From Stirrup Pants to Shoulder Pads:
The Fashion of the 80's
The 1980's are renowned as both a time of horrendous taste and exuberant fashion expression. Whether you cringe at old pictures of yourself from that time, or whether you look back with fondness on the look of the decade, one thing's for sure--the 80's were big, bold, and different from everything that came before. Here are seven of the most characteristic fashion trends of the time.
Leg warmers. The first of many dance-inspired fashions straight out of the movie Flashdance, leg warmers were bulky knit tubes that covered the fashionable leggings and stirrup pants of the time. Leg warmers came in everything from subdued blacks and greys to bright stripes and polka-dots. Women of all ages, from toddlers to adults, could be seen incorporating leg warmers in their casual outfits.
Stirrup pants. Tight, elastic-waisted stirrup pants were the perfect thing to go under those colorful leg warmers--another dancewear-inspired fashion must-have. They were characterized by stirrups that hook under your feet, keeping the pants from riding up on your legs. Like the equally popular skin-tight leggings without stirrups, stirrup pants were often worn under miniskirts or long, bulky sweater dresses.
Big sweatshirts. Many women look back with nostalgia at the comfortable, slouchy-sexy sweatshirts that were all the rage at the time. For a while, it was fashionable to cut these shirts off at the stomach or widen the neckline so the shirt would fall provocatively over one shoulder.
Big earrings. Punk style, inspired by bands such as Blondie and Talking Heads, incorporated oversized, plastic earrings--often paired with very short, edgy haircuts. The colors favored were often neon pinks, greens and oranges--the more they clashed, the better.
Power suits. At the polar opposite end of the spectrum, women's workplace attire was undergoing a revolution. Women were storming corporate boardrooms in the largest numbers ever, and fashion was trying to figure out how to make women look powerful and feminine at the same time.
Women's suits modified the female silhouette with waists cinched tightly with wide belts, bulky shoulders augmented by pillow-sized shoulder pads, and bright colors outside of the traditional navies, blacks and grays reserved for men.
Jelly shoes. A must-have footwear trend for young girls and women in the 80's, jelly shoes were delicate flats made of soft, translucent rubber. They were made in a wide range of bright colors to match the decade's preference for neons and bold palettes. Teenagers loved them because of the kid-sized price--once the trend got underway, the shoes often cost under a dollar.
The 1980's were a decade of bold, striking style. Love it or hate it, you always know it when you see it.
And you may be seeing it more often than not lately. Leggings, ballet flats, and thick belts are definitely making a comeback in 2006. If you've been saving your old Danskin pants and leg warmers from the 1980's, now is the time to bring them out from the depths of your closet.