For
any readers who are too young to remember shell suits, Wiktionary
explains them perfectly:
Shell
suit (noun): A lightweight tracksuit consisting of a matching
zip-front jacket and elasticated trousers, each having an outer nylon
'shell', often bearing panels and flashes of different colours and
inner cotton lining; popular in the late 1980s and early 1990s both
as sportswear and as general leisurewear.
That's
right, kids - whether we were working out or not, we actually wore
matching nylon jacket/trouser combos with such
bright, clashing neon colours flashed across them that everyone
walked around with a permanent headache!
Why,
you ask? Well, fitness became extremely popular during the eighties,
with aerobics and jazzercise being all the rage. Everyone wanted to
show off their physical prowess. Leotards and legwarmers looked great
on people with a slim figure, but what about the rest of the
population? Shell suits were the perfect solution because you didn't
have to be skinny to wear them. Whether you were running a marathon
or sitting on the sofa eating a Marathon (later to become Snickers),
anyone could get in on the action.
With shell suits also being popular in the hip hop and breakdancing scene and Will Smith often sporting one in The Fresh Prince of Bel Air, their uber-cool status was well and truly cemented. It helped if they were oversized and slightly too baggy. No-one would be seen dead in a fitted shell suit – that would just be ridiculous!
Of course, shell suits were so flammable that they'd never be allowed on the market today. There were many reports of people accidentally setting themselves on fire, especially on Guy Fawkes Night, but even that wasn't enough to stop us all going gaga for their multicoloured goodness.
Shell
suits were such a huge trend it seemed like they'd never go away.
But of course they did. Almost as quickly as they burst onto the
fashion scene, they disappeared. Suddenly they weren't rad, dope, fly
or wicked anymore, and anyone still wearing one was a right saddo.
Even
though I was a child at the time, I have fond memories of my
favourite shell suit. It was the most comfortable thing ever
and made me feel just so cool. I wore it pretty much all the
time, whatever the occasion. I wish I had some photos to post here and give you all a good laugh. In 2013 the shell suit was declared the
biggest fashion faux pas of the past 30 years, but I don't regret
mine for a second!
What
are your favourite memories from the eighties and nineties? Also, did
you own a shell suit? PLEASE describe it to me in the comments!