The Eighties
Whereas the 1970s were generally marked by natural colours like brown, purple and orange, midway through the ‘80s the emphasis was put on bright colours. In addition, gold, silver, neon and glitters had also become very popular. People also started to wear more jewellery than in previous decades. Big earrings, necklaces and multiple bracelets had become standard attire.
A particular subculture that stood out in the ‘80s was ‘punk fashion’. This culture originated in the United Kingdom as a reaction against the hippie culture of the ‘70s and the materialistic tendencies of the early ‘80s. Punk was very much an anti-movement, particularly focused against the fashion industry. Mohawks, (pinned) leather jackets and the famous Dr. Marten’s boots made the punk outfit look rather intimidating.
1980's Women's Fashion
Early '80s
The early ‘80s were marked by a sense of minimalism. Fashion during the first couple of years in the 1980s therefore resembled that of the 1970s.
Women wore very little to no accessories and the practical side of fashion was often considered just as important as the aesthetic side. Unisex clothes, like t-shirts, sweaters and jeans were also very popular.
Sportswear
This trend continued onwards from the 1970s. Women wore wide sweaters with tracksuit trousers, tights or pantyhose. Full velour (a plush knitted fabric) tracksuits were very popular as well. Though normal accessories and jewellery weren’t very trendy, sports accessories were indeed. Legwarmers, elastic headbands and sneakers were in very high demand.
Business wear
During the late ‘70s and early ‘80s women started venturing more and more into corporate life. In order to dress appropriately and profile themselves on the job market women started to wear specific business attire.
Popular choices for a professional look were (midi) skirts, wide trousers, a blazer with shoulder pads and a coloured blouse. Due to the high demand of formal shoes for women, shoemakers looked more carefully at the design and started focussing on comfort and stability.
Mids '80s
Somewhere around 1985 women’s fashion had become much more colourful than before. Long wide skirts, tight miniskirts, spandex and cycling shorts were very popular. Whereas trousers were generally skinny, sweaters were often a bit oversized.
Just like the beginning of the ‘80s sportswear was particularly popular, though the outfits were much more colourful than before. The most popular women’s shoes were Kedsen, kitten heels and pumps.
Madonna
Undoubtedly, the biggest fashion icon of the ‘80s was Madonna. Due to the introduction of the MTV channel, music videos had become extremely popular as well. This meant that not only her music and hit songs got much attention, but her looks and fashion style too.
Girls, young and old, across the entire world were copying Madonna’s (somewhat peculiar) looks and outfits. Fish-net sweaters, leg warmers, corsets, nail polish, eyeshadow and bright red lipstick were suddenly in huge demand. In part because of Madonna’s influence, women started to dress more excitingly.
Power dressing
Another remarkable fashion trend from the 1980s was ‘power dressing’. This fashion trend was mostly recognised through the blazers, dresses and jackets with large shoulder pads. In addition, extraordinary (expensive) jewellery was considered a display of wealth. This was an important part of power dressing. Furthermore, women’s business shoes were often provided with pointy heels and noses. This trend existed until well into the early ‘90s.
New Romanticism
The ‘New Romantic’ fashion trend originated from the British nightclub scene and started as a reaction to ordinary civilised culture and fashion. Characteristics of the underground fashion trend were the dark and thick eyeliners, lipstick, brightly coloured hair, and ‘historical’ outfits (like pirate-jackets and eyepatches). These outfits were worn by both men and women. The result was an androgynous style, meaning that it contained both feminine and masculine features.
At first, men seemed to adopt New Romanticism more quickly. It was during the mid ‘80s that the trend also caught on with women. Famous artists and musicians that adopted this particular style included: Siouxsie and the Banshees, Boy George, Duran Duran and David Bowie.
Late '80s
The most important trend during the late ‘80s was the rise in popularity of mini-skirts and the decline of shoulder pads. These trends continued further into the Nineties.
Whereas the fashion of the mid ‘80s wasn’t really accessible to everyone (think power dressing and tight aerobics costumes), fashion of the late ‘80s was generally much more welcoming and ‘customer friendly’. Most outfits and clothing were designed more simply and the use of bright colours and (extravagant) accessories declined.
1980's Men's fashion
Early '80s
In the early ‘80s the world was in a recession, which subsequently led to less colourful outfits. On the other hand, it was important to show that the economic recession did not affect you personally. This led to men and women buying expensive clothing in order to portray their wealth. A sense of materialism was quite apparent during this time.
Sportswear
Just like for women’s fashion in the ‘80s, sportswear had become very popular amongst men. Though men’s sports fashion was not as bright, colourful and excessive as some portrayals might have you believe.
Trousers and shorts were a lot less tight than the cycling shorts and spandex of the mid ‘80s, for example.
Nonetheless, the shirts that were worn were rather tight and fit. As mentioned before, colours were also less flashy than in later years. Basic colours like black, white, brown and grey were very common in sportswear. Popular clothing amongst men were (velour) tracksuits, polo shirts, V-neck sweaters and casual suit jackets.
New Romanticism
In the early ‘80s, mainstream fashion trends were dominated and mostly influenced by the New Wave trend in music. Clothing that came with this trend was quickly adopted into the ‘New Romanticism’ movement. The name of this movement came from the fact that young people started wearing old and historically ‘romantic’ clothing, like pirate jackets, blouses and hats.
Men in this period often had remarkably coloured hairstyles and also used a fair amount of make-up, like lipstick, eyeshadow and eyeliner. Famous artists that adopted this style were Boy George, Duran Duran, David Bowie and Adam and the Ants.
Mid '80s
Midway through the ‘80s men’s fashion had suddenly become much more colourful. This was not only seen in sportswear, but also in more casual clothing such as brightly coloured shirts and blouses.
In large parts of America, summer clothing became very popular as well. The famous Hawaii shirts and blouses were much beloved. The extreme use of bright colours was mostly popularised through television shows like Miami Vice and Magnum P.I.
Power dressing
Though mostly women flourished in this particular trend, men also adopted certain ‘power’ outfits. Suits were often designed with broad shoulder pads and pinstripes also made a comeback.
Another noticeable change were the relatively small lapels on jackets. The additional waistcoat also changed from the original four or six buttons to a three-button model.
In earlier years, a smaller tie was often the standard. This changed midway through the ‘80s. Larger, wider and often striped ties in a neutral colour were rather popular. Men commonly wore a double-breasted suit, in order to look more muscular.
Late '80s
In the late ‘70s and early ‘80s, Dr. Martens had become extremely popular due to Punk fashion. However, in the late ‘80s these particular shoes were also much beloved in other subcultures, like the goth culture. The boots were generally worn with camouflage army trousers and a black leather jacket.
Similar to women’s fashion of the late ‘80s, men’s fashion had also become a lot more accessible. Clothes came with a more simple design and the use of very bright colours was also brought to a minimum. Accessories, as worn throughout the mid ‘80s, had also become less important.