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Cyndi Lauper look
Fashion Synopsis
“The phone rings in the middle of the night,
My father says what you gonna do with your life?”
Cyndi Lauper turned a clever phrase into an 80’s girl anthem with the carefree song “Girls Just Wanna Have Fun.” And fun they had. Forget the pastel colors of Miami Vice, or the neutral khakis and upturned collars (and noses) of the preppies. Too bright? Too bold? Colors and patterns clashed so that your eyes ached at the sight? Cyndi taught the world that the greatest freedom came from the most outrageous expression of fashion.
The essence of thrift store chic, Cyndi paired vintage dresses with mounds of cheap costume jewelry and dyed her hair in day-glo colors. A progeny of the punk movement, she proved that even if you weren’t the child of successful yuppies, you too could bask in the glory of the promised 80's if you just knew where the local Goodwill was located. Her fantasy style of dressing borrowed from the past, blended it with punk, and created a futuristic look. Fans embraced her experimental style and helped to infuse a world of Madonna wannabees with a fresh look.
Sweet bustier dresses and crinolines from the 1950’s rustled underneath endless layers of beaded necklaces, dangly earrings, and chunky bracelets piled high on the arms. Neon lace socks shouted out from vintage pointy-toed pumps and combat boots. She elevated everyday objects into icon jewelry: old lunchboxes became purses, and Barbie dolls became earrings. There were no limits: as wacky and extreme as possible was the only rule.
Her most distinctive traits, of course, were her shaved, day-glo-colored hair and her extreme makeup. Previously only witnessed in the underground world of punk, Cyndi brought neon hair and shaved hairstyles to the mainstream. Even parents had a hard time denying her spell: her jubilant and infectious spirit somehow made her wackiness just one long Halloween costume party.
Cyndi’s eclectic style and outrageous fashion sense, while too extreme for most to imitate, definitely got her noticed in a densely populated pop music scene. She made it okay to color outside of the lines.