The 80's

80'S in FASHION <3

Early 1980's

New Romantic look

New Romantic was a New Wave and fashion movement that occurred primarily in British and Irish nightclubs. New Wave, New Romantic, and gothic (Goth) fashion at this time was heavily influenced by punk fashion: the streaky eyeliner, the spiked hair, the outrageous clothing, some of which derived from bondage wear (goth) and some of which (New Romantic) was a nod to long-gone eras.

Leotards and dancewear

Leotards had been a fashion trend since the early 1970s, when they were first used to add color and texture under the "layered look" popular in the middle of that decade. By the end of the decade, leotards made from shiny spandex had become the standard feminine fashion of the "disco era", partly for their form-fitting quality and the fact that they allowed flexibility and ease of movement.

Miami Vice look

The 1980s brought an explosion of colorful styles in men's clothing. The look of several popular TV stars helped to set fashion trends among young and middle-aged men.

Michael Jackson

Michael Jackson had many iconic looks. The Thriller look was inspired by Jackson's record breaking album Thriller. Teenagers would attempt to replicate the look of Jackson, which included matching red/black leather pants and jackets, one glove, sunglasses, and jheri curl. Michael Jackson's Thriller jacket and similar clothing seen in films like The Lost Boys were often studded and left undone to create a messier look.

In the 1980s, rising pop star Madonna proved to be very influential to female fashions. She first emerged on the dance music scene with her "street urchin" look consisting of short skirts worn over leggings, necklaces, rubber bracelets, fishnet gloves, hairbows, long layered strings of beads, bleached, untidy hair with dark roots, head bands, and lace ribbons.

Mid-late 1980s

Eyewear

In the early to mid-1980s, glasses with large, plastic frames were in fashion for both men and women. Small metal framed eyeglasses made a return to fashion in 1984 and 1985, and in the late 1980s, glasses with tortoise-shell coloring became popular.

Happy Pants

Happy pants were worn mostly by teenagers, especially teenage girls, in the 1980s. Fun kids fabrics were used to make the happy pants. This meant those who wore them had their own unique pair of happy pants.