2023: Purple Prom

 Announced in the Aug 4 e-mail from ECP and voted on by the 2023 Senior Class: It' Purple Prom!








WTF Wednesday: "Welcome To 18" film

Combing through my latest acquisition (Star Hits magazine, March 1987) is an ad for the film "Welcome To 18" starring Mariska Hargitay (Law & Order SVU) and Courtney Thorne-Smith (who was huge in the '90s). The movie is available on YouTube and the soundtrack features some L.A. based bands (Doll Congress, Second Language). 



The 80s Cruise Goes To L.A. in 2023!

 Here's a list of '80s movies set in Los Angeles to get you in the mood...

A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984) 
Airplane! (1980) 
Barfly (1987) 
Beverly Hills Cop (1984) 
Beverly Hills Cop II (1987) 
Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure (1989) 
Blade Runner (1982) 
Blue Thunder (1983) 
Body Double (1984) 
Born in East L.A. (1987) 
Colors (1988) 
Crimes of Passion (1984) 
Die Hard (1988) 
Down and Out in Beverly Hills (1986) 
Dragnet (1987) 
Earth Girls Are Easy (1988) 
Echo Park (1986) 
The Decline of Western Civilization (1981) 
The Decline of Western Civilization II: The Metal Years (1988) 
The Hidden (1987)
I Ought to Be in Pictures (1982) 
Into the Night (1985) 
Irreconcilable Differences (1984) 
Fast Times at Ridgemont High (1982)
Fletch (1985) 
Frances (1982) 
Grease 2 (1982 local suburbs, e.g. Hawthorne)  
The Karate Kid (1984) 
The Karate Kid, Part II (1986) 
The Karate Kid, Part III (1989) 
La Bamba (1987) 
Less Than Zero (1987) 
Lethal Weapon (1987) 
Lethal Weapon 2 (1989) 
Miracle Mile (1988) 
Modern Girls (1986) 
Mommie Dearest (1981) S.O.B. (1981) 
Midnight Madness (1980) 
The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad! (1988) 
Night of the Comet (1984) 
Pee-wee's Big Adventure (1985) 
Repo Man (1984) 
Ruthless People (1986) 
Skin Deep (1989) 
The Star Chamber (1983) 
Stand and Deliver (1988) 
Sunset (1988) 
Swing Shift (1984) 
Tequila Sunrise (1988) 
 The Terminator (1984) 
That's Life! (1986) 
They Live (1988)
To Live and Die in L.A. (1985) 
Troop Beverly Hills (1989)
True Confessions (1981) 
Tuff Turf (1985) 
Twins (1988) 
Valley Girl (1983) 
White Dog (1982) 
Who Framed Roger Rabbit (1988) 
Zoot Suit (1981) 

Punk and New Wave Shoe Primer

I was only a little new wave by the end of the '80s and found most of my shoes at the mall. Specifically at The Wild Pair (owned by Bakers). But if you wanted some truly dark wave styles you either knew some really cool stores in the vintage part of town or ordered them from the back of a magazine.

Creepers

Remember those white creepers Duckie wore in Pretty in Pink? I'm not certain if Fleuvog made the originals in the film, but they reproduced the iconic shoes a few years ago which sometimes still show up on eBay (and other sites). A few other shoe lines have reproduced these shoes, too. 

T.U.K.s is another major brand of creepers and they are still going strong today making many of the same classic styles they did in the '80s (and a good bit cheaper than Fluevog).

Pikes

Popular with the new wavers these tall ankle boots were typically flat-heeled with an excessively long, pointed toe. They could zip, buckle, lace up, or have some combination of closure. Bogey's and NaNa's were big names.

Docs

Doc Martens originated during WWII from a Nazi medical doctor (Klaus Märtens) looking to engineer a more comfortable military boot. With Herbert Funck the company grew over the decades and the '1460' (iconic 8-eye model) was born in 1960, followed soon after with the 1461 (3-eye model). Initially the boots were popular with workers like postmen, police, and factory workers, but by the '70s they were a staple among the punks that lasted well throughout the '80s and beyond. 

I'd love to do another blog entry about '80s tennis shoes, but it's way beyond my scope. If anyone else feels so inclined, please contact me! seweccentric@yahoo.com