Get the Look: Rainbow Brite

The early '80s cartoon character Rainbow Brite wouldn't have looked out of place at a rave. She was so happy in her technicolor world where hardly anything went wrong. Rainbow Brite wasn't a superhero or a magical princess. She was just a girl who used her rainbow powers, and she could easily defeat any foe within twelve minutes.

When I was a kid I liked this cartoon. The show was fun to watch simply because Rainbow Brite was so colorful. I remember going through a Rainbow Brite phase in third grade. I had rainbow striped legwarmers, and neon bracelets that matched my jelly shoes. Seriously, I would not dress this way now, not even on Halloween, but since '80s clothes are kind of in right now, I have a few suggestions about how the Rainbow Brite look could actually work. I toned it down some, but this look is still a bit adventurous.

Rainbow Striped Tights

$8.00 ebay

Women's Print Chiffon Dress

$30.00 Old Navy

Bright Boyfriend Space Dye Cardigan

$58.00 ASOS

Women's Osiris NYC 83 Slim Skate Shoe

$79.99 Journeys.com

Lavender Sugarbunny Necklace

$30.00 gatumi/Etsy.com

Bubblegum Cards

1964 Topps Beatles Cards

ebay

Trading cards and collector cards used to be known as bubblegum cards because they were often packaged in wax paper, with a stick of bubblegum. Baseball cards and sports cards were the most popular genre to collect, but other types were abundant. The first collector cards were called cigarette cards. Anywhere between 1920 through the late forties, cigarettes came packaged with cards that were more adult oriented. Pictures of jet planes, pin-up girls, movie stars and famous people were typical. By the 1950s, kids were collecting the bubblegum variety; a trend that continued well into the 1980s.

 Topps Partridge Family Cards

ebay

My younger brother used to have books filled with baseball and basketball cards. I had to admit, I was somewhat jealous. Collecting cards looked like fun, but I had no interest in sports. I was delighted when I discovered bubblegum cards.

1977 Topps Star Wars Trading Cards
ebay

Just like baseball cards, bubblegum cards are printed on medium weight cardboard, and except for specialty cards, they have a matte finish.

Tiny Dancers

Vintage Jewelry Box

"Spinning Ballerina"

$12.00 Modernera/Etsy.com

In my mind, there is nothing quite as charming as a tiny ballerina spinning around to a well loved tune. When I was a little girl, I had one of those spinning ballerina music boxes; one that conveniently doubled as a jewelry box. I kept all of the JCPenney necklaces my grandmother gave me neatly tucked away inside the little drawer - mine had a drawer! - the pink satin compartments were just big enough to hold my Avon jewelry. Even if you are no longer a little girl, there is no reason why you can't continue to store your favorite baubles inside a jewelry box with a spinning ballerina.

   Vintage Jewelry Box

"Flower Child"

$25.00 whichgoose/Etsy.com

Vintage "Little Girl" Jewelry Box

$15.00 sosovintage/Etsy.com

Horses

To every little girl who ever wanted a horse but couldn't get one - I can relate. My family did not own a farm, we were not rich, and with my parents working full-time, and my having to attend elementary school, caring for a horse, and the requisite riding lessons that would have come with such a responsibility; it just wasn't in the cards.

Fortunately for me, and for thousands of other seven year old girls who dreamed of owning a stable full of rainbow hued ponies, there was My Little Pony. These were no ordinary horses. My Little Pony was about as far from a real horse as Barbie is to an astronaut. That never bothered me; I was too busy twisting my ponies' beautiful pastel tresses into elaborate braids, and dressing them in their tiny accessories to notice.

I've got good news for anyone who once collected these fantastical creatures. My Little Pony is back, but they are no longer just collectible toys for little girls, they are art.

Bombshell Bettie little pony

by Woosie

deviantART

My little pony Kawari

by eponyart

deviantART

My Little Pony Kawaii Necklace
$30.00 TragicStitches/Etsy.com

x-girl

Chloe Sevigny

In 1994, Kim Gordon started a clothing label called x-girl. Girls were sick to death of overblown, high maintenance '80s fashion, but they still wanted to look cute. Kim and her team of designers created a line for young women that was influenced by boys streetwear and skatewear. Just like the music Kim made with her band Sonic Youth, the short-lived x-girl was a fine alternative.

Sonic Youth - 1981

Kim Gordon

Despite its popularity, x-girl was eventually sold to a Japanese corporation. The line continues to be manufactured in Japan along with a fashion magazine. x-girl is highly collectible, and items on eBay usually sell out rapidly. 

x-girl magazine - JAPAN

x-girl JAPAN 

brown velour mini skirt (size 2)

$29.00 ebay

Kim Gordon recently started another clothing line called Mirror/Dash. Unfortunately, it is no longer available.