeans would be like mid, like classic mid height waisted jeans, mid waisted jeans like a Levi's 501.
A low waisted jean, like that's not timeless.
We've all watched that come in and out now twice in our life.
I think the high waisted jean falls into the same category.
Trendy.
OK, moving on to another type of jeans, tapered slash pegged jeans.
OK, imagine jeans that are tight on the top, or not like super tight on the top but, like you know, snug around the waist.
And then the silhouette of the pant, kind of balloons out around the thigh and knee and then around the knee start to close back in towards the ankle.
And then it's tight around the ankle.
Now, according to my dad because I discussed all these things with my dad because he lived through the 80s was was sort of into fashion during the 80s.
So he knows he was like on the ground.
You know what I mean?
He was he reported to me from the ground, which was incredibly helpful.
Apparently, there were two ways to accomplish this sort of shape with jeans.
Either a pair of jeans that just already has that shape.
It's cut with that shape, or a pair of slightly wider leg jeans folded at the bottom in such a way that made it tight around the ankle.
OK, if you were to like take your pant and then fold over the flap, like if there's like it's there's a gaping fabric, fold over the gaping fabric and then roll up.
Right.
So then it is tight around the ankle.
This to me is one of the worst shapes for a pant possible.
I can't think of a more hideous shape for a pant.
They look goofy.
They look silly.
It's an unflattering silhouette.
I found, when it comes to dramatic silhouettes in clothing, a more flattering option would be to have Volume up at the top, perhaps around the shoulders, and then volume around the ankle.
That's a beautiful, dramatic shape to have say, you know, like a flare pant and a shoulder pad up top and perhaps, you know, maybe tighter tailoring around the ribs waist thigh knee, because that creates a nice sort of.
I guess that would be sort of like an hourglass shape in a way.
Another potentially gorgeous shape could be just volume waist down, like with a gown.
You know, a lot of gowns tend to be more tailored on the top.
And then there's volume, I guess ribs down.
That creates a really nice shape.
It just flows nicely.
It almost never is flattering. to have volume between like the knees and the breast.
Like that's not flattering.
You know what I'm saying?
It makes you look shorter when the focal point, the volume is in the center.
It doesn't flow to me.
So I absolutely hate the shape of pant, but that's not how we determine if things are trendy or timeless.
The criteria is, will this be cringe in five years?
Is this cringe now?
And I think the answer with tapered pants, balloon pants, peg jeans, trendy.
Because no one right now in this current moment will touch that shape of pant with a 10-foot pole.
I mean, maybe there's some people out there, they're into it.
But other than that, I'm not seeing this shape of jean around for a reason because they're unflattering and they're a little bit silly.
They're silly because they're unflattering.
It's like, why would you ever choose that shape of jean?
It makes no sense.
Moving on.
Let's move on.
I think I've made my point clear here.
Moving on to acid wash.
It's like regular blue denim, except it has a bunch of white splotches all over it.
Looks like somebody threw bleach into the washing machine with a pair of normal jeans and then they came out and had a bunch of speckles all over them.
I actually had a pair of acid wash jeans.
They were super 80s, actually.
They were Guess.
I had them in, I think, like 2018.
And I actually really love those jeans, mainly because they fit really good and my butt looked amazing in them.
And that did not happen a lot back then, and it still doesn't.
In retrospect, I think they are ugly.
It's unpleasant to look at.
It's splotchy.
It's irregular.
It's chaotic.
It's fatiguing to the eyes.
It's a very extreme pattern.
And I will say acid wash comes in different flavors, if you will.
The early 2000s there was like a different kind of acid wash that was less like speckly as the sort of classic 80s acid wash.
Let's just focus on the classic 80s acid wash.
I truly think absolutely hideous.
And I think trendy.
I think it's too extreme of a wash.
And to me, the only classic wash of a blue jean is a natural blue jean.
And it can vary depending on how worn in the jeans are, right?
Like, for example, raw denim, that's timeless.
Dark wash, like a classic, chic, simple dark wash.
Classic medium wash.
Sure, classic light wash.
Sure, as long as they look like they achieved their color naturally, I think timeless.
Even if technically they were purchased pre-worn in pre-lightened, because all denim starts raw, super dark, you know, and then over time it lightens.
That's sort of how the various washes of denim were formed.
And so I think anything that looks like it happened naturally is timeless.
Acid wash does not look like it happened naturally.
It looks chemically induced.
I don't know.
When it comes to jeans, I think the only timeless style of jeans, truly in my opinion, is a straight leg, mid waist.
Natural blue wash of denim.
I've seen so many different jean trends in my life.
Skinny jeans, bootcut jeans.
Low-waisted jeans, super high-waisted jeans.
Colored jeans like fun, colored jeans.
Like the only thing that has stood the test of time has been like a Levi's 501, really.
And like a Wrangler, like a straight leg Wrangler.
And jean style similar to that.
That's just where I stand on jeans.
Okay, moving on to massive, chunky, layered statement jewelry, accessory maximalism.
Think like massive gold earrings.
Think a bunch of resin, acrylic bracelets, bangles all over the wrists.
Think a big, chunky gold necklace with like a big pendant on it, with like a big red, like jewel in the center big, bold statement jewelry.
I actually really like statement jewelry.
I mean, I think there are so many variables.
You know, like I don't like all statement jewelry and I actually personally don't wear statement jewelry almost ever.
I can't remember the last time I wore like a big statement piece of jewelry.
It's Even when I'm going to an event and it maybe is more appropriate to like really dress up and go full fashion mode.
I can't remember the last time I really leaned in to the statement jewelry.
It's just not really my style.
And it tends to overpower me, I feel like.
I don't know.
I don't seem to wear it well, but I actually like it.
Like I love like a big earring with, you know, like an interesting design.
Like I think it's really fun.
Stacking a bunch of resin bracelets.
I'm really torn.
On one hand, I feel like statement jewelry in one way or another can always be made cool.
But then on the other hand, there are moments where maximalism is really not in.
Gaudiness is really not in.
And there's moments in time where it feels costumey.
And then there are moments in time where it feels very fashionable, I feel like.
I'm leaning towards trendy, but I think if it's truly your personal style like, this is one of those things where, if it's really your personal style to wear statement jewelry and you're super into jewelry, I think it can be timeless on an individual level.
But I think overall I'm going to say trendy, but I'm really hesitant.
Like I'm only like 75% sure that I think, I think trendy.
I don't know.
I might change my mind on that.
But that's where I stand right now.
Whenever I'm really conflicted on whether something feels trendy or timeless, I think about what it would look like in an image from 100 years ago.
Like, how out of place would that particular item seem?
And I know that one time, actually twice, two times on this podcast I've said that I think the Lububu is a timeless design.
All of you are going to lose your trust in me, but if I think of 100 years ago, I could imagine a little kid holding a little labubu that their family got from a local toy maker, because it's a genuinely interesting, cool design.
Can I imagine the labubu strapped onto a handbag 100 years ago?
No.
But I could imagine a little kid holding a labubu 100 years ago in an old photo and that doesn't seem that wild to me.
Why are we talking about the boo-boos?
Why did I bring this up?
I don't want to talk about the boo-boos today.
Like I really I can't.
Can I be honest?
I can't talk about a boo-boo for like at least the next five years.
So I'm going to wrap that up.
But weirdly enough to me, like that makes sense.
And again, you might be losing your trust in me right now.
I can't listen to your trendy or timeless episodes anymore.
You're telling me you can imagine a Victorian child holding a boo-boo?
Weirdly, yes.
Like, sorry.
Yes.
Okay, maybe not a Victorian child.
I don't even know how long ago that was.
I forget.
Anyway, okay, I'm looking up images of Victorian children with dolls and stuff.
Yeah, I could totally see them with a little labubu.
I'm not even kidding.
But, like, they were holding little dolls.
They were holding little teddy bears.
Like, the teddy bear started as a trend and then now it's considered a timeless toy.
It's like, I don't know.
I don't know why I feel this way and I don't know why I'm also dying on this hill.
It's like, I should probably just let it go.
Um...
Let's move on.
Let's move on.
Let's go back to the 80s, okay?
Next we have classic 80s bright neon colors, busy patterns, animal prints, weird geometric, bright colored chaotic prints.
Just like the brightest, most busy patterns and prints you could possibly imagine.
I really don't love this vibe, to be honest.
I don't love this vibe.
It hurts my eyes.
It kind of feels like a Halloween costume to me.
Can't really unsee it.
If I see someone wearing all neon, a bunch of you know like, with like cheetah print, and then there's like polka dots and it's like to me it feels like an 80s Halloween costume.
It's so bright.
It's so loud.
It's so fatiguing that we all get sick of it pretty quickly.
Like.
I feel like anytime we have like a neon wild pattern phase, we're out of it within two years as a society.
I think this is an obvious trendy to me.
We've seen it come in.
We've seen it go out.
It's just in it and it never lasts.
Trendy.
Moving on.
Moving on to bold, colorful, graphic makeup.
Okay, think like a green smoky eye with like a navy blue sharp angular, sort of winged out, smoked out liner, with like red in the tight line and like sharp lines, dark mascara and like a bright lip.
Think just bold, graphic 80s makeup.
I actually recently did kind of an 80s inspired makeup look for the Mugler fashion show this last fashion week that I attended.
And I absolutely loved it.
It's a lot of makeup.
It's very, it can be a little bit overpowering on the face, but I love it.
And I'm about to say something.
Oh shit, I just did my 100 years ago test and the 80s makeup did not, did not stand up.
It did not.
It's not, it doesn't work.
Because I was about to say that, well, hear me out.
I actually think that my own test might not apply for this specifically.
Let me explain.
Yes, 80s makeup in a photo from 100 years ago would look out of place.
It would look ridiculous.
It wouldn't make any sense.
However, I do think that this particular style of really graphic makeup is so artistic and it's so.
I'm trying to defend it, but I actually don't think I can, because I weirdly want it to be timeless, but I don't think it is.
I want it to be timeless because this category of makeup has so much potential.
Like there's so much you can do with it.
There's so many ways you can personalize it.
And I think it's the most timeless version of full glam.
I think 80s graphic colorful makeup is more timeless than the 2016 full glam makeup look.
You know, brown smoky eye, matte lip, big, you know, built out eyebrow.
We all remember it.
If you don't remember it.
I don't want to say good for you.
I almost said good for you, but that was kind of a fun time.
But the makeup was not good.
Like that was not good.
That was not timeless at all.
And I think we all know that now.
I think the only true, timeless sort of makeup is makeup that accentuates your natural features.
You know, like a little bit of mascara, you know a little bit of lipstick that's like a classic color, like a red, or you know something that sort of matches your natural lip perhaps a little blush, a little foundation, maybe you know natural.
I think that's the only truly timeless makeup.
But I want 80s makeup to be timeless because I do feel like, from now until forever, I want to believe that we can all do an 80s graphic eye if we want and it will work.
But I don't think that that's true.
It's trendy.
I really do think it's trendy, but I'm sad to say it.
It's such a creative style, such an artistic style.
I think you can do a really colorful graphic eye look whenever and make it work.
But see, that's the thing with all of this.
Even if something's trendy, if it's truly your style, it's timeless.
If you love tapered jeans, if you absolutely love them and they are so your personal style, for whatever reason I don't know why they would be because I cannot stand them but if I also respect our differences.
And so I think that's why I want to put this style of makeup into timeless, because I'm like it's so creative.
Like anyone who's doing this type of eye look is clearly very deeply into makeup, loves makeup.
And that's a part of them, you know?
So listen, I'm going to stick to trendy, but just know that it hurts.
It hurts to do so.
I have to follow my criteria, which means that a little boo-boo is timeless and no one should trust me and everyone should take everything I say with a grain of salt.
But I have to stick to my bizarre criteria that only makes sense to me.
Okay, moving on.
Moving on to jazzercise core.
Imagine shiny spandex leggings with a high-cut leotard on top, leg warmers, little sweatband around the head and around the wrists.
Think jazz. campy exercise gear, 80s workout video core.
See, here's the problem with this sort of aesthetic, right?
When it's on the nose, it looks like a Halloween costume.
I haven't seen somebody actually exercising in a look like this ever in my life.
I've only ever seen this look during Halloween.
Now, listen, if you were to break it down, let's break it down, actually, might as well.
Starting from the.
I think leg warmers are trendy, but I do think that if they were truly being used for warmth,
See, I need to know the history of leg warmers.
Hold on.
Okay, see, no.
Leg warmers originated with dancers in the 1970s and 80s who wore them to keep their calf muscles warm and prevent injury before and after performances.
See, I was going to say like if leg warmers originated a long, long time ago and they were used for a particular purpose beyond socks, I was going to say maybe timeless.
Okay.
But they originated in the 80s.
In such a way that's sort of unnecessary, like they are kind of unnecessary.
No one's almost ever wearing leg warmers for function.
They're almost always for fashion.
I feel like a more timeless option would be another 80s trend, which would be a scrunchie sock.
Yeah, maybe it might have moments where it's more relevant in the zeitgeist.
But overall, I think you can always style a chunky sock in a way that makes sense.
But a leg warmer, trendy.
And it seems to come back in different ways.
More recently, it came back in through ballet core.
Yeah.
So like, okay, a leg warmer, trendy.
Now let's talk about a legging.
I almost believe that a legging, due to its functional benefits, has become a new timeless item.
Now, hear me out.
I think wearing leggings as a fashion statement is a trend.
I think wearing leggings for function is timeless at this point.
I think, even though if you were to see a photo of somebody 100 years ago wearing a legging, you'd be like what?
What's going on?
Because it was kind of inappropriate, I think, because you could see so much body.
I don't think that was appropriate a long time ago.
But leggings serve such a functional purpose.
We wear leggings to exercise and they are undeniably the perfect exercise pant.
There's not excess fabric.
They're comfortable.
They're sweat wicking.
Like, I think that they've become a new timeless item. for their function.
For fashion, not so much, but I would call a legging a new athletic classic.
Okay, next, moving up to the high cut leotard.
It's like a regular one, except the hip bone is exposed because it goes up really high.
Weirdly, I actually feel like this shape is timeless.
No, no, maybe I don't actually.
I was thinking timeless, because I'm like that dramatic shape.
I think could be styled in so many different ways.
And it's like a simple enough sort of garment that I feel like it could be timeless.
But I actually think the only timeless sort of leotard would be one that's just a normal cut.
And I mean, I don't even know if a leotard's timeless.
It's like kind of a niche item.
And no one's wearing a leotard to exercise unless you're a gymnast, usually.
See, it's almost.
It's almost such a niche item that it's like maybe that makes it timeless.
But no, I don't think so, because I'm thinking about like there was a trend maybe in 2019 ish, if I'm remembering correctly, maybe in 2018, maybe in 2020, I can't remember anyway, around that time a few years ago.
It was a trend to wear a bodysuit or leotard technically that had a high cut and then you'd wear pants and then you could see the hip bone.
And that went out of style.
Okay, that has cemented my opinion.
Trendy for that.
Trendy for that.
And then last but not least, sweatbands.
Who's wearing sweatbands?
No one's exercising in a sweatband.
It's strictly for Halloween costumes only.
Although, to be honest, I actually think a sweatband would be kind of useful and we should bring them back for function if they actually work.
Maybe I'll wear a sweatband to, well, I guess people who play tennis wear sweatbands, right?
Or is that just like 80s tennis?
I don't know.
I don't know enough about sweatbands.
But to me, they're such like a niche item.
I just, let's just call them trendy, but it's like, who cares?
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Now back to the episode.
Okay, moving on to fanny packs.
I don't like a fanny pack either.
I'm sorry I'm being so negative, but I just really don't like a lot from the 80s.
Other than shoulder pads and power suits, I'm kind of not loving the 80s.
It was really bright.
It was really busy.
It was really hard to look at.
Fanny packs are no exception.
I mean, listen, I will say fanny packs are convenient.
I'll give them that.
They are convenient.
And I think the concept of like a belt bag is a timeless concept.
But the classic shape and design of the fanny pack is so.
It's so ugly and so polarizing that that's why to me, despite its function, I think it's trendy.
It gets people angry.
It's similar to skinny jeans.
Like people hate fanny packs.
Because there's something about them that's just so ugly, which is unfortunate, because it's actually like a really useful design.
Honestly, I think we just need somebody to create a belt bag with a new shape that has a new feeling, that doesn't even feel like a fanny pack.
Perhaps it even has a new name.
Actually, it's weird because designer brands have been making fanny pack-esque bags.
I mean maybe for a long time, but I've been noticing them over the last few years like designer fanny packs that people either wear around their waist or wear as sort of like a crossbody bag.
The designer monogram does not help the design.
It, to me, is still not great.
I really want, maybe they're out there.
Maybe, let me look.
Okay, I just looked up chic, unique belt bag.
And there actually are some options out there.
Oh, wow.
Now I'm remembering that I, two years ago at Coachella, wore a belt bag that kind of looked.
I mean, it doesn't look like a fanny pack, but it was a belt bag.
But it didn't even process in my brain as a belt bag because it, to me, felt so different.
It didn't, like, anyway, okay.
I think the concept of a belt bag, timeless.
I think a fanny pack, trendy.
Moving on.
Leather bomber jackets.
Okay, think like a classic brown sort of voluminous collared leather jacket.
Classic silhouette.
Pockets cinched around the wrist and around the waist.
Zipper.
To me, this is a forever jacket.
If you were to buy a leather bomber jacket that fit you nicely.
That was somewhat understated, right.
Like no, you know, overwhelming details.
I think you could wear that jacket forever.
Like, unless your personal style really changed.
I just I think that that's a piece that you'll never regret.
And it can be styled in so many different ways.
And it pairs really well with other timeless items like a white t-shirt and a classic pair of 501s and, like I don't know, a boot right.
Like that's forever.
So I'm going to say timeless for that.
Moving on to leather on leather, particularly in black.
So like imagine a leather jacket with black leather pants.
I love this.
When I say leather, I don't mean like doesn't need to be genuine leather.
I'm just talking about the look, faux leather, whatever.
I personally love leather.
I especially love it when my hair is bleached, because there's something really nice about like, I don't know, it makes the hair read a bit edgier, which I like.
But wearing like a full leather outfit ooh, I'm on the fence.
Because it's a choice, it's a choice.
And it's usually a style choice, right?
Like it's not usually a function choice.
You're not wearing leather pants and a leather jacket because it's like keeping you warm or something.
You know what I mean?
It's like, that's a choice, that's a fashion choice.
It feels like it's a phase.
Do you know what I'm saying?
Leather on leather doesn't feel like forever, it feels like a phase.
However, are you ever going to regret having a pair of black leather pants?
Are you ever going to regret having a black leather jacket?
No.
Wearing them together is a styling choice.
Separate, they feel more timeless to me.
A leather jacket to me is timeless for the most part.
I mean, obviously there's so many different shapes of a leather jacket, but like a simple classic leather jacket and like a straight leg pair of black leather pants.
Oh, you know what?
I'm going to say styled together, trendy, worn separately, timeless.
OK, that's my final answer.
OK, moving on to something I had never even heard of until my dad brought it up.
Layered polo shirts.
OK, imagine taking a polo shirt, putting it on and then taking another polo shirt and putting that on on top and then flipping the collar up.
OK, apparently this was all the rage in the 80s, according to my dad.
Actually, this is very similar to the leather on leather, okay?
Because a polo shirt, to me, undeniably timeless.
It's like an Oxford shirt.
It's like that is one of the most classic shirt shapes ever.
Wearing them together, that's trendy because it's a little ridiculous.
It's a little bulky.
It's extra.
But the thing is, layering allows you to participate in trends without purchasing things that are trendy.
Does that make sense?
Like you can wear two polos on top of each other.
And then in a year when you're over that, now you have two polos and no harm was done.
Do you get what I'm saying?
So yes, I think layering two polos on top of each other is trendy.
But I think there's no harm in playing with it if you have two polos in your closet already.
And I actually think it's kind of a cool, I mean, I love layering.
Like I'm a sucker for layering.
I love giving something a different feeling.
It's the way to add dimension to otherwise pretty simple items.
And for the last few years, my personal wardrobe has kept me entertained, despite it being mostly made up of very simple pieces, through layering through, you know, manipulating fabrics in different ways, like you know, layering a tight shirt over like a looser shirt and then, or like tying the back of a shirt.
So i'm gonna say layering the polos is trendy, but it's layering two timeless items together.
You can't go wrong.
So try it, have fun with it.
That that's the perfect kind of trend to participate in.
You know what i mean.
Okay, moving on to boat shoes, which are having a moment now.
Boat shoes are not just 80s.
They might have had a moment in the 80s, but to me, a boat shoe is timeless, actually.
It's similar to like a cowboy boot to me.
A cowboy boot might have a moment at a certain point in time, but because a cowboy boot is hyper-specific to an occupation, which is being a cowboy, I guess.
Because it's so strongly tied to a certain aesthetic, I think that makes the cowboy boot timeless.
There are people who wear cowboy boots every single day riding their horse around.
My grandfather was like that.
To me, a boat shoe feels timeless to me because it is the shoe for boats.
Do you know what I mean by this?
It's like it is the nautical shoe.
So, at any point in time since the boat shoe was created, people who sail boats, live by the water, have been wearing the boat shoe.
It just feels so ingrained in that particular subculture that to me it's like I don't think that ever really fully goes out.
Yeah, I'm going to say timeless on the boat shoe.
Moving on to fingerless gloves.
In the 80s, people were wearing various types of fingerless gloves, leather, fishnet, lace.
The list probably goes on.
I think the concept of a fingerless glove actually is timeless.
I think fingerless gloves are actually very useful and effective.
I adore a fingerless glove.
I reach for my fingerless gloves more than I reach for my regular gloves.
They genuinely serve a purpose.
See, but I'm thinking about knit fingerless gloves.
That wasn't really the trend in the 80s at Now, hold on.
Actually, let me... Whoa.
Whoa.
I almost... No.
Rewind.
Okay?
Hold on.
I just realized something.
The fingerless gloves in the 80s were not knit fingerless gloves.
They were all... strictly for accessory.
That's very different.
That changes everything, to be honest.
Okay.
Because like a leather fingerless glove, that's not keeping you warm.
I mean, I guess if you're like riding a motorcycle, it might protect your hand from callusing.
But like a fishnet fingerless glove, enough.
That is only for vibes.
Same thing with a lace fingerless glove.
I will say I actually just purchased lace fingerless gloves.
I had been looking for lace fingerless gloves for so long and I was at a vintage store.
They were selling at the front desk for no reason, lace fingerless gloves, but they were new.
They weren't vintage.
It was like one of the you know how, like at vintage stores, they'll sell like new sunglasses and new little accessories.
That's where I got them.
And I'm really excited about them, to be honest, because I've been curious about adding dimension through, you know, something like a lace fingerless glove, or like a lace sock or a lace tight.
You know, that's I've been kind of into lace a little bit more lately.
I'm going to say in general, trendy for these types of gloves because they are really like, they do feel really costumey, especially like a leather fingerless glove or like a fishnet.
A lace fingerless glove to me feels more timeless, feels more elegant, more understated.
And so that feels a bit more timeless to me.
The runner up, I would say, would be like a leather fingerless.
Fishnet is one of those materials that the second it comes in, you need to count its days.
You know what I'm saying?
Because it's not going to be long.
Fishnet comes in in a big way and then it's out just as quick.
I'm gonna say fingerless gloves are trendy, but a little like dainty little lace one.
Or like leather, a simple leather pair that you wear with your favorite leather jacket, like i don't know.
I think that that could work.
So i'm kind of 50 50 on it.
I'm gonna say trendy, but just know that there are exceptions.
Next we have a skinny tie.
What's a skinny tie, you may ask?
Well, it's like a normal tie, but it's just skinnier.
Probably like, I don't know what, like an inch wide, pretty straight all the way down.
I love a skinny tie.
A regular tie is totally chic and cool, but it's like I've seen that a million times.
I've also seen a skinny tie many times, but there's something cooler about it.
It's also like hot.
Let me explain.
If there were two twin guys in front of me, Both with the same exact personality, with the exact same hair, the exact same brain, Let's say everything they said.
They said it at the exact same time, Exactly identical.
Okay if you were to take two guys, but one has a skinny tie and one has a normal tie.
I'm fucking the guy with the skinny tie.
That's just like how it is It's cooler.
There's edge there.
There's intrigue.
A choice was made.
You could have gone with the normal tie, but no, there's something different about you.
And maybe it's narcissism.
Well, I'm going to go find out because the skinny tie, it's interesting.
It catches my eye, but it's still so simple that I think it's timeless.
I'm hesitant to say that because I think a normal tie is obviously the most timeless.
But I think a skinny tie is so similar to a regular tie.
It's like, come on.
It's like a difference of inches, maybe even an inch.
It's such a subtle difference.
I'm going to say timeless and I'm going to say smash.
Smash the guy with the skinny tie for me, for me.
Okay, next we have white shoes.
Okay, think white high top Reebok sneakers.
Think white Capizio dance shoes.
White shoes.
This was something I saw over and over again when I was researching for this episode.
Just like a lot of white shoes.
And a lot of them were narrow.
Like even the Reebok sneakers, they're chunky in a way, but then they're also narrow in a way.
Kind of Maybe even a slightly bit, maybe a little bit pointy even.
Not really, but like a little.
And then the Capizio dance shoes almost look like a dress shoe, but in white.
And they're technically dance shoes.
I don't love a white shoe, to be honest.
I really don't.
I prefer a black shoe.
I like the grounding feeling of a black shoe.
However, I did see a photo recently of somebody wearing a pair of white shoes.
And I was like, wait, that's cool.
I might start getting into white shoes.
But actually, I do have a pair of white shoes.
One of my favorite shoes.
It's a pair of cream flats, tabby flats.
But for some reason, because they're cream, they don't feel like it feels different to me.
It reads different to me.
I'm talking about white shoes, white sneakers, white dress shoes.
I'm going to go ahead and say timeless because it's such like a broad category.
And also because I think you can always make a white sneaker work or a white dress shoe.
But But I don't like it.
But I might change my mind down the line.
I'm never you're never going to see me wearing like a white 80s Reebok high top.
That's not going to happen.
A white Capizio dance shoe.
Like, I don't think I'm ever going to wear those.
But like stranger things have happened.
By the way, I didn't even know what a white Capizio dance shoe was.
My dad had to fill me in and like tell me what type of shoe they were, because I had never seen them really before.
Or I never clocked them because they were pretty understated.
Yeah.
And I mean I don't really like them, but I also.
They are kind of classic and understated enough that never say never with those.
Whereas the Reebok high top.
If that happens honestly, like you, you should get worried.
Like something happened, like I was cloned and my body was swapped because like that.
Yeah.
Or like I really hit my head and everything about me changed.
Yeah.
OK, moving on to checkerboard vans.
OK, checkerboard print slip on.
Let me be specific.
Slip on vans.
I had a pair of these in freshman year of high school, if I remember correctly.
I'm conflicted on this one.
Part of me wants to say that these are a new classic.
Like even though I couldn't imagine, you know a kid 100 years ago wearing checkerboard vans.
They feel so ingrained in the lineup of classic sneakers.
Like, think of classic sneakers, okay?
You have a high top converse you have slip-on vans the little lace-up vans like all the classic shapes of vans you have all the classic adidas like i don't know like to me a checkerboard van does feel like a classic but i think it's just missing the mark it just like because then when i compare a checkerboard slip-on van to like a red pair of high top converse i'm like oh god no i'm The checkerboard print ban is trendy.
It's definitely trendy because the red high top converse, that is forever.
A black high top converse, that's forever.
An Adidas gazelle, that's forever to me.
So I'm going to say trendy, but just know that it almost made it to timeless.
And you know what?
In 20 years I might change my answer if it truly stands the test of time.
But I think it's too soon to say right now.
And last but not least, we have jelly shoes.
OK, what's a jelly shoe?
Well, it's a rubbery shoe, usually in some sort of feminine silhouette, like a ballet flat sort of shape, or Mary Jane ish sort of shape, or like one of those cross hatched jelly shoe, you know, like the cross hatched ones.
They usually come in classic colors.
I've seen a lot of red jelly shoes, green, kind of like a minty green color, black, clear.
I'm actually going to say that these are timeless, to be honest, and it shocks me because I have seen these come and go in a really vivid way throughout my life.
But I actually think that due to their timeless shape, the material is what makes them more trendy.
The shape is undeniably timeless because the jelly shoe is just taking timeless feminine shoe silhouettes right.
And then making them out of like rubber.
I think the material is in inconsequential detail, enough to the point where I think these could be worn in a bazillion different ways forever.
And if you were to go back in time and see somebody wearing a jelly shoe, I don't think it'd be that weird.
Sorry.
And that's that.
80s, trendy or timeless.
Listen, I know I was really negative in this trendy or timeless.
I'm sorry.
I really clearly do not like fashion from the 80s.
However, you might see me in a power suit soon.
So like, listen, it's possible.
It's going to be interesting to see if the 80s actually come back or if the trend cycles are just so all over the place at this point that nothing really ever will have a full on resurgence ever again, because everybody's kind of doing their own thing.
And there are so many different micro trends going on all at once that like, The 80s are having a moment, but also the 70s, but also the 90s, but also the early 2000s, but also something brand new.
It does kind of feel like it's impossible for anything to have a proper resurgence at this point, because style has just become so all over the place, which is exciting and kind of fun, but also interesting.
So we'll see.
We'll see.
I mean, the 90s are definitely in and have been in for the last two years or so, if not even maybe three years, in a way that feels palpable to me.
Is that going to happen with the 80s?
I don't know.
It almost feels like it's not a cool enough era of fashion for it to fully come back.
But stranger things have happened.
We wore galaxy print and we drew mustaches on our finger and then held it up to our lip.
And we, you know, wore shirts that said, but first coffee, you know, like we did that.
So stranger things have happened and it'll be interesting to see if the 80s revival comes to be.
That's all I got for today.
Thank you all for listening and hanging out.
If you enjoyed this, if you had fun, new episodes of Anything Goes every Thursday and Sunday.
You can stream anywhere you get podcasts.
Although if you want to watch video, that's on YouTube and Spotify.
Anything Goes is on social media at Anything Goes.
I'm on the internet at Emma Chamberlain and my coffee company is on the internet and in the world at Chamberlain Coffee.
I love you all.
I appreciate you all.
We have so much fun together.
Oh, we have so much fun.
And I'm sorry if you really like tapered pants.
Like if that hurt your feelings, I'm genuinely sorry.
But remember that my opinion doesn't fucking matter.
If you like it, if you love it, if it's timeless for you, it's timeless for you.
And that's the end of the story.
I am merely an opinion.
So don't forget that.
And don't be offended by that.
Because if you wear it with confidence, honestly, I'll like it on you.
You know, I'll appreciate it on you.
I might not like it, but I'll appreciate it.
Okay, I love you all and I'll talk to you all in a few days.
Yay.
Okay.
Talk to you then.
Bye.
