Big Hair and Spandex: The Return of the 80s in 2009 Fashion

I recently went to the mall to grab some last minute presents and fell into a time warp.

I saw rows of leggings in bright purple and neon colors. Bumpits, those unfortunate hair lifters, promised big hair from every shelf.

The latest in hair ornaments? Peacock feathers.

It's clear the 80s have made a comeback in the strangest way. Every flamboyant aesthetic preference of the 80s is creeping back into 2009 stores. Every fashion trend you swore would never make a comeback...has made a comeback.

There is a clear preference for the purple, for the animal prints, for the shiny and gaudy this year. Leggings are back for good. After spending a couple years lurking under denim skirts, leggings are flaunting themselves as full-fledged pants this year, although whether leggings should be pants is certainly questionable. The new twist is the jegging, a legging with a print design resembling jeans, although they are stretchy, not denim.

And the 80s hair is back. After two decades of stick-straight hair, big tresses are in again, as evidenced by the ever unfortunate Bumpit. For the uninitiated, Bumpits are little plastic wedges you put on the top of your head...that give you a strange wedge of volume on the top of your head.

And the peacock feathers? They're the accessory of the moment, with earrings and headbands covered with the shiny things.

You could blame it on Lady Gaga, perhaps, for leading the country astray with her insistent attachment to leotards and gaudy garb. Or you could just chalk Lady Gaga up as part of a general trend of 80s reminiscence after 30 years. Everything comes full cycle, and fashion is definitely no exception.

For me I still have not gotten over the shock that the hideous clothes I have in my attic are suddenly in style again. Even the leggings with the loop that goes under your feet. Even the feathers. Who would have known?

While I'm okay with the leggings and most of the 80s aesthetic, I can't really give my approval to Bumpits. A plastic wedge giving you strange Barbie hair? That's just a little too weird.