Eye on Kawaii Charm Necklace
Dress: So, Kohl's
Skirt: Modcloth
Shoes: Betsey Johnson, Macy's
Bag: Fred Flare
Belt: Wet Seal
Sunglasses: Brigantine beach shop
Eighties Explosion Charm Necklace
Dress: Arizona Jeans, JCPenney
Shoes: Payless
Bag: Betsey Johnson, ROSS
Belt: Wet Seal
Sunglasses: Rampage, Boscov's
Summer Stunner Purse Charm
Dress: O'Neill, Macy's
Top: Bongo, Sears
Shoes: Penny Loves Kenny, DSW
Bag: Bueno, Marshalls
Belt: Apt. 9, Kohl's
Sunglasses: Brigantine beach shop
Just about every post I write is, on some level, a love letter to the decade of Bubble Tape, fanny packs, and Weird Al Yankovic. But this week's post pays homage to a very specific piece of 1980s nostalgia. And that piece is a bunch of little pieces collectively and fondly known as Flash Charms. If you grew up in the 1980s or raised kids in the 1980s, then chances are you're familiar with these colorful miniatures of everyday items such as cars, soda bottles, daisies, whistles, hair dryers, and even trash cans. And if you've visited Michaels since December, then you know that they're back! I did a double take when I saw them, my heart beating faster at the sight of all those cheerful charms from my childhood. For the grammar school set, receiving them was a right of passage; once you had graduated from (the inexplicably more dangerous) pop beads to Flash Charms, you knew that you'd made it (and also, that you could be trusted with Play-Doh). Because gosh darn it all, they were mesmerizing. An ode to the era of excess, theirs was (and is) an aesthetic evocative of Madonna, Cyndi Lauper, and Rainbow Brite all rolled into one. Thirty years later, they've eclipsed other eighties accessories, outranking scrunchies, slap bracelets, and bowlers to prove that they're much more than just a flash in the pan -- the fried egg in the red skillet charm in necklace two notwithstanding. Indeed, they've earned their place in the retro revival fashion canon, right beside back-in-the-day darlings Strawberry Shortcake and My Little Pony. If toys had high school reunions, then Cake and Pony would be the lipo'ed and Botoxed former prom queens to Flash's still fresh-faced and wide-eyed girl next door (admittedly, a girl next door perpetually dressed for Halloween, but a girl next door nonetheless). Still, even Flash has evolved a little, namely in the form of the googly eyes that peer so playfully out of her food-themed personas (I'm looking at you, necklace one). Which is to say that time has only improved her weird beauty, allowing her to age gracefully and goofily, no eye lift necessary.
I, for one, am game to go to this shindig (or reunion or child's birthday party or whatever it is), name tag firmly slapped against my pink polyester leopard-print blouse. Because grown up or not, I can't resist the craftopia that is the Flash Charms endcap display, especially as it shamelessly courts my collector's craving. Taking home an absurdly pink potty (and a turquoise elephant and a yellow umbrella . . . ) puts a spring in my step more powerful than any new pair of pumps. At $1.99 each, Flash Charms are blissfully affordable, making them the ideal pick-me-up on a gray day. After all, what says "hang in there" more loudly than a passel of dangling, fluorescent plastic? Almost five months in, my spoils speak for themselves.
Now, if only the good people of Galoob would bring back Sweet Secrets . . .