Decorations for the shameless decadence decade (the 80s!)
June 3, 2018 10:32 AM Subscribe
Throwing a party in a couple weeks. Theme is 80s decadence in the vein of Bret Easton Ellis— over the top 80s shameless decadence, American Psycho/Dorsia style. But LA, not NY.
So... ideas for decorations and/or food? So far I’m thinking mirrored trays with piles of flour on it. Some LED lights on baseboards. Some weird videos playing on the big-screen TV?
Thank you!
Sushi
posted by jbenben at 10:53 AM on June 3, 2018 [4 favorites]
posted by jbenben at 10:53 AM on June 3, 2018 [4 favorites]
hand out cream colored business cards.
posted by Omnomnom at 10:59 AM on June 3, 2018 [1 favorite]
posted by Omnomnom at 10:59 AM on June 3, 2018 [1 favorite]
Also, for the video screen... Kris Kardashian Jenner made a parody video in 1985 for her 30th birthday of the Randy Newman song I Love LA called I Love My Friends. You should def play that on a loop. It's super twisted!!
posted by jbenben at 11:03 AM on June 3, 2018 [1 favorite]
posted by jbenben at 11:03 AM on June 3, 2018 [1 favorite]
Memphis Group things?
posted by lmfsilva at 11:15 AM on June 3, 2018 [2 favorites]
posted by lmfsilva at 11:15 AM on June 3, 2018 [2 favorites]
When I think of 80s decadence, I think of the Memphis style of furniture design. It's very "New Wave" and geometric, mixes pastels and bright colors, and has a distinctly So-Cal flavor. At least to my eye it does. Memphis style got a lot of criticism back when it was current, but it is not without charm.
posted by S'Tella Fabula at 11:16 AM on June 3, 2018 [3 favorites]
posted by S'Tella Fabula at 11:16 AM on June 3, 2018 [3 favorites]
As much rhinestone jewelry as you can get your hands on
posted by 5_13_23_42_69_666 at 11:29 AM on June 3, 2018
posted by 5_13_23_42_69_666 at 11:29 AM on June 3, 2018
My husband is a Hollywood prop man and if you really want to make the best pile of cocaine you need the Trader Joe's meringue cookies (or similar). Put them in a baggie and crush them up -- they break up into smaller and larger bits just like real cocaine not that I would know. Like this, though obvs don't buy them for $17 from Amazon.
posted by BlahLaLa at 11:43 AM on June 3, 2018 [20 favorites]
posted by BlahLaLa at 11:43 AM on June 3, 2018 [20 favorites]
When people arrive make them hand in their smartphones and give them a brick painted black to carry around instead.
posted by matthew.alexander at 12:07 PM on June 3, 2018 [3 favorites]
posted by matthew.alexander at 12:07 PM on June 3, 2018 [3 favorites]
Tape Mylar blankets up to completely cover a wall or two.
posted by ananci at 12:32 PM on June 3, 2018 [1 favorite]
posted by ananci at 12:32 PM on June 3, 2018 [1 favorite]
Check your junk shops for torchiere floor lamps.
posted by bonobothegreat at 12:54 PM on June 3, 2018 [2 favorites]
posted by bonobothegreat at 12:54 PM on June 3, 2018 [2 favorites]
Crystals and geodes in glass shelving.
posted by bonobothegreat at 12:55 PM on June 3, 2018 [1 favorite]
posted by bonobothegreat at 12:55 PM on June 3, 2018 [1 favorite]
Foods should involve:
Pesto
Goat cheese
Polenta
Sun-dried tomatoes
Cilantro
Pasta salad
Raspberry vinaigrette
Potato skins
Seven layer dip
Spinach dip
Tiramisu
White chocolate
Cuisines you might want to look to that were especially hot:
Cajun
Tex-Mex
Nouvelle
Bonus points if you can find any legitimate way to use oat bran.
posted by jocelmeow at 1:21 PM on June 3, 2018 [5 favorites]
Pesto
Goat cheese
Polenta
Sun-dried tomatoes
Cilantro
Pasta salad
Raspberry vinaigrette
Potato skins
Seven layer dip
Spinach dip
Tiramisu
White chocolate
Cuisines you might want to look to that were especially hot:
Cajun
Tex-Mex
Nouvelle
Bonus points if you can find any legitimate way to use oat bran.
posted by jocelmeow at 1:21 PM on June 3, 2018 [5 favorites]
If there's a TV in the room endlessly stream Miami Vice with the sound off.
posted by seanmpuckett at 1:56 PM on June 3, 2018 [2 favorites]
posted by seanmpuckett at 1:56 PM on June 3, 2018 [2 favorites]
+1 on the Patrick Nagle. Definitely check out Wall Street and American Gigolo for more style tips.
posted by Tiny Bungalow at 2:02 PM on June 3, 2018 [1 favorite]
posted by Tiny Bungalow at 2:02 PM on June 3, 2018 [1 favorite]
Oooh, you can probably get some design tips from the Deetz house in Beetlejuice. From memory it looked like the awful stuff you only see in memes.
posted by lmfsilva at 2:26 PM on June 3, 2018
posted by lmfsilva at 2:26 PM on June 3, 2018
In addition to Patrick Nagle - this really was the age of the "art" poster. You won't go wrong with Mapplethorpe and Robert Doisneau's Kiss posters. Have a stroll through this ebay tag. The Poverty Sucks poster was quite popular.
posted by Miko at 7:22 PM on June 3, 2018 [1 favorite]
posted by Miko at 7:22 PM on June 3, 2018 [1 favorite]
There's a great deal of interesting and innovative English post punk music from the the 1980s which might confuse your guests (don't get me started), so just stick with Duran Duran and everyone will be happy.
posted by ovvl at 9:56 PM on June 3, 2018
posted by ovvl at 9:56 PM on June 3, 2018
In addition to the mandatory Nagels, sites like this allow you to instantly give a pic a faux Warhol effect. Maybe you could take a group pic, Warhol-ize it and give it out as a souvenir, or you could take old pics of some of the guests, Warhol-ize them and decorate the place with them. It could be a hoot for people to randomly find themselves Warhol-ized. (Warhol's artistic heyday was definitely the 60s, but that Warhol portrait look was everywhere in the 80s.) Keith Haring stuff would also be a natural fit.
For food, there are quite a few 1980s-themed candy assortments available on Amazon. Candy is more of a kid thing, but it does count as "decadence" and everybody loves candy!
You definitely gotta have a loop of Max Headroom playing (with the sound off) on a screen somewhere. It's not a real 80s party without Max!
posted by Ursula Hitler at 10:27 PM on June 3, 2018 [2 favorites]
For food, there are quite a few 1980s-themed candy assortments available on Amazon. Candy is more of a kid thing, but it does count as "decadence" and everybody loves candy!
You definitely gotta have a loop of Max Headroom playing (with the sound off) on a screen somewhere. It's not a real 80s party without Max!
posted by Ursula Hitler at 10:27 PM on June 3, 2018 [2 favorites]
For your research! Interview Magazine Feature on Less Than Zero set decoration.
You could go in one of two directions -Primary Colors - Roy Lichtenstein and Mondrian stuff was very popular, and primary colors in general.
The pastel stuff was the other side of that, and Patrick Nagel, neon signs, and palm tree motifs all seem to go together there.
Warhol inspired stuff kind of bridges the gap.
In case Less than Zero is too on the nose and even too forward-looking, into the 90s - American Gigolo has that decadence, and is more adult in look and feel, and is set much earlier in the decade, so takes on a little of that leftover 70's louche.
Other movies that have the West Coast 80's essence - Lost Boys, Valley Girl, Perfect, and my favorite, the remake of Breathless with Richard Gere.
Fresh Prince of Bel-Air is the most 80's West Coast tv show I can think of.
As for what to play on the video screen, if you want to have the reference be clear, just run some of the movies above, or reruns of the soap Santa Barbara or Bold and the Beautiful. If you want more verisimilitude, 1950's melodramas (esp. Dirk Bogarde or Joan Crawford) and/or spaghetti westerns(cf. Big Audio Dynamite sampling), or youtube coverage of 1980s mtv videos.
You could serve Bartles & Jaymes wine coolers, or drinks with peach schnapps (fuzzy navel, etc), as well. Food - bar food was starting to get popular (probably because bars were finally forced to start serving food!), so potato skins, buffalo wings, cheese plates, spinach dip, etc., were all familiar and available at the time.
posted by hiker U. at 5:59 AM on June 4, 2018 [2 favorites]
You could go in one of two directions -Primary Colors - Roy Lichtenstein and Mondrian stuff was very popular, and primary colors in general.
The pastel stuff was the other side of that, and Patrick Nagel, neon signs, and palm tree motifs all seem to go together there.
Warhol inspired stuff kind of bridges the gap.
In case Less than Zero is too on the nose and even too forward-looking, into the 90s - American Gigolo has that decadence, and is more adult in look and feel, and is set much earlier in the decade, so takes on a little of that leftover 70's louche.
Other movies that have the West Coast 80's essence - Lost Boys, Valley Girl, Perfect, and my favorite, the remake of Breathless with Richard Gere.
Fresh Prince of Bel-Air is the most 80's West Coast tv show I can think of.
As for what to play on the video screen, if you want to have the reference be clear, just run some of the movies above, or reruns of the soap Santa Barbara or Bold and the Beautiful. If you want more verisimilitude, 1950's melodramas (esp. Dirk Bogarde or Joan Crawford) and/or spaghetti westerns(cf. Big Audio Dynamite sampling), or youtube coverage of 1980s mtv videos.
You could serve Bartles & Jaymes wine coolers, or drinks with peach schnapps (fuzzy navel, etc), as well. Food - bar food was starting to get popular (probably because bars were finally forced to start serving food!), so potato skins, buffalo wings, cheese plates, spinach dip, etc., were all familiar and available at the time.
posted by hiker U. at 5:59 AM on June 4, 2018 [2 favorites]
For inspiration: Less Than Zero Is currently streaming on Netflix. American Crime Story: the Assassination of Gianni Versace also deals heavily in this aesthetic (the titular assassin was an 80s LA party kid).
posted by milk white peacock at 6:02 AM on June 4, 2018 [1 favorite]
posted by milk white peacock at 6:02 AM on June 4, 2018 [1 favorite]
YES, Santa Barbara.
For cocktails, definitely wine coolers, and there was just a great FPP of this article on 1980s cocktail history that should provide inspiration.
Another idea: on eBay you can find vintage magazines - how about scattering around some period copies of Vanity Fair, Rolling Stone and Spy?
posted by Miko at 6:04 AM on June 4, 2018
For cocktails, definitely wine coolers, and there was just a great FPP of this article on 1980s cocktail history that should provide inspiration.
Another idea: on eBay you can find vintage magazines - how about scattering around some period copies of Vanity Fair, Rolling Stone and Spy?
posted by Miko at 6:04 AM on June 4, 2018
I remember lots of people having harlequin masks or masks of comedy and tragedy or just sort of precious painted French clown masks hanging on the wall.
posted by The Underpants Monster at 10:27 AM on June 4, 2018 [3 favorites]
posted by The Underpants Monster at 10:27 AM on June 4, 2018 [3 favorites]
Big, wood-paneled speakers, even if they're not functional. Bonus points for a stereo rack (which could be faked by printing photos of what the fronts of the components would look like and gluing to the fronts of black boxes.
Period phone. One of those princess phones made of clear plastic with all the wires visible, princess phone in a bright color, early clock/radio/phone combo (from when Ma Bell broke up and people went out and bought cheap phones from the store for the first time).
Foil party balloons, invented in the 1970s but took off in the 1980s. You can get star-shaped ones at party stores.
If you feel like replacing your curtains for the night, that's when "balloon" or "puff" valances took off. I remember stuffing my mother's boss's valances with crumpled plastic grocery bags to get the desired effect.
Animal prints! Throws, throw rugs, hassocks, whatevs.
Glass tabletops.
posted by The Underpants Monster at 12:55 PM on June 5, 2018 [1 favorite]
Period phone. One of those princess phones made of clear plastic with all the wires visible, princess phone in a bright color, early clock/radio/phone combo (from when Ma Bell broke up and people went out and bought cheap phones from the store for the first time).
Foil party balloons, invented in the 1970s but took off in the 1980s. You can get star-shaped ones at party stores.
If you feel like replacing your curtains for the night, that's when "balloon" or "puff" valances took off. I remember stuffing my mother's boss's valances with crumpled plastic grocery bags to get the desired effect.
Animal prints! Throws, throw rugs, hassocks, whatevs.
Glass tabletops.
posted by The Underpants Monster at 12:55 PM on June 5, 2018 [1 favorite]
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by The Underpants Monster at 10:33 AM on June 3, 2018 [9 favorites]