In visiting the outlet mall these last few weeks as fall fashions begin to fill up the store, I have found one thing in common with everything in the stores. I wore the same fashions in the late 1980’s.
Black and teal plaid shirts, short bubble skirts, crop jackets, skinny jeans and bold costume jewelry found in the stores remind me of everything I wore in my last year of high schools.
This is great news for the frugal woman. If you are the type to hold onto clothes for twenty years you can dig out those old items and be perfectly in style. This news is also fair warning for you to head to retro and vintage thrift stores before the general public catches on that old 80’s items are new again.
If you don’t know what retro items to go for, here is a quick guide. According to a Newswire press release by Prime Outlets (Discount Outlet shopping Centers), the five must have items for fall are:
Muted Metallics, especially in accessories like belts, shoes, purchases, and bracelets. (I distinctly remember wearing a pair of copper ballet flats and a matching belt to high school).
The lady coat, with a figure hugging fit is back in style. I owned a black wool coat that I had to suck in my stomach to button, but it looked awesome!)
Tudor ruffles of which I once had a shirt in every color, even orange, is back in style. Today’s version are a little more toned down than the 1980’s versions but they will still work.
Jewel tones are also all the rage this year. Once again, did through your old jewelry boxes and thrift store bins for Ruby, Amethyst, sapphire, and topaz pieces to accent your wardrobe.
Sophisticated french is also is style this fall. Outfits in black, white, and ballet pink colors create a sleek and refined silhouette. While I don’t remember these items being popular twenty years ago, they are timeless, so look for figure slimming ensembles in these colors, dig out your pearls to finish off the look.
Andrea Hermitt writes for parenting (specifically teens), the home blog, and also the frugal blog, and homeschooling at families.com.
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