About 80s Fashion
The 1980's was a decade of big, bold, bright fashion. These trends defined a decade, and can usually be spotted a mile away. Here's a look back at the sometimes questionable fashion trends of the 1980's. Does this Spark an idea?
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History
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The 80's are sometimes referred to as the "Me! Me! Me!" decade. Women were beginning to feel more and more liberated by the day. Many women were just starting to experience the exhilaration of the belief that they could be and do anything. Trends were big, bold, and bright--even neon. The 80's was a time of Cabbage Patch kids, Rainbow Bright, Smurfs and Ninja Turtles.
Significance
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The 80's style took cues from Nancy Reagan, Princess Di and Madonna. The idea behind the emerging trends was to take fashion to extremes. The ideal that you could express yourself in bold ways resulted in big hair, over-sized sweaters and a neon palette. At the same time, more and more women were staking their claim in the workplace, and power suits with big shoulders were a huge trend.
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Types
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When envisioning 80's fashion trends, there are three distinct looks that stand out. One is the 80's exercise gear. Body suits, sweatbands, spandex, and legwarmers were considered in. Every day wear featured bright colors, big sizes, and lots of hairspray, makeup and glitter. On the other end of the spectrum, the power suit emerged in the workplace with a pencil skirt and jacket complete with shoulder pads.
Features
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The 80's style is easy to identify, from head to toe. The hair was big. Permed, teased, fluffed, and hair-sprayed, tresses in this decade suffered a lot of abuse. Spiky bangs and side ponytails were popular and blond was the color to be. Makeup featured a lot of bold colors. Light pink lips, blue eyeshadow, and a touch of glitter was a fashionable look. Outfits featured off-shoulder shirts, side-tie tops, mini skirts, acid wash jeans, and lots and lots of neon. Colors were painfully bright and neons could be mixed and matched to the heart's delight. You could dress up your feet with high-top shoes, jellies, or Keds and scrunch socks. Popular accessories featured slap bracelets and colorful, plastic Swatch watches.
Considerations
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Fashion has a tendency to repeat itself, and though the blinding neon of the 1980's has yet to return, some trends already seem to be back. 80's legging came back into style recently and don't seem to be on their way out any time soon. With the leggings are some of the signature over-sized sweaters from the 80's, though the color palette seems to be a bit more muted today. Prom dresses can even be spotted in bright pink, ultra-shiny materials reminiscent of past styles. There's no telling what could be next.
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