Funny that I come across this thread just before Uni comes out - I was thinking about doing an 80s themed neighborhood when/if I get the pack. I remember the 1980s well, since I graduated from high school at the end of the decade and started college then, although college was more 90s for me. Excellent effort considering you never experienced that time period. The heavy makeup was a nice touch.
Here are some pointers from someone who did:
The 1980s stank. You did not miss out on much. People were very conformist, always on a diet, and there were a lot of snotty rich businessmen on cocaine back then. CD players came out at the end of the decade, but most of the decade was the era of cassette tapes, which are bulky and horrid. People taped music off the radio because they could not afford to pay for it at music stores. There were movies about kids who hacked NATO computers, but in reality, there was no internet and computers were not fun to use (but consoles were). People were always sick because medicine was PRIMITIVE back then.
Hair was shorter. Think of Top Gun Charley or Pat Benatar for girls and flat tops/buzz cuts or vintage George Michael for boys. And everyone used lots and lots of mousse.
Women and girls ALL wore pantyhose or tights with any kind of dress or miniskirt. Dress was way more formal than it is today.
Leg warmers went out of style in 1982. They were already Halloween wear when I was in middle school.
Belts were required with any two-piece outfit. The bigger the better.
Socks had to match the sweater or blouse. Boys and men did not wear socks. Even the Democrat who ran for President in 1988 did not have socks on during the election.
Those high top sneakers were okay for aerobics class, but the only acceptable tennis shoes to wear for every day wear (for girls) were Keds or Tretorns. I had like 14 pairs of Keds, in different colors. It was trendy to wear them without shoelaces. I owned a pair of stillettos but couldn't walk very well in them, so I didn't wear them often.
Only three types of sunglasses were acceptable: Oakleys and Ray Bans (both Wayfarer and Arista Aviators). Ignore what you've seen in old music videos.
Jeans: tight and faded (actually acid washed) and often ripped. Skinny looks a little odd but not that far off.
Televisions have pretty much looked the same from the late 1970s until flat screen TVs became popular about fifteen years ago. Tube consoles are a 1960s thing. Everyone had video game consoles, just like today. Those big arcade games were popular in arcades, convenience stores, and in dorms. Electronic keyboards were popular. And mauve and seafoam green were huge - the only thing better was flamigo pink. Hope that helps!
https://imgix.bustle.com/rehost/2016/9/13/115a5163-ff64-4c38-91ef-de04e5a98c70.jpg
https://djbooth.net/.image/t_share/MTUzNDg1OTE5MDA0OTkzMzkz/the-cosby-show-hip-hopjpg.jpg
https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Miami_Vice.jpg
