Top Ten Accessories of the 80's

This is a list made up of things we just couldn't live without back in the 80's. Our coolness would have taken a severe hit had we not been able to purchase and showcase each item on this list, respectively.

Now sit back and crawl down this list and just try not to laugh. Enjoy!

Honorable Mention

Big Comb in the Back Pocket

This had to make the list, so I put it as an honorable mention. The only reason it isn't in the top 10 is because it is a holdover from the '70's. By the mid-80's the Big Comb had been phased completely out and you wouldn't have been caught dead with one after that.

Color and size were essential in choosing the right comb to stick in your back pocket. Guys pretty much stayed away from anything but black. Girls, on the other hand, were free to express themselves with all the colors of the rainbow. 

Size was important for two reasons. First, if it was too small, not enough of the handle would stick out, thus defeating the fashion purpose. Secondly, if it was too big, all kinds of problems would arise, like it could be easily snatched and stolen, it would actually hit you in the back as you walked and, lastly, when you'd go to sit down in your school seat it would catch the back of the chair and sometimes break. 

The Big Comb was definitely more of a fashion accessory, than it was a grooming utensil and we loved 'em.

#10

Boom Box

The I-pod of the 80's. This is not a joke kids. People actually walked around with gigantic stereo systems on their shoulders. This is why the younger generation will never be as strong as we who grew up in the 80's.

Pack of cigs ----------------------------------------------------.75 cents (tax included)

Bad perm ------------------------------------------------------$10

Top of the line Boombox --------------------------------------- $150

Getting your jam on and your weightlifting in simultaneously ----Priceless

#9

Feathered Roach Clips

Huge fashion trend from the early to mid-80's. Came in a wide variety of colors and arrangements. I would bet big money only about half the girls knew what they were wearing in their hair before a much wiser friend or relative let them in on the secret.

Leave it to us crazy 80's kids to take something meant to be used as an aid in drug consumption and turn it into a fashion accessory.

#8

Bandannas

As you can clearly see, Brett Michaels still wears his bandanna. Bandannas were an extremely versatile fashion accessory back in the 80's. 

They could be worn as Mr. Michaels has been kind enough to model for us. They could be wrapped up tighter and worn as a more traditional headband. They could be worn around the neck, arm or leg. Some people just let them hang out of their back pockets.

In my opinion, the best ones were the bandannas with your favorite bands logo on them. Andre 3000 asked "What's cooler than being cool?" and I say "Having just the right bandanna to sport around back in the 80's."

#7

Wrap Around Belts

What self-respecting Madonna wanna-be didn't have at least 20 different Wrap Around Belts to choose from back in day? And the more they wore the better. 

#6

Face Stubble

If you were a teenage boy back in the mid to late 80's and God blessed you with the ability to grow a 5 o'clock shadow, BOOM!!!, instant sex appeal. 

They say Don Johnson started it, although I believe Clint Eastwood had it going on in the Spaghetti Westerns. Either way it goes, it was George Michael who perfected it. Sometimes his stubble was so perfect, it looked as though it had been drawn in. Who knows? Maybe it was.

Sadly, just as in the case with George Michael, snow has collected on the stubble and the sex appeal just isn't the same.

#5

Swatch Watch

With such a wide variety to choose from, the Swatch Watch was one of the most sought after fashion accessories of the 80's. A person could really show their taste and have their own identity with such a variety.

Back in '85 I had the perfect red and black Swatch Watch. I went nowhere without it. One day, while pumping gas, I took it off so I wouldn't get gas on it. I sat it on top of the gas pump and drove away without it. I miss that watch to this very day.

#4

Guys Ear Piercing

Should you pierce the left or should you pierce the right? Where I came from, if you didn't want to be misidentified, you better have chosen the left. 

How many of us remember being scared to death to go home after getting that piercing? I just knew my Dad was gonna leave a shoe stuck square between my cheeks. Thank God he just called me an idiot along with a few other select names.

This guy up above took all possibilities of misidentifying him by where he got his piercing. I guess he must be "uni-sexual".

#3

Leg Warmers

Olivia wore them. Jane Fonda wore them. Pat Benetar wore them. What females didn't wear them? None.

Leg Warmers were gigantic in the 80's. I'm not sure who was actually the lady that got the ball rolling, but once rolling you couldn't stop it. They seemed to have been originally invented for working out, but they crossed over into everyday wear. Girls wore them with jeans, spandex, mini-skirts, etc... It just didn't matter what the outfit was, Leg Warmers had to be worn.

#2

Ray Bans

Tom Cruise. Risky Business. That's really all you need to know. The rest is sun shielding history.

#1

Head Bands

Guys wore them. Girls wore them. Heck, even Sly Stallone's mother wore them.

Headbands were everywhere throughout the 80's. There was no getting away from them. They were in movies, music videos, schools, gyms, nightclubs, etc... They were omni-present.

Wanna know a secret? I never wore one. 

Well, I hope you enjoyed and laughed a little. Take care.

I'll be typin' at ya later,

Bob the Blogger