80s Vest Tops - Sleeveless Shirts

For a workout session you can't beat a vest top for practicality and also to look the part, but they're often called tank tops on shopping websites these days. ,However, when I was young (a very long time ago!) that term actually referred to a sleeveless pullover. So, for this post I'm going to stick with calling them vest tops to avoid any confusion.

Back in 1984, Katherine Hamnett designed a "Choose Life" logo T-shirt, and after the deign was worn by George Michael and Andrew Ridgeley in Wham's 1984 video for Wake Me Up Before You Go Go, everyone wanted one - well, almost everyone!

Wellcoda 100% cotton ladies vest top

This black crew neck vest by Wellcoda is available in the majority of sizes for ladies, and was priced at a very reasonable £9.95 on the Amazon website. It's also available for men, too...

Mens 80s vest top

Of course, their are plenty more eighties designs to choose from, and this would be a rather short blog post if there weren't! This Fruit Of The Loom, "Made In The 80s" logo top would make an ideal birthday gift, as well as being perfect for creating an 80s fitness look.

Made In The 80s vest - 5 colours

There are five colour choices available, although grey is my personal favourite. Now, here's another design that really caught my eye...

Neon Made in the 80s workout top

This ladies vest features a neon yellow on black design and is also available with a red logo. It's made from 100% cotton and is eco-friendly, too.

Of course, you don't necessarily need to have any logos or imagery on your top to create a 1980s style. A plain and simple neon vest works brilliantly, and this is a popular choice on the workout clothing page on my website SimplyEighties.com. There are oodles of suppliers selling these at Amazon, although, the most popular choice for women is this one...

Neon Racer Back Top

Made from breathable, stretchy and soft material, this top features nine colour choices and sizes 8 to 16 are available. The price is under £10 including delivery, so it won't break the bank.

See ALL Neon Vest Tops

Simple Minds had a huge hit with "Don't You Forget About Me" after it featured in the 1985 teen comedy-drama The Breakfast Club, which was directed and co-produced by the legendary John Hughes. What has that got to do with vest tops I hear you cry? Well, take a look at this;

Simple Minds lyrics vest top

Please note that the sizes are very slim fitting, so you may want to pick a larger than normal size just to be safe. Gents, you'll be pleased to know that this top is also available for you, too...

Mens Breakfast Club Vest Top

These tops would also make for a wonderful gift idea for a loved one, in the hope that the recipent will get the message!

Well, I hope I have inspired you a little with these designs. I'll leave you with some images of a few more tops that caught my eye...

Create an 80s Acid House - Rave look

With its squelching bass sounds (often created using a Roland TB-303 bass synth) and minimalist production, the sound of acid house became popular in the latter half of the 80s. The media were more focused on the illegal raves and psychedelic drugs, but. in reality, the majority of young folk enjoyed dancing to the new sound in nightclubs (including myself) without going anywhere near any drugs.

What is synonymous with the acid house scene is the smiley face logo, and the T-shirt featuring the logo, along with tie dye clothing became popular with ravers.

There are plenty of T-shirts available at Amazon.co.uk, (for men and women) and the first one displayed here features the classic smiley face and is available for a very reasonable £8.99 in black or white in sizes small to XX-large.

See ALL acid house T-shirts at Amazon

80s Style Acid House T-Shirt

I really like this design by Black Sheep Clothing which has been printed using the latest technology for a nice finish. It's available in sizes from 34" to 52" and, as I write, is a reasonable £12.99.

Ladies Glow in the dark tee

How about this glow in the dark t-shirt? It's available in hot pink, royal blue or black and is made from 100% pre-shrunk, ring-spun cotton. At £10.98 it won't break the bank, either!  The same T-shirt design for men is also available, with red replacing the pink colour choice. Men's glow in the dark tee

Here are some more great designs that really caught my eye...

Wicked smiley face T-shirt

Bass Synth Ladies T-shirt

Tie Dye T-shirt

Tie dye was originally popular with the the 1960s hippy scene, but re-emerged during the late 80s/early 90s acid house and 90s indie scene. When you select the link above you will also be presented with lots of other designs underneath the main T-shirt - there are quite a few to choose from.

If you're after a more complete look then you'll need something for your bottom half, of course. Bleached out/acid wash denim jackets and ripped jeans/shorts were also popular, and also ripped tights. For ladies, tie dye or psychedelic style leggings are also ideal, and here is an eye-catching design...

Multi-coloured Aztec Leggings

There are no less than 34 choices of design for the leggings above, although not all of them are suitable for a rave style. I particularly like this colourful aztec design which would look very "trippy" with an acid house T-shirt.

Use this search for Tie Dye Leggings at Amazon to see oodles of designs.

Tie Dye Hotpants for women

I'll leave you with some more interesting ideas for rave and acid house dress-up

Acid-Wash Denim Shorts

Neon Fur Fluffy Leg Warmers

Light-Up Wayfarer Style Sunglasses

Smiley Happy Face Leggings