Tag Archives: 1980’s

People Are People

It’s always great when friends can turn you onto a new brand, because it opens up your wardrobe to more choices and creates versatility. Jenna from Lucky Little Mustardseed is one of my favorite local bloggers, who I’m so proud to also call my friend. She has been wearing Cabi for sometime now, and recently turned me onto them after their recent Cabi Clothing Scoop introducing their Spring 2018 collection at the San Diego Convention Center.

What I love about this jacket is that it is SO retro, and completely lends to my style. I wore the jacket with all black, including this now sold-out People are People t-shirt. The shirt is by Christian Siriano in collaboration with Leggo Your Ego. I first saw it on the runway from his Autumn/Winter 2017 collection, where he ended the show with the outfit below. Christian was also featured on Depeche Mode’s Facebook “Fan Takeover”:

I incorporated Depeche Mode’s “People Are People” into our Fall 2017 show at NYFW as a symbol of what I stand for as a brand and designer. We placed the song during the finale walk and I think that got the message across rather strongly because it was placed at the end. The message that is: people are people, we should all be celebrated in our own way no matter what age, size or skin color. It wasn’t a political statement that I was trying to make, but rather a statement on human rights. It’s about supporting everyone, which is why I casted a diverse range of women to walk in the show. Everyone deserves to be represented.

As a brand, it’s important to be inclusive because anyone can be a customer. Clothing should be fun and make women feel beautiful in their own skin.

– Christian Siriano

(Photo from Christian Siriano’s official website)

Believe it or not, Christian Siriano also collaborated with Impress Manicure for matching People are People press on nails! I bought two sets (one to keep and one to wear), and they lasted a little over two weeks. I love the matte finish and easy application. Of course, my retro-outfit was rounded off with some 80’s inspired accessories: a robot cross-body purse, a Duran Duran album cover lip palette (I’m wearing the color “Rock-On”), and a cassette tape cell phone case. Yup, you can take a girl out of the 80’s, but you can’t take the 80’s out of this girl!

Outfit: Windopane Jacket by Cabi (no longer available); “People are People” t-shirt by Christian Siriano x Leggo Your Ego (sold-out); Unknown brand pants; Savannah Animal Print frames c/o Select Specs; Hat from Topshop; Leather ankle boots by Zara; Ring by Wendy Brandes; London Underground cuff c/o designhype; Karl Lagerfeld watch; Cross-body purse from ASOS; Nagel x Urban Decay “Rio” lip palette; Cassette Tape phone cover c/o Banggood

Included this fun outtake, where I’m wearing my sister’s “new wave” sunglasses!

All photos by Rholnna Jiao unless otherwise noted

If I Had My Own 80's Radio Show

If you didn’t know, I’m on Spotify. This is my first playlist, because I entered a contest to “Become a Rhino Musicologist“. A lot of my favorite bands are on Rhino like INXS, Depeche Mode and Joy Division, due to anthologies and reissues. My first playlist is rife with my 80’s alternative favorites that I know Richard Blade (former KROQ DJ) or Steve West (current 91X DJ) would be proud of. This won’t be my last playlist, so if you’re on Spotify, please follow me here. Cheers and have a great weekend!

January Record a Day Wrap Up: Days 22 Through 31

It’s time to wrap up the “January Record A Day” Instagram photo project with records 22 through 31. I’m already into week one of the “February Record A Day”, and I’m finding it a little bit tougher than last month’s because I’m having to really dig for items like a re-press or marble colored vinyl, but I’m definitely up for the challenge. Cheers and have a great weekend!

(Top Photo) Day 22: Double LP – “20/20” by Dilated Peoples. Another from the hubby’s collection.

Day 23: Red colored record – German import of “Never Let Me Down” by Depeche Mode.

Day 24: Favorite Record Friday – “All I Need is Everything” by Aztec Camera. Such a wonderful & happy song!

Day 25: Rainy day record – “Rio” by Duran Duran. I can listen to this album during any kind of weather!

Day 26: I don’t own any vinyl that’s split color. So here is my sister’s OMD dual color picture disc in pink & blue for the song “Locomotion”.

Day 27: Album on classic black vinyl – “Mistrial” by Lou Reed. My husband bought a bunch on boxes filled with records, not knowing what was inside. There were a few gems & this was one of them.

Day 28: More than 2 colors – “New Sensation” picture disc by INXS.

Day 29: 1st record I bought – “That’s Rock n Roll” by Shaun Cassidy. I was 7 & my sister was 4 when she drew all over it in red crayon!

Day 30: Any album before the 80s – Mott The Hoople “Greatest Hits”, from my hubby’s collection. I think this is from 1977.

Day 31: Any record you want – “Cookin’ on the Roof” by Roman Holiday. Finally found this at Amoeba Hollywood a couple of years ago. “Don’t Try to Stop it” & “Stand By” are my favorites!

So I Creep

I’ve always wanted to own a proper pair of creepers. For me, they’re just so reminiscent of Duckie Dale from Pretty in Pink (“I remain now, and will always be, a Duckman”). When I was a teen in the 80’s, creepers were a bit out of reach on a minimum wage budget. Then I sort of forgot about them in the 90’s and early 2000’s. With my 80’s nostalgia in very high gear lately, imagine my luck when I found a pair of classic black suede ones by T.U.K. on sale at Hot Topic. I knew the perfect outfit to wear with them, blending a couple of 80’s trends, wearing a bright neon shirt with a checked headband and badges. I wore this outfit to the office for a little bit of a dress down Friday, and also for my mom’s surprise birthday party. It’s quite the casual, yet put together outfit.

Outfit: T.U.K. Black Suede Original Creepers and Union Jack pin from Hot Topic; Topshop black denim pinafore dress (old, but here’s one similar from ASOS); Unknown brand neon shirt, checked headband and tights; The English Beat pin from their 2013 concert at the Belly Up (post here); Vintage tie; Rebecca Minkoff Jody “C” leather pouch; Eva glasses in sepia c/o Bonlook

Our families during my mom’s surprise birthday on January 25, 2014. My mom is holding a picture of my father.

January Record a Day: Days 5 Through 12

Here is another recap of the “record a day” photo project I’m participating in on Instagram. Have I mentioned just how much I’m loving this?!

Collage 1 (top photo, clockwise from the top left): 1) Day 5: Compilation/soundtrack – I bought “The Exposed 2” compilation because of The Hitmen & OMD. The Hitmen was a group Alan Wilder was once in; 2) Day 6: Picture Disc – “Fantastic Day” by Haircut 100. This is from my sister’s collection (which is at my house); 3) Day 7: Any 7 inch – Oblivious by Aztec Camera, one of my faves; 4) Day 8: An album from the 80’s – “Mange Tout” by Blancmange from 1984.

Collage 2: Day 9: Transparent colored record -“Closer” by Joy Division, purchased from Third Eye Record Shop during Record Store Day last year (post here).

Day 10: Any 10 inch – “Backwards and Forwards” by Aztec Camera. I thought I lost this!

Day 11: Collection of an artist – My largest vinyl collection is by far that of Depeche Mode. These are just the singles (not yet pictured are my 12 inch records, albums and special editions).

Day 12: Artist that starts with J – Japan. “Gentlemen Take Polaroids” is my favorite song by them.

Electric Hit Music – The Pet Shop Boys In Concert

Back in the beginning of October, I saw the Pet Shop Boys at Copley Symphony Hall, with my husband, my sister and best friend Janice. Later, we met up with my friend Merrick and his friend Alan. After checking out Facebook that night, I saw that 80’s DJ extraordinaire, Richard Blade was also in attendance! I finally have a chance to share some pictures and a video of the fantastic night of hit music by this iconic band. When I think of “Godfathers of EDM”, I think of Depeche Mode, New Order and certainly Pet Shop Boys. They have been successfully marrying thoughtful lyrics with perfect dance music for decades, and this concert was a culmination of everything they were and still are. The audience sang many of the lyrics word for word, and you can tell so many of us have waited for this night for a long time. Yet another band to cross off from my “bucket list” and they did not disappoint. I heard everything I wanted to hear, with the exception of “Love Comes Quickly”, but that’s ok because hearing “Rent” more than made up for it (the line “I love you/you pay my rent” is one of my all time favorite lyrics). We were most impressed with the lighting, which truly was a show in itself. In addition to the pictures, I’ve included the set list from SetList.fm, and a video I recorded of “Suburbia”. Enjoy!

All of the costumes were fantastic, but we all wanted to take this disco ball hat home!

Did I mention there were stunning visual effects?

The lighting was so spectacular and made the stage larger than life.

Photo 1: Wearing my Dextrose shirt by designer Dexter Simmons (Styled to Rock participant); Photo 2: Selfie with my husband, Deon.

With Rholnna and Janice after the concert. I opted to buy just one item at the concert. I was SO glad I bought the program, because it is not available online (the tour shirt is currently available on their online shop here).

Edit this setlist | More Pet Shop Boys setlists

New Wave Dance Party: Meeting Richard Blade!

Just a quick little post about one of the nights during our trip to Anaheim last weekend. My mother-in-law purchased tickets for us to go to the Disneyland Resort, which included a park hopper between Disneyland and California Adventure and marked Dominic’s first time at Disneyland. But before we ventured into the lands of Disney, Deon’s mom watched Dominic while we snuck in a date night by dancing the night away with none other than DJ extraordinaire, Richard Blade! My 80’s bucket list definitely included seeing Mr. Blade deejay live at some point, and it just so happened he was hosting a New Wave Dance Party at the House of Blues in Downtown Disney last Friday. Richard is such a nice guy, and even played Joy Division for me because of my shirt! More pictures of our trip to come!

This photo is from Richard Blade’s official Facebook page. If you enlarge the picture, you can see me and Deon on the upper left hand side (Deon is wearing a hat).

This is Larry & it was his birthday. Needless to say, it was a quite the blurry evening because I forgot about this picture. I found it on my phone, sent by my hubby!

Just a little shot of part of what I wore (other than my Joy Division shirt): My new studded bomber jacket and mid-rings from SwayChic (the Recoil ring is by Suki Bijoux). Nail polish is Fuzzy Coat by Sally Hansen in “All Yarned Up”.

You Can Never Win or Lose, If You Don’t Run The Race

Check off yet another group on my 80’s bucket list: Janice and I got to see The Psychedelic Furs in concert! Due to an epic fail on my part, I had tickets to their sold out show at The Belly Up on June 1st. But because I wanted actual tickets rather than tickets printed from my computer, I thought I would wait until closer to the show to go to the venue to purchase real tickets. Thank the retro gods that they were the headlining act for The Rock n Roll Marathon on June 2nd. In an ironic twist, the show was FREE! No ticket stubs from this show, but I did get my shirt.

Fresh faced with no make-up at 10am!

We arrived at our secret parking place at 10am and walked over to Petco Park, where the end of the race festivities were being held. It was pretty crazy and hectic when we arrived. I believe the half-marathon runners arrived as we got there, and I wish I got pictures of the crazy amount of people in the parking lot. Once we got in, we made our way upstairs to search for the stage area. After finding it, we made our way down and sat just a few rows away from the stage, which allowed me to take the amazing pictures in this post. This had to be the earliest I had ever watched a concert in my life! During the show, I spotted my friend Eileen and her sister, who actually ran in the marathon. Realizing I was just there to see the show, I felt slightly inadequate. I think I need to make running in a marathon also a part of my bucket list.

“The Ghost In You” 45 vinyl single from my personal collection (original video here).

After a few celebratory congratulations to runners from all over the world, The Psychedelic Furs strolled up to the stage. They played all the songs I had heard on 91x for so many years: “Heartbreak Beat”, “Heartbeat”, “Heaven”, and of course the hit from the movie, “Pretty In Pink”. I know a lot of people think the song was made for the 1986 movie of the same name, but the song was actually a remixed version of their original from the album Talk Talk Talk back in 1981.

I wanted to make sure I got these signature moves from “Love My Way”. See the original moves in the video here.

When my standout favorites “Love My Way” and “The Ghost In You” come on, I felt complete. When I think of “Love My Way”, I think of the first time I heard it during the movie “Valley Girl” back in the 80’s. When I was telling my husband that Janice and I were going to the show, he said he recognized that Furs song from “The Wedding Singer”, a movie about the 80’s. What prompted me to really want to see the Furs was hearing the live version of “The Ghost In You” played on Friday’s Resurrection Daily on 91x. Steve and Oz decided to play the song in honor of their Belly Up show, and mentioned that if you missed the show on Saturday, they have a free show at Petco Park. At that point, I was on a mission to see that song live, and I’m so glad I did. “The Ghost In You” is a gorgeous song that gives me goose-bumps each time I hear it, and just floored me to hear it live. Richard Butler still sounds fantastic to this day, and I am so glad we woke up early on a Sunday to see this awesome show live. Hope you had a great weekend!

I don’t quite remember the order of songs from the concert, but the set list below seems to be very similar.

Edit this setlist | More The Psychedelic Furs setlists

The Children of 80’s Teenagers

Growing up in the 80’s, it would be fitting that my sister and I should have our children dress accordingly. Or, at the very least, wear shirts of our favorite groups from the 80’s. As if on cue, Dominic decided the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles were among his favorite superheroes (just like daddy) and he likes The Best of The Human League (he can find the album on my iPod without assistance). Dominic can sing nearly all the words to the Royskopp version of “Puppets” and if you ask him, he can tell you mama’s favorite group is Depeche Mode, all of which tickles the soul of my inner 80’s teen. Who knows, maybe Mei-Lin will like Jem and the Holograms? I think she’ll stick to Hello Kitty for now.

Oh yeah, it’s tricky!

Mei-Lin was totally 80’s back when she was three, with leg-warmers AND side ponytail!

Dominic in the same shirt. Can I call it “vintage” rather than “hand-me-down”?

A little Flash Dance, Mei-Lin’s outfit was courtesy of yours truly (she added the Hello Kitty). I think I wore the exact same thing in the 80’s!

Of course Dominic has a Depeche Mode shirt. Was there any doubt?

I found that John Cusack shirt at Hot Topic a several years ago, intending to turn it into a pillow. I’m glad I saved it so that Mei-Lin could rock it!

TURTLE POWER!

Boys & Girls

We had a business casual day in the middle of the week, so I donned a menswear look in honor of a post from Ambu’s blog called “Non-Conforming Androgyny“. In it, she wore a very sharp fitted suit and tie. The post is a wonderful piece on her interpretation of non-conformity through androgyny, and how it forges individuality and forces people to think outside of the box.

As an 80’s enthusiast, Annie Lennox, Boy George, David Bowie, Grace Jones and The Human League all immediately come to mind when I think of androgyny. From women in power suits to men in make-up, I was incredibly influenced by the androgynous look and loved to mix up menswear in my everyday look as evidenced by the picture below (circa 1989).