Shannon Tweed before gobs of plastic surgery (added bonus: 20 minute workout! (1983)

Does this scream 1983 loudly enough for you? I grabbed this from Google books' collection of Orange Coast Magazine. You may know her from Falcon Crest, but I know her from Cinemax After Dark.

I saw a lot of young girls dressed as "Eighties girls" for Halloween. I know it's easy to hit up American Apparel and be done with it. But to really do it right, you have to be subtle. An interlocking and work out towel and suddenly you've taken it to another level. Get two of your BFFs together and reinact "20 minute work out"!

I'm pretty sure I had my first masturbatory experience as a kid watching this show.

early 80s fashions, elderly Cajun style (and some Yankees)

Ken Burns' documentary "Huey Long" seems like an unlikely place to find great American vintage style (though Long was a dapper gentleman himself), but Burns' 1985 documentary captures a time and place that has since disappeared- and not just the Kingfish. The folks that he interviewed had a unique style that took me back to my own childhood in Louisiana- a unique and particular style that has since vanished. The landed Southern aristocrats he interviewed looked the part, as did they journalists, historians, and Cajuns.

I haven't been back to Louisiana much in the past years, but I suspect that the Wal-Martificiation of America has also not left Sportsman's Paradise unscathed. The folks have long past as has a unique part of America and American history.

Gladys Knight and the Pips are not afraid to mix plaids and patterns (1974)

Grabbed from Ebony Jr. magazine, 1974

Runner Magazine advertisement (1981)

More like run from us!

I dig the Runner shirt and old school Nikes, but I could do without the shorty short shorts on dudes and three ring circus socks.

Grabowski Shuffle style guide

Designed by Travis of Punk Rock Paint for the ubernerdario Card Blog League ie fantasy baseball for supernerds. Uh-mazing! Check out all of the other style sheets there and drool with envy!

Mrs. Irma Lee McElroy does her part for vintage clothing fanatics (1942)

click for righteous embiggenmentry.

From the Library of Congress's Flickr collection.

"Hollem, Howard R.,, photographer.Painting the American insignia on airplane
wings is a job that Mrs. Irma Lee McElroy, a former office worker, does with
precision and patriotic zeal. Mrs. McElroy is a civil service employee at the
Naval Air Base, Corpus Christi, Texas. Her husband is a flight
instructor-1942 August"

(photo details by Industrial Artifacts Review- very cool stuff there as well! )

This is as right-on as American Vintage Clothing gets! Might need to steal that "Keep Them Flying" logo for something to honor the memory of Irma and the rest of the real American dames who did their part to smash the Axis. It seems that a patch reprint is in order- if only I had unlimited resources. There are a few more photos of her, but none are nearly as charming as this one!

style study: Motorcycle Girls of Laconia, NH, 1947

"Woman and her daughter sharing interest in motorcycle racing." Their hats say "Motor Maid Betty (L) and Motor Maid Dot! Hell yes!
According to this site: "Dot was a woman before her time. In 1939, following up on the idea formulated by Linda Dugeau, Dot rode all over the United States looking for women who owned and rode their own motorcycles. She found 51 ladies who became the charter members of the Motor Maids of America, now known as the Motor Maids, Inc"
Argyle, giant handmade belt, drinking = a winning combination! The driver is also wearing matching argyle. Looks like a sweater vest with a work shirt underneath.

hubba la hubba la boomski! This is my kind of dame! The goggles tie the whole thing together.

Dee's wayfarers and leather jacket across her lap scream American badass. AMERICAN BADASS!

Babs is the sophisticated lady of this bunch. Her cartridge belt/purse says, "I'm a lady, but I might be packing a side arm".

American servicemen and women returning from WWII established the template for iconic rebellious style. Brando's later portrayal of Johnny in the Wild One certainly aped the pure style established by real rebels like the ones pictured above. Not sure what is going on with those crazy wide belts, but, oh boy, I'm digging them. I especially dig the one with turn signal arrows! From Life Magazine image archives dating to July 1947.