“Slinky” here reminds me of me in 1980, even if she has been amputated at the ankle. (Cloggo has explained that what I am seeing is only an illusion — she is in fact walking in snow.) Well anyway I can tell you exactly what happened, out of the 70s into the 80s.
As all who are old enough will remember, everything changed at an accelerated rate in 1980 — economically, politically, musically, culturally.
I would love to read a book about the turn-around in attitudes at the time, because it was quite dramatic and no-one escaped the influence (apart from diehard hippies who would NEVER change). That was the background, but it was amplified for me by a change of relationship as well. By around Easter 1980 I had had a thick head of long hair “brutally” reduced to something short, spiky and gelled, and of course the 70s wardrobe had to go into the ragbag.
Don’t blame the new beau for that; it was me who realised things had changed.
People were going to gyms, pushing and pumping, and you had to figure out where you’d fit in this new rather competitive environment.
The green velvet skirts, robes, embroidered kimonos, peasant-style tops, patchwork wrap-around, kaftan, broderie anglais, mandarin-collared silk “pyjamas” and gypsy scarves all had to go. Needless to say I had to hide the red plastic gumboots too, and the shapeless rat fur coat. An entire wardrobe was replaced with a few body-hugging garments of which my pride and joy was a blue-spotted dress.
And I wore BIG shoes, Cloggo. Doc Marten boots with an array of straps. I could even have walked in the snow in those. Remember, New Zealand girls always have an eye for practical considerations, handsome is as handsome does etc, so the look we pull together is never quite what you see on the models.
