80's retro flashback: the candy colored world of Miami Vice
The hey day of the 1980's seems to be everywhere around us these days. 
Skinny jeans, up-collared polo shirts, even wacky crooked haircuts. Let's just cross our fingers and toes mauve doesn't make a comeback. 
A quintessential icon of the 80's was the television series Miami Vice.
You might not remember much about Miami Vice other than Don Johnson's sexy stubble and slip-on sockless loafers, but you'd be hard-pressed to forget the pastel candy colors the show captured in it's visuals of Miami. 
Flamingo pink, lime green, Caribbean blue. Executive producer of the show, Michael Mann, had a distinct vision that was more movie than tv for his times. Taking inspiration from the ocean and bounty of art deco buildings in the area, Mann decided this was his palette, and stuck to it stringently. No earthy colors. Ever. That included all actors clothing, the cars on the road, even random buildings that had to be repainted.
A director of the show remembers, "There are certain colors you are not allowed to shoot, such as red and brown. If the script says 'A Mercedes pulls up here,' the car people will show you three or four different Mercedes. One will be white, one will be black, one will be silver. You will not get a red or brown one. Michael knows how things are going to look on camera."(source)
Always at the height of fashion, the two main character had five to eight wardrobe changes each episode, always in shades of pink, blue, green, peach, fuchsia and the show's other "approved" colors. Favorite designers included Vittorio Ricci, Gianni Versace and Hugo Boss.
And just for a chuckle, a few more stills from the show, to appreciate quality 80's aesthetics.
Wallpaper is back in style these days. How about this one?
Gotta have the neon pink light above the bed in a hospital room, right? yikes...
image stills captured from DVDHave you seen any 80's flashback design out and about? Anything worth holding onto?
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10 comments:
Oh, Rachel.. watch out!!! At the Benjamin Moore/Williams Sonoma color seminar I went to a couple of months ago, we were told MAUVE was making a HUGE comeback. I kid you not. Sorry. I don't like it either. Especially with Forrest Green.
fun post. :)
mauve making a comeback? nooooooooo!
I'll show you my notes. ;)
I loved it all except for the mauve. I wouldn't mind a comeback if it includes some more contrasting deep tones---just not that forest green that popped up all the time.
My bedroom from when I was about 3 to 15 was mauve. Well, my mom called it mauve, but it was probably more like lavender. I loved it!! Purple has always been my favourite colour :-)
Did you watch the TV show Ed?? I heard something about nobody else on the show being allowed to wear blue when Ed was wearing blue, because they wanted to play up his blue eyes. Sometimes there's a lot more thought about the use of colour than we realize!!
Kelly
I second the motion about mauve!!
Hey, I still have a bright lemon yellow coatdress from tahara that I was hanging onto for the 80's parties and I'm old enough that they are finally starting!! Great post thanks for the flashback!
Mauve came about by accident.
Remember my guest post on Hue last summer, What's in a Name? "There was no word for mauve until the hue was accidentally created in the lab in 1856 by English chemist Williams Perkin as he attempted to synthesize quinine as a cure for malaria.", from "How One Man Invented a Color That Changed the World" by Simon Garfield.
A VERY bad accident indeed!
DesignTies-i didnt know that about the show Ed... interesting!
Maria- isn't it bizarre that our halloween costumes are now hip?
Elizabeth- that's right, great post. thanks for the historical tid bit
Are you serious about that tree?? How creative is that!! Thanks for your comment :)
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