Now Playing: Rooney ‘When Did your Heart go Missing’

Talk about a musical reminder of the past!  Rooney’s sound conjures serious nostalgia for A-Ha’s Take on Me.  It certainly took me back to the 80’s!

I had the same feeling the other day, when I walked out of Vidal Sassoon with a severely angled bob, pegged jeans and party plans with a hairstylist wearing graphic prints and metallic shoes. It wasn’t until that moment it suddenly dawned on me; the 80’s were back.

But for just how long has this been the case?  For a significant amount of time now, I’ve been parading around with an air of avant garde, but has it really just been my subconscious channeling the past?  Now I’m paranoid Debbie Harry’s early career has reincarnated as my wardrobe. 

The goal in any form of creative expression, be it in music or fashion, is to move forward, to innovate.  However, to respectfully revive an old trend from the past also takes skill. There seems to be a general consensus among fashion leaders such as Chanel or Valentino that reviving the 80’s is considered creative suicide, and for the most part it is true.  Leggings, one of the most recent 80’s throwbacks in fashion, should really perhaps have stayed in the Olivia Newton John video where they belong; the only people who have a need for them are dancers, yogis and people with trendy gym memberships.  But for Helmut Lang to re-introduce itself as a label this year with impeccably tailored, versatile business separates a’la 1988’s Working Girl is, in contrast, a smart use of inspiration.

That said, there should be no reason to fear the 80’s.  If we are drawing any inspiration from the past it should be in celebration of what was credible at the time.  Rooney, Mixing A-ha-like synthesized drums with poppy LA rock guitar style, updates the 80’s “computer as instrument” concept. Should memories from our formative years creep through the cracks and into our creative expression, let it be a springboard for innovation, so long as it remains just that: a starting point.

Someday we will have a moment truly unique to our generation. Until then, I’m content to sit on a couch, listen to Rooney, watch St. Elmo’s fire and drift into a nostalgic sleep. In between dreaming about young Rob Lowe I’ll pray that the next time I walk out of a Vidal Sassoon, upon my exit, I will look like Katherine Hepburn.

By Nadja Sumter