1980s Shopping Guide: Fashion, Home And Tech

Shoulder pads and shell suits, blockbuster paperbacks, 12 inch singles, and a Walkman.

Below: what to buy for a 1980s theme, a 1980s birthday or someone who grew up then - clothes, books, records and gadgets, with what to check before you pay.

Straight answer first: we don't sell clothing, books, records or technology. We draw and print cards, art prints, pin badges and stickers in the UK, and we stock party decorations. Everything else here is advice on where the genuine items come from.

Years covered in the 1980s

• 1980 - The decade opened with the SAS on live television and John Lennon's death in December. Full year: /blogs/news/look-back-to-1980
• 1981 - A royal wedding, riots in several cities and the first London Marathon. Full year: /blogs/news/look-back-to-1981
• 1982 - The Falklands, the launch of Channel 4 and the arrival of the Spectrum. Full year: /blogs/news/look-back-to-1982
• 1983 - Breakfast television, the pound coin and a general election landslide. Full year: /blogs/news/look-back-to-1983
• 1984 - The miners' strike, the Brighton bombing and Band Aid at Christmas. Full year: /blogs/news/look-back-to-1984
• 1985 - Live Aid, the first EastEnders and a very bad year in football. Full year: /blogs/news/look-back-to-1985
• 1986 - The Hand of God, Chernobyl and Neighbours arriving on daytime television. Full year: /blogs/news/look-back-to-1986
• 1987 - The great storm, Black Monday and a third election win. Full year: /blogs/news/look-back-to-1987
• 1988 - Acid house, Kylie's first number one and a grim run of disasters. Full year: /blogs/news/look-back-to-1988
• 1989 - Hillsborough, the fall of the Berlin Wall and the end of the decade. Full year: /blogs/news/look-back-to-1989
• That is every 1980s year we have written up so far: 1980 to 1989.

1980s clothing and accessories

• Shoulder pads, puffball skirts, ra-ra skirts and neon everything.
• Shell suits, leg warmers, sweatbands and white trainers.
• For men: pastel suits with rolled sleeves, double denim, and a lot of hair product.
• Accessories: jelly shoes, plastic bangles, a Swatch watch, huge earrings.
• This is the cheapest decade to dress for - most of it is still in circulation.

1980s books worth buying

• The Colour of Magic, Terry Pratchett (1983) and the Discworld books that follow.
• The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy sequels through the decade.
• Watchmen, Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons (1986-87).
• The Handmaid's Tale, Margaret Atwood (1985).
• Choose Your Own Adventure and Fighting Fantasy gamebooks, cheap and instantly recognised.

1980s music and records

• 12 inch singles are the format of the decade and are still cheap.
• Synth pop and new romantic: Depeche Mode, Human League, Duran Duran, Soft Cell.
• Stock Aitken Waterman from 1987: Kylie, Rick Astley, Bananarama. Indie: the Smiths, New Order, the Cure.
• Cassettes matter as much as vinyl here - a Now album on cassette is instantly of its time.
• Blank tapes with handwritten labels are the emotional object, and they cost pennies.

1980s home and interiors

• Pine kitchens, Laura Ashley prints and a dado rail in every room.
• Grey and pink colour schemes, vertical blinds and a glass-topped coffee table.
• Tefal and Breville sandwich toasters, a microwave and a food processor.
• The video recorder, the answering machine and a cordless phone.
• Habitat and Next Interiors for the look, MFI for the flat pack.
• Wilton carpets, artex ceilings and a gas fire with fake coals.

1980s tech and gadgets

• A Sony Walkman - the definitive 80s gadget, and still repairable.
• ZX Spectrum, Commodore 64 and Amstrad CPC; check for a working power supply before buying.
• Rubik's Cube, Speak and Spell, Simon, and the Game Boy right at the end in 1989.
• Boom boxes, VHS recorders and a landline phone with a curly cord.

Where to buy and what to check

• Boxed computers and consoles cost several times the loose price - decide which you are buying for.
• Check Spectrum and C64 power supplies; original ones fail and can take the machine with them.
• eBay completed listings, not asking prices, tell you what 80s tech is really worth.

How to shop a decade without overspending

• Set the budget before you start; period shopping is where budgets quietly double.
• Reproduction for clothing, genuine for the small objects - it looks the same in photographs and costs a fraction.
• One real item plus three cheap nostalgic bits beats one expensive present every time.
• Check the year, not the decade. Plenty of what people file under one era actually arrived in the next.
• Music last: a single from their year plus the 1980s playlist covers the whole evening.

Shop prints and posters

Milestone birthday cards

Blank inside, kraft envelope, printed in the UK.

Decorations for a decade party

Banners, balloons, cake toppers and confetti, plain enough to take any era theme.

How to write it so it lands

• Buy for the year they turned eighteen, not the year they were born - that is the era they actually remember.
• Photograph the label or the pressing before you buy online; reissues and reproductions are rarely described as such.
• Leave the clothing to last. The objects are harder to find and the outfit can be sorted in an afternoon.

Where to shop next

• Look back to 1980
• Look back to 1981
• Look back to 1982
• Look back to 1983
• Look back to 1984
• Look back to 1985
• Look back to 1986
• Look back to 1987
• Look back to 1988
• Look back to 1989
• 1980s history: events, politics and culture
• 1980s calendar: year by year
• 1980s music: songs, genres and trends
• 1980s films and directors
• 1980s books, films and TV
• 1980s books: novels and authors
• 1980s art: artists and styles
• 1980s fashion: styles, designers and trends
• 1980s food: dishes, restaurants and trends
• 1980s travel: destinations and holidays
• 1980s technology: gadgets and computers
• 1980s games: board, card and video
• 1980s trivia: fun facts
• 1980s quiz: questions and answers
• 1980s party playlist
• The 1980s: the whole decade
• Retro gift guide: the 1980s
• The decade before: the 1970s
• The decade after: the 1990s
• All decade guides in one place
• Card messages by occasion: every guide in one place
• Card hub: cards, badges and messages by occasion
• Decade history by era
• Decade calendars: every year from 1920
• Decade music: songs, genres and trends
• Decade films: best movies and directors
• Decade books: novels, authors and reading trends
• Decade art: artists, styles and trends
• Decade fashion: styles, designers and trends
• Decade food: dishes, restaurants and eating trends
• Decade travel: destinations and holidays
• Decade technology: gadgets and computers
• Decade shopping guides
• Decade games: board, card and video games by era
• Decade trivia: fun facts by era
• Decade quizzes: questions and answers by era
• Decade trivia game: play for points
• Decade quiz: test your memory
• Shop art prints and posters
• Shop greetings cards
• Shop birthday cards
• Shop funny cards
• Milestone birthday cards
• Nostalgia gift shop
• Retro party supplies
• 80s kids' TV shows
• 80s quiz questions
• Toys of the 80s and 90s
• Computers and consoles we grew up with
• Saturday morning TV
• Cassette tapes and taping the charts
• Decade guides: books, films and TV by era
• Planning the party? Birthday party ideas
• How to make a balloon arch
• Photo booth prop ideas
• Wedding cards
• Wedding cards guide
• Pin badges
• All guides

Frequently asked questions

What 1980s homeware is worth buying?

Pine kitchens, Laura Ashley prints and a dado rail in every room. The home and interiors section above lists the rest, from furniture to kitchen kit.

What should I wear for a 1980s theme?

Shoulder pads, puffball skirts, ra-ra skirts and neon everything. The clothing section above covers the rest, including accessories and where to buy.

What are the best 1980s books to buy as a gift?

The Colour of Magic, Terry Pratchett (1983) and the Discworld books that follow. Every book listed was published in the decade, so the date on the title page does half the work.

What 1980s records are worth buying?

12 inch singles are the format of the decade and are still cheap. A single or album from the year they turned eighteen is the most personal option and usually the cheapest.

Do you sell 1980s clothing, books or gadgets?

No. We make greeting cards, art prints, pin badges and stickers, and we stock party decorations. For the rest, charity shops, car boots, eBay and independent record shops are the honest answer.