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September 25, 2024 4:37 PM

I am fronting an eighties cover band in a couple of weekends and have the basics of an outfit down but I think it could be blinged more with jewelry and accessories. Alas I know nothing of accessorization so I am turning to you green folks. What do you suggest?

I like this look fine but really want to pump the gas on it.

Things to avoid: anything overly christian or military, which makes me wonder if the beret is a great choice. Hopefully the nonregulation beard and round glasses make me look less like someone cosplaying as a British paratrooper. Also a bit worried about looking too piratey, which is why I chose distressed jeans for the rest of the look and picked the beret over a little Stevie style headscarf.

Shades would be wonderful but I'm pretty much blind without my glasses and don't have prescription sunglasses so that will be a missed opportunity alas.

Finally, my budget is like $25 for this.

posted by Sauce Trough to Clothing, Beauty, & Fashion (18 answers total)

Best answer: I feel like borrowing every wristwatch you can find and wearing them all will get you partway there. Ideally they'd all be Swatches with the weirdly sweaty vinyl wristband, but needs must when the 80s devil drives.

If you don't have hair to tease sky-high, see if you can borrow some of that too.

Pop your collar, if at all possible.

Depending on which end of the 80s you're representing, hit'em with as much eyeliner as you can stand under those glasses :D
posted by adekllny at 4:47 PM on September 25, 2024 [7 favorites]

Best answer: You've got a very Mick Fleetwood thing happening there and I dig it. Mick didn't bling himself up much; I think you're fine as is.
posted by humbug at 4:53 PM on September 25, 2024 [3 favorites]

Best answer: Maybe a clip-on earring
posted by perhapses at 4:57 PM on September 25, 2024 [4 favorites]

Best answer: A big decorative / slightly ironic belt buckle?
posted by Sweetie Darling at 5:08 PM on September 25, 2024 [2 favorites]

Best answer: makes me wonder if the beret is a great choice

Especially in 1980s NYC a red beret signifies the Guardian Angels.
posted by Rash at 5:25 PM on September 25, 2024 [4 favorites]

Best answer: I want some guyliner like the Cure
posted by St. Peepsburg at 5:33 PM on September 25, 2024 [3 favorites]

Best answer: I love the beret...The lacy shirt wouldn't be my first pick, but it's fine here. Wrap your wrists on kerchiefs...or cheap bangles...maybe pile on black rubber bracelets...available in any big box place, hardware area...cheap.
posted by Czjewel at 5:38 PM on September 25, 2024 [1 favorite]

Best answer: Yeah, absolutely lots of heavy eyeliner, maybe tipping towards goth with graphic points toward your nose bridge, or even Adam Ant style face paint. For the beret, some kind of dangling charm on a leather cord maybe? A feather, or a beaded tassel. The shoes could be swapped, maybe something with more of a pointed toe, or like a worn leather brogue.

Because of the ruffled shirt the key term you should use for inspiration research is “the New Romantics”.
posted by Mizu at 6:28 PM on September 25, 2024 [4 favorites]

Best answer: Add a black tear with the layer of eyeliner
posted by childofTethys at 7:46 PM on September 25, 2024 [2 favorites]

Best answer: An easy fix would be to add lots of buttons to both headgear and jacket. (you could find some vintage ones at a quality thrifting outlet)
posted by credulous at 8:29 PM on September 25, 2024 [4 favorites]

What genre of 80s are we talking here? I see a few potential directions in your outfit...
posted by erst at 10:37 PM on September 25, 2024 [1 favorite]

Yes this is very nearly a New Romantics look, but there would not be denim. Leather, satin or velvet would make a great substitution.
posted by oneirodynia at 10:43 PM on September 25, 2024 [2 favorites]

Best answer: just an absolute shitton of multicoloured rubber bracelets

or just black ones if you're going for more goth look...
posted by 5_13_23_42_69_666 at 1:01 AM on September 26, 2024 [1 favorite]

Best answer: Basically (as someone said above) it depends what genre of 80s you're thinking. It would help if you gave us a list of songs you're covering.

The lacy shirt is New Romantic/ glam rock.

The slightly trashed denim vest is versatile and could be rock, punk or ska. Ditto the jeans.

You absolutely want to be wearing bigger boots than that. Docs for preference.

If you wear sneakers, graffitise them.

You may or may not want to put a bunch of 80s-esque pin badges all over the vest.

If you're punk, trash up a white T-shirt to go with the vest. Cut the neck out and the sleeves off, maybe use some spray paint. Accessorise with a studded belt, studded bracelets/anklets, safety pins and some smeary makeup. Colourful hair/beard spray might help too, depending if you're perky-punk or angry-punk. Consider spiking the beard.
For perky-punk, remember that the 80s were all about fluorescents.

For ska, make it a collared shirt under the vest, either with a thin black tie or tieless with top two buttons undone. Pin badges on the vest. Find a handkerchief with a black/white checkerboard design and either wear it around your neck or pin/sew to the back of the vest.

For glam, keep the lacy shirt. You might-could get away with the vest but the trousers need to be leather or velvet or otherwise extravagant in some way. Boots not sneakers. Eye makeup needs to be beautiful. Statement jewellery, maybe with rhinestones.

For goth, you can get away with the shirt if the rest of your outfit/ accessories are black black black. Chunky silver jewellery-- if you can't do crosses then pentacles or an ankh. Black studded leather belt and/or wristbands. Boots need to be black with silver details and maybe chains. Consider a long black coat of some kind.
If you don't keep the shirt: black or white tank top and perform the Deathrock Sacrifice on a pair of black fishnet tights. (that is: transform them into a top by cutting a neckhole in the crotch and thumb/hand holes in the feet.)
Makeup: do a light white base before applying black eyeliner, eyeshadow and lipstick.

Hope the evening is fun!!
posted by Pallas Athena at 8:06 AM on September 26, 2024 [2 favorites]

Best answer: You have a real head start on an Adam Ant vibe - maybe browse some of his looks for context!
posted by ersatzkat at 8:14 AM on September 26, 2024 [2 favorites]

Best answer: No-one has mentioned bandanas. Soooooo many bandanas! Tie one around your neck! Around your arm! Around your wrist! Around your leg!
posted by Rube R. Nekker at 8:41 AM on September 26, 2024 [2 favorites]

Response by poster: hey folks! thanks for all the input. Yeah, this is a real hybrid punk / new romantic look and is not genre-pure but our setlist is similarly broad, we go from the Clash to Prince to the Cure to Simple Minds, so I figured a mongrel look was spiritually eighties if not authentically eighties. Looking to be more eighties-ish than to put together something that I could wear to the Blitz in 1982, if that makes sense.

I've never worn eyeliner under my glasses, will need to experiment with that. And I wish I owned some better boots for this but that'll break the budget. Sneakers will have to do.
posted by Sauce Trough at 12:38 PM on September 26, 2024

If you’re concerned about eyeliner being weird or getting lost under your glasses, you can try graphic makeup/face paint in other areas instead, like adapting the Bowie lighting bolt, or doing a big star on one side.
posted by itesser at 1:08 PM on September 26, 2024