7 Ways To Lead A More '80s Retro Lifestyle

There’s no denying that life in the 21st century can be quite complicated. For example, some people are on an endless and even pointless quest to upgrade to the latest technology. Even if that means putting themselves in lots of debt in the process!

Today’s lifestyle is also rather stressful for most, if not all people. Society keeps telling us that we must adapt and evolve with the times for the sake of convenience, among other things. Don’t you wish your life could be much simpler and less technology-centric?

If you’re longing to learn how you can go back to having a less stressful and more rewarding lifestyle, you’ve come to the right page. In this article, you’ll learn about the best ways to lead a more retro lifestyle! Here’s what you need to know:

1. Upgrade your wardrobe

Are you fed up with trying to conform to a particular trendy style each year? If so, here’s the thing: you can stop doing that. You might think that it’s hip to be cool, but there’s nothing wrong with making your own fashion statement.

As you are no doubt aware, denim is one of the most memorable materials and fashion styles to come out of the 80s. Why not rekindle your love of 80s fashion by wearing more denim trousers (and jackets)?

It might surprise you to learn that denim has made something of a come-back in the fashion world these days. You are technically getting the best of both worlds: wearing 80s-style clothing, and being trendy in the 2020s!

Other '80s fashion throwbacks for you to consider include rollneck sweaters, checked outerwear, and blazers with bold buttons and shoulder pads.

2. Get a classic car

Even if you’re not a person that is passionate about cars, there’s one thing that everyone can agree on with today’s vehicles. You can’t fix anything on them without having expensive diagnostic computer equipment at your disposal.

There’s no denying that today’s cars are grossly over-engineered in many respects. For instance, on some of the latest vehicles out there, you can’t do a simple brake job without needing diagnostic equipment to “reset” the brake caliper.

Cars from the 1980s, meanwhile, were simpler and cheaper to maintain. You might think there aren’t any such vehicles on the roads these days. But, there are more than you may imagine!

It’s possible to buy pristine condition cars from the 1980s that have been looked after by their previous owners with no expense spared. What’s more, they are likely classed as “classic cars” and so will be cheaper to insure and maintain than newer models.

3. Swap your e-reader for some books

Millions of people buy e-readers because they make reading books and other texts easier and more convenient. As that’s the case, why would you want to get rid of your Kindle, for example, and buy lots of books?

First of all, books don’t need their batteries charging. You can pick up a book at any time of day or night and start reading it straight away. You could even buy a book and not pick it up until ten years later and it’ll still be perfectly readable!

Another reason to swap your e-reader for paperback books is they bring back the nostalgia of reading. They’ll also remind you of the times you’ve spent in your local libraries, or getting engrossed in novels during your spare time.

Some books also appreciate with age. You might find that some titles in your collection are worth more than you paid for them as time goes on! One might say that building up a collection of books is a worthwhile financial investment for the future!

There are millions of titles out there, some are mainstream and others are quite rare. If you need some help finding out which books you might like to own, there are plenty of apps for book lovers that can help. Technology is useful for some things, right?

4. Stop streaming your music

Have you found that you spend your time streaming music from the likes of Spotify and Apple Music to your devices at home or on the go? If that’s the case, you should keep in mind that you can’t listen to anything if your Internet or electricity goes down!

Yes, many streaming music services offer superior audio fidelity that tops even MP3 sound quality. But when you can no longer stream music, you’ve got a big problem on your hands. So, if you stop streaming your music, what should you do instead?

Well, back in the 1980s, people listened to music on a variety of analog and digital formats. The most popular formats of the time were cassette tapes, vinyl records, and compact discs (CDs).

These days, record labels seldom release any new music (or reproduce existing albums and singles) on cassettes. They do produce music on CDs, and many are also issuing albums and singles on vinyl records given the popularity resurgence of classic record players like the Dual turntable.

So aside from buying used cassette tapes of existing music, if you want to listen to both new and existing music on non-streaming formats, you should consider vinyl records and CDs for your music playback.

Keep in mind that the audio fidelity will never degrade when listening to CDs as they’re in a digital format. Vinyl records have different sound qualities than CDs, and when played back a lot, they can suffer from playback issues.

Still, thinking of the pros and cons of each format, there’s plenty of choices out there for you if you’d like to go and listen to music offline.

5. Give your hairstyle an '80s makeover

Aside from wearing '80s-style clothing, one way to bring the 1980s to wherever you go is by giving your hairstyle a makeover. As you will probably know, perms were the height of fashion for people with long hair in the 1980s.

Of course, not everyone has shoulder-length hair (or longer). But, don’t despair because there were plenty of other hairstyles that were fashionable in the 80s. For example, some folks sported no hair at all, while others donned liberty spikes or Mohawks on their heads.

If you want to make a hair statement that will certainly give you second looks from people you encounter each day, you could always opt for a Mullet haircut!

And whatever hairstyle you choose, if you’ve got long hair, don’t forget to use some scrunchies hair bands. Oh, and men, get rid of your sideburns completely. They are so 1970s!

6. Furniture: out with the new, in with the old

If your home is sporting a modern, contemporary style, it’s time to upgrade to the bolder colors and geometric silhouettes of a 1980s home! The Memphis style, as it was known, was a popular furniture and color scheme style named after the Memphis Group.

It was a design movement that made a real impact in the home decor world. In fact, it was so popular that today’s design elements give more than a nod to the Memphis style. If you’re thinking of upgrading your home’s decor to the Memphis style, here’s a checklist:

• Bold colors
• Patterns and silhouettes
• Laminates

For those of you that have a love of all things kitsch, the Memphis home decor style is just what you need! Of course, if the Memphis style isn’t to your liking, there are other home decor styles you can consider. Shabby chic is one notable example.

7. Go retro with your video games

When thinking about game consoles, there was no such thing as ultra-HD quality, 4D gaming in the 1980s. Instead, you had 8-bit and 16-bit game consoles such as the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES), Atari 7800, and the Sega Genesis.

You might not know it but even today there’s a cult following of such “retro” game consoles. Sure, the graphics aren’t as great as today’s game consoles like the Microsoft Xbox One and the Sony PlayStation 4. But, it was all about the gameplay in those days.

Retro video game consoles can get hooked up to both old-school CRT TV sets and today’s modern flat-screen LCD and LED TVs. Games for all 80s game consoles are also easy to obtain, either online or from local retro gaming stores in your neighborhood.

Even the game consoles themselves are relatively easy to purchase today. 80s game consoles were mass-produced in their millions, and so availability is high. Plus, the good news is you won’t have to pay a small fortune to get them.

Final thoughts

The 1980s were and still are a popular decade in history. Most people reading this article will have lived through the '80s and have plenty of fond memories about that era. It’s no secret that today’s lifestyle has evolved drastically since those days.

But, that doesn’t mean you can’t live an '80s retro lifestyle in 2020! It’s also important to note that a lot of our styles and trends today take inspiration from the 1980s.

Images via Pixabay