80s fashion question from a baffled Trebizon reader

[Sluggish]

I was a big fan of old boarding school stories in my 90's childhood, but I guess the Trebizon series was too modern because I missed them, and am just catching up with them now.

I'm currently reading "Boy Trouble at Trebizon" (first published 1980) and aside from annoyance at the titular boys (Mallory Towers never had these problems...) I am mostly just agog at Rebecca's party outfit. I need some help to make sure I'm picturing it properly.

"It was a long dark green skirt and pale green shirt and matching dark green waistcoat to go over it. Rebecca tried the outfit on and could have cried because it looked so beautiful". To this ensemble she adds a "silk tie".

Everyone loves it. Robbie is rendered inarticulate by it ("You look...you look good"). Another friend brands it "stunning". I also think it sounds fabulous, but I need to know, in 1980:

1. is the silk tie likely to be an actual neck tie, like a school or man's tie?
2. what fabric/finish would the skirt, waistcoat and shirt have?

In my mind's eye the waistcoat has green embroidered patterns and the tie is a typical necktie, and Rebecca's party outfit is what I would wear for a business meeting with the King of the Elves. Those who remember 80s teen fashion in the UK, am I right?

In the late 80s I wore a man’s waistcoat (burgundy jaquard), a floor length full cotton skirt with a yoke (black) and a full sleeved cotton shirt/blouse. I teamed it with a black silk scarf tied round my neck, and thought I looked great. My first move towards a goth look, and later I wore a trilby with the scarf tied around it and Victorian style boots, but I think the original skirt/ waistcoat combo was around 86

Men's ties for women were very fashionable in 1984, but not as early as 1980.

Don't know but I absolutely loved those Trebizon books . I read that book at the time and really didn't pick up on this peculiar fashion ensemble.

Was gutted a few years back to find that they were out of print ☹️. Have they been revived?

On the tie front, Annie Hall came out in about 1977/8 so we were all wearing ties and waistcoats for a short while in about 1978/79 in honour of Diane Keaton. My best friend had an entire ensemble(shirt, trousers, waistcoat and tie) in pink and green from Miss Selfridge.

I had an outfit like this in the 80’s - the skirt was velvet, if I recall correctly big patchwork squares in shades of red/ brown/orange and I wore it with a red velvet body suit. The waistcoat was black and crinoline type material but smoother?

it look dead fetching with my doc martens 🥴