The History of Neon

Of course neon fashion existed in the '80s, but it wasn't as pervasive in our '80s wardrobes as Party City would like us to believe. It was more like a flash in the pan. Stephen Sprouse is the designer credited with its '80s revival (based on '60s Day-Glo fads). His work was sold exclusively at Bergdorf Goodman and Henri Bendel's in NYC (1983).  What trickled down from the designer runway to the shopping malls was mostly accessories: jelly bracelets, earrings, belts, hair accessories, and shoe strings. In fact, very little neon fashion can even be found in '80s movies, magazines, and television (I only know of Wham's video).

This photo is from a Day Glow Party in London (1984). It's a great example of how early '80s Neon (re: Day Glow) compared to the late '80s and early '90s Neon sportswear. 

I have a theory.  Remember how we all ran around in the '80s quoting Star Wars?  We were all like "Luke, I am your father" only to discover decades later that wasn't the exact line?  We all participated and perpetuated it. We all believed we had heard it that way. The Mandela effect.

 What if our collective memory of neon fashion is like that Star Wars quote? Rooted in truth, but greatly embellished/conflated. That small amount of neon flair became grossly over-represented in our collective history.  After all, there was plenty of other bright colors (hot pink, lime green, etc), and high contrast fashion throughout the '80s - it would be easy to conflate the looks. Benetton and Esprit especially marketed very colorful looks. 

The Go-Go's in bright colors.

Koolaid Coolers commercial, 1986

The other thing that muddies up our memory is that neon made a big comeback in the early '90s with the Hip Hop genre. Most vintage neon outfits you find on eBay are from this era in the form of athletic wear and jumpsuits.

THIS IS 90s

THIS IS 1992