Memories of mid 80's for my short story?

[onesmalldog]

What can you remember of the mid 80s living in the UK as regards house decor, colours, house style, furniture, knick knacks, wallpaper, doors, flooring, light fittings etc?

Also what did you eat and drink?

I'm writing a story need this sort of detail to make it realistic.

Would be so grateful to hear your suggestions - and fun!

Rimmel pink shimmer lipstick. It never suited anyone but we ALL wore it.

You could buy a pregnancy test in all the chemists. You may have had to ask at the counter

Camay soap and exclamation perfume.

There you go, woodhill, I didn't know that! I'd seen a sign at the clinic saying they did testing so that's probably why I assumed I couldn't get a test otc.

Another reason to go the chemist's then - unless you bought a Polaroid camera which printed a snap immediately after it was taken , your camera needed to be loaded with film, which would take a given number of pictures (24?). Film could be colour or black and white. When the film was finished it had to be taken to the chemist's or sent off in a special freepost envelope to be developed. You could pay extra for same day service but otherwise you had to wait days before you could go back to pick them up/got them back in the post. Then you'd find out that most of them were rubbish (mine were, anyway! ).

Yes it stuck in my mind because I went with a friend to give her moral support and the women serving made a comment.

I remember having to buy sanitary towels at a chemist counter and it was a male serving and feeling embarrassed. I was about 16 I think.

Less help yourself off shelves then

I was young in the 80's and desired a Mr Frosty for Christmas. Mum also made most of our clothes, lots of tiers in our dresses and much brown corderoy. We weren't allowed to wear leggings as she thought they were common . Spaghetti in a tin featured heavily. Granny used to give us chocolate yoghurts with hundreds and thousands on top as a treat. Very floral three piece suite, record player key features of living room.

80s decor only in my bedroom with grey red and white stripes and posters from Athena (poster shop OP) and torn out of Smash Hits. Rest of the house in 70s browns and yellows, which looking back was probably nicer! Three piece suite and one light fiting in the middle of the living room, and two little ones on each wall - this was snazzy and purely because my dad was an electrician.

I remember the mid 80’s as black and red. Black ash wood furniture with red accessories.

Black sofas with chrome legs.

Industrial chic. Lots of grey and black. The Hacienda in Manchester typified it. All grey and black

I was a student mid 80s and a massive goth: very glam wafting about in black lace and purple velvet.

Music wise, well I loved the Smiths of course. Also Echo and the Bunneymen, Lloyd Cole and anyone who could jangle a guitar really. I liked a bit of Bauhaus and the Sisters of Mercy but my taste was more indie.

I was also very serious: a total Milly Tant leftie. I loathed Thatcher and was forever protesting: CND, anti apartheid, troops out you name it. The miners strike was the big one though. I'm from the South Wales valleys and the miners strike was horrendous. I only liked serious people with serious political opinions. I had lots of boyfriends who wore donkey jackets and sold the socialist worker outside the student union.

TVs rented from radio rentals, you needed to top them up with 50p

Video players that could be rented for the weekend for special occasions, like birthdays.

Vienetta for a treat

Every house seemed to have a Sara Moon picture or a Crying Boy one (anyone remember the hoohaa about the 'curse of the crying boy painting'?)

Charlie perfume, and that advert showing the "woman executive" in trousers, rushing about town looking very chic and in control.

Orange juice that came frozen in a tube a bit fatter than a toilet roll. You tore it open and dumped the orange lump into a jug to defrost.

Getting the freezer. A little later, getting the microwave. That period between the two, when you could only defrost things naturally, which took a bit of planning.

The big snow of Jan 1987: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1987_United_Kingdom_and_Ireland_cold_wave

Those Pierrots everywhere.

I'm sitting tucked up under my black and red geometric quilt cover right now: indestructible polycotton.

The nylon sheets and nighties, on the other hand, have gone. And not up in flames, which always seemed a risk: the static electricity if you wriggled in bed was its own little light show. Those might not have been new in the mid-1980s, but they were still around in our house.

Has no one said lip gloss? Dear me! Essential companion to the batwing three-quarter sleeve jumper...

The serious political lads wore DMs and khaki canvas trenchcoats(?) – long coats of unlined fabric, anyway. It was mandatory to paint them, often a large white CND symbol on the back. I think a little union jack on the shoulder often featured too.

Remember those glossy Lyon's Corner chocolate cupcakes in the silver cases? Our posh aunt used to serve them when we went round for tea. It's funny how you'd show off how well to do you were in those days by buying convenience food, it's the opposite now!

I went to uni in 87. Free Uni education was a biggie - all sorts of people were suddenly finding money no barrier and me and most of my friends were the first people in our families to go to Uni. My memories are Doc Martens, 501s, vintage dresses and chunky cardis, heavy winter coats from Charity shops (mine was black and astracan - not sure of the spelling of that), listening to The Smiths, Tracey Chapman, REM, also liked Prefab Sprout and Fairground Attraction. Long curly hair and then sleek short styles, I remember learning how to do a messy French pleat from my mum and thinking I was the bees knees. Jigsaw opened and I really coverted their silk shirts. All of my music was on cassettes. Mix tapes made for you. Becoming vegetarian. Miners strikes. Loving to hate Thatcher. My rooms at Uni were generally freezing and decorated in a highly 1970s way. I used to cover the wallpaper with black and white arty postcards and band posters. Had a giant poster of Robert de Niro and the obligatory Betty Blue poster. Carried a tartan backpack from The Gap. Everything was really run down and a bit grubby. Travelling on the train to see my mates from home in other University cities - BR coffee and soggy bacon sandwiches. Walkmans. Boyfriends in black leather jackets. I remember eating vege lasagne, chips and curry sauce, a pot of tea in the middle of the table with every meal. Poll tax demonstrations. No cell phones or landlines - went travelling in Europe a bit - would just disappear - my mother must have been worried sick. Went to NYC in 89. It was filthy and really dodgy.

Oh and the drinking and smoking. Booze was cheap and I used to drink pints and pints of Guinness and bottles of pils or Newcastle Brown. Pubs and clubs were really smoky - everyone I knew would have a packet of fags in their pocket. I carried a Zippo for lighting them with my initials scratched on it in a curly font. Sundays were quiet - but recovery day. Back in the pub for hair of the dog in the evening though. I had a friend who lived in Scotland and I remember the supermarket being closed, at least for part of the day.

Oh seems the orange juice may have been concentrated, and needed water added. I dimly remember that.

In the UK the brand may have been different, but you get the idea:

americanhistory.si.edu/collections/search/object/nmah_1417782
www.designmom.com/a-dose-of-food-nostalgia/

Stuff from Habitat and Laura Ashley was “inspirational”, but most youngsters had to make do with their bedroom furnishings from B&Q (ubiquitous black, grey and red stripes For lads, floral for girls) or stuff from Argos or Littlewoods. Magnolia painted living room in 1983 was seen as being cool.

Neon was very trendy in the early - mid 80s, and spiky punk hair for girls was still going strong. Black hair (dyed) and heavy black eyeliner for nights out. Blonde highlights, white skirts and printed viscose shirts for the more suburban types. The “Bet Lynch” look - 60s big earrings
leopard print fabric and winkle-picker shoes was for “alternative” type girls. Big coats (from Oxfam) and hair gel for student boys. Posh types went for Alice bands and Laura Ashley/ Benetton/ball gowns for young ladies or “Brideshead Revisted“ or “Another Country” floppy-hair look for chaps.

The dream car was an Ford Escort XR3i or VW Golf for the young middle class and Opal Manta or Ford Capri for well off blue collar.

Food - burgers Or Berni Inn steaks washed down with cocktails. Lager, snakebite, bottles of Pils or Pernod and black in the pubs/clubs. Findus crispy pancakes and Viennetta ice cream for a treat.

Anaïs Anaïs perfume. White shoes and “Sun In” on your hair for cheap highlights. Big T shirts warm as dresses. Reading Smash Hits. Silk Cut ciggies if you smoked.

t shirts worn as dresses!

Chip pan fires. It was drummed into everyone how to put one out (turn off gas, wet tea towel over the chip pan).

Rubbish in the street - more littering

@nannytothequeen

Great post.. You're spot on with that list

Drop waist dresses.
Demi perm hair.
Gold/ bronze silk ties.
Aynsley pottery.
Breastfeeding back in vogue.
Striped wallpaper.
Swags and tails curtains.

Silk Cut ciggies if you smoked.

Nah - Sobranie Cocktail - beautiful colours 😅