Latest Style: Rhatia Renée finds ’80s screen style at Beyond Retro UK

80s Retro Chic

Look one:
Yellow playsuit,
Beyond Retro
Blue visor,
Beyond Retro
Biker boots, H&M

Now, I was a wee one in the ‘80s. My mom dressed me, and anything she didn’t like got chucked in the bin. In fact if memory serves correct I spent most of my childhood surviving public education in a private school uniform, picking my nose, eating Doritos and crushing on white boys. Then there was my ‘all time escape’… the movies. Looking back on it, my thoughts on who looked and dressed a certain way were always defined by the characters that wore the clothes on the big screen. Marty McFly’s red worker’s vest seemed ready for time travel adventure. Kelly LeBrock’s magnificent hair flowed through wind and special effects; a barbie doll come to life. Suited-up Gordon Gekko gave us the “OK” to be greedy bastards with his slicked back hair and giant brick of a cell phone. And you couldn’t have squeezed though the ‘80s (or any John Hughes film) without a good dose of Molly Ringwald’s preppy chic.

These weren’t my most fashionable days and I wasn’t a Vogue reader, but when the time was ripe, I had plenty of inspiration on how to dress simply by referring to the screen. So you can only imagine my excitement when the time came to do a fashion shoot using clothes from Beyond Retro UK, a store that specializes in clothes from the decadent decade. Their huge space in Brighton’s North Laine neighbourhood is filled top to bottom with second hand and ‘80s inspired pieces. The day I got permission to pull from their racks, my assistant and I ran through the place like a couple of maniacs. We threw colourful pieces from every nook and cranny of the store into our baskets. So many childhood memories came flooding back as we sifted through colourful jackets, clear plastic visors and kitschy sunglasses. As most of their clothes come from America, I felt I had a special connection to nearly everything in the store that represented all the crazy fashion trends the ‘80s threw at us. Morgan, our cutesie model, sports some fave looks off the racks at the famed store. Have a good look and see if any of the pieces would liven up your wardrobe.

Look two:
Orange galaxy dress, Beyond Retro
Gold belt, Beyond Retro
Biker boots, H&M

Look three:
Orange lace top, Beyond Retro
White vest, H&M
Black panties, H&M
Net bag, Gap
Biker boots, H&M

Look four:
Tie die skirt, Beyond Retro
Yellow Boob tube, H&M
Gold aztec necklace
Black suede wedges

Look five:
Pink and blue houndstooth jumper, Beyond Retro
Navy high waisted
‘disco’ pants.
Black suede wedges