Seen this season of Project Runway? There’s a guy on there who’s, like, 22. His hair gives me physical pains.
Of course there are occasional exceptions. It’s just that, it seems to me, the generations prior to the '80s have a much larger number of these exceptions. I’ll also add that the exceptions/holdovers often tend to be in the lower income brackets as well - I would see them mostly hanging out in the beer taverns rather than in the cocktail bars, or eating at the local diner instead of the more upscale restaurants.
A good example of what I’m talking about as far as clothing is non-uniform work clothes. I’ve known for a long time that many people retire and never update their wardrobes - they just keep right on wearing the same clothes they wore to work. For example, my grandmother (born 1919) was a school teacher from the '60s through the early '80s. Her professional wardrobe consisted of a lot of polyester pantsuits and matching polyester pants & tops. And once she retired, she kept right on wearing the exact same outfits. In this kind of case, I understand that reduced income after retirement makes purchasing new clothes something to be done only as necessary, as the old stuff wears out (does polyester ever actually wear out?)
But some of these retired people appear to be dressing in the same clothes, or at least style of clothes, they wore to work in 1962, even if they didn’t retire until the late '80s or early '90s. (I get the impression that some of these men don’t own anything but “work clothes”.) Much like Bryl-Creem, I think the only reason these styles of clothes are still manufactured is because these people keep buying them instead of buying something more up-to-date. Meanwhile, the '80s-style clothes are [mostly] no longer manufactured because we '80s kids won’t buy them.
I’ll make one confession, though: I do still own a black windbreaker with day-glo yellow and pink stripes, that I purchased in the late '80s (though I didn’t wear it often even then). I’m glad I kept it; I wear it now for visibility when I’m bicycling, and it was much less expensive than the $80, purpose-manufactured day-glo “bicycling windbreakers” they sell at the local bike shop 
From what I understand, “old people clothes” aren’t really sold in most retail stores. When my parents hit a certain age, they got flooded with junk mail from Blair and other mail order clothing stores that specialize in clothing of a particular style - bright polyester with an emphasis on floral patterns. I don’t even think the clothing in the Blair catalog was ever in fashion; I’ve never seen a yearbook from the 1950s or 1960s where the female students wear anything that resembles the current “old people clothes” style. Blair’s clothing is sort of like Lawrence Welk; old people love it, even though there really never was an era when “champagne music” was popular among teenagers.
The whole concept of non-uniform work clothes is that they represent the pared-down style that most people wear to work. These are styles that didn’t evolve significantly year over year, not the way cutting-edge fashionista clothing does - you could theoretically wear the same outfit for 5-10 years without someone being able to pinpoint the exact year you bought it, whereas someone could tell you that the knit empire waist babydoll tunic with cropped leggings and ballet flats I was sporting last summer is sooooooo 2007. They will eventually fall out of favour once the general silhouette for fashionable clothing changes, but this usually takes quite a while.
Now if you’re in the market for those, you’ll find examples a-plenty. Check out the Talbots catalogue or my mother’s wardrobe for proof (she bought her first a career-woman wardrobe in the early 80s… she still knows a dozen ways to accessorize with a silk scarf).
It’s just that you didn’t wear them back then, because in high school and college you would’ve been focusing on shopping around for fun and fashionable stuff. Tops with giant shoulder pads and batwing sleeves worn with permed hair in a scrunchied side ponytail probably didn’t make the cut… but the country club preppy look that was so hot back then? Not making a swift exit anytime soon - note the perennial popularity of the Lacoste shirt.
Also, keep in mind that most people will make an effort to look hip when they go to their high school reunion. 
I haven’t read the entire thread yet, but you’ve obviously not visited Akron recently. And lots of other places around here. Come to think about it, not just around here. Ever watch Cops? Even the newer episodes are a mullet-fest.
I’ll be 48 in 31 minutes, and my wardrobe never goes out of style, for me. Browns gear, flannels and jeans. The wife understandably hates the way I look, but hey, she could lose a few pounds, right?
My ex actually went to a freaking PTA meeting, for the very first time, wearing leopard-spotted spandex pants in 1997. Good thing she lost the big hair after the 80’s, or she might have been mistaken for Peg Bundy.
Are we still in GQ?
There are some elements of 80’s wear that can still be worn today, namely the more “preppy” end of the spectrum that became popular for guys. There are young guys still wearing oxfords, polos, and plaid short sleeve shirts. Khaki pants are still around. People still wear Polo and Izod. Stores like Old Navy, Gap, Eddie Bauer and J Crew sell prep wear that is not that far removed from 1985.
How about sideburns like the guy from that Beverly Hills zip code high school show? I still see them around.
While mullets are still quite common around where I work, among those who are in the “rugged” lower-middle-class crowd they seem to be giving way to the bald-with-a-goatee look. Basically:
Mullet: trailer park, works odd jobs, busted with a meth lab in their house
Bald-and-a-goatee: exurban subdivision, works in an auto body or machine shop, votes Republican because they “kick ass”.
Hey now! Some babies’ hair grows into a natural baby mullet (aka, “a skullet”) and there’s nothing wrong with that! When they’re born bald and the back grows in with cute little fluffy curls, it’s HARD to cut those suckers off and go back to a bald baby for three years until the top decides to grow, ogsdammit!
(Yeah, I had two babies with skullets, why do you ask? )
Nah, this wasn’t a Ben Franklin, I think it was on purpose. I mean, hers certainly was.
Luckily, I do not believe she was connected with Mr. Rat-Tail, because then I might have had to call Social Services.
Come to Pittsburgh, where big hair and mullets are still alive and well.
I think you’ve got confirmation bias. All those beehived women and duck tail comb-overs stand out. The majority of the population has moved on and kept up with styles, or at least graduated to adopt personal style that may not be current, but is neutral such that it blends in with general society. The ones that don’t blend get noticed, and I think if you look long enough you’ll find mall bangs and acid washed jeans also.
I know for a fact there are holdovers from your generation because one of them is the wife of my husband’s best friend. (they graduated in '88) She’s still got HUGE sprayed hair, teased and highlighted and sprayed (think Bon Jovi circa 1986). She wears nothing but black tops and those ultra skinny jeans with the zippers on the ankles. I don’t believe you can buy them anymore, so I figure she’s just still wearing her high school jeans (she’s extremely skinny). Oh, and she’s still got the little ankle boots that went with the jeans. When they go out, she busts out the shiny metallic eyeshadow with LOTS of eyeliner. She looks like she just stepped out of 1987.