Fashion from the 1980s sometimes gets a bad reputation due to the exaggerated styles, bright color palettes, and penchant for daring (but sometimes unflattering) silhouettes.
It wasn't all about big shoulders, aerobics gear, and neon, however. It was also an era of innovation, and one that saw the birth of many timeless fits we would wear to this day. Think high-waisted jeans, tailored suits, oversized jewelry, and big shoulders. Perhaps just not as big as we wore them then.
We look back at our favorite 80s fashion trends, covering some 80s styles that wouldn't look out of place on the red carpet today, to ones that we're happy to lock away in the vaults.
The most iconic '80s fashion trends
Shoulder pads
Fashion in the 1980s was all about exaggerated, excessive fits and silhouettes, and power dressing. And the key to unlocking those styles was the use of shoulder pads. The bigger the better, naturally.
This picture of singer and songwriter Syreeta Wright encapsulates the era perfectly. Wearing a silky pantsuit with huge shoulder pads and extreme parachute pants, this outfit captures the best of the 80s.
Graphic t-shirts
Graphic t-shirts with slogans, abstract designs, and colorful prints were ubiquitous in the 80s - and remain a capsule wardrobe staple to this day.
There were countless variations of the style, but the most enduring one is probably the 'FRANKIE SAYS RELAX' t-shirt, which is produced to this day. Initially created by the manager of the band Frankie Goes to Hollywood, after they were banned from playing their hit song "Relax" on the BBC, the t-shirt was an instant cult item, spawning replicas across the globe. It even had a cameo in the hit TV show Friends...
Power suits
'Power dressing' became a new phenomenon in the '80s as the power suit came along, challenging gender norms, while projecting confidence and authority.
While the style was particularly popular with women in white collar jobs, power suits were ubiquitous in the 80s, characterized by their bold silhouettes, featuring shoulder pads, knee-length skirts, and nipped-in waists.
Not just for corporate settings, many designers in the eighties featured power suits in their runway collections, like the Chanel AW 1984-85 ready-to-wear collection, pictured.
Karl Lagerfeld had joined the fashion house one year earlier and immediately transformed the concept of the classic Chanel suits in his first collections.
High-waisted denim
High-waisted jeans weren't born in the '80s, but they definitely had a moment. The bellbottom styles of the previous decade gave way to loose-leg mom jean styles by the end of the 1980s, with a high-waist, baggy fit and tapered ankle.
This style got the royal seal of approval, too, with Princess Diana often pictured in high-waisted mom fit pants.
Scrunchies
Ideally sported in a high ponytail or half-up, half-down style like singer and actress Debbie Gibson, scrunchies were everywhere in the '80s.
Often worn layered for extra impact with an extra one on your wrist, they were the hair accessory to have.
Oversized blazers
Now a beloved staple, the oversized blazer first became popular for women in the '80s. These days, we might style our oversized blazer with a slip, leggings, or straight-leg jeans. But we also love the way that Linda Evangelista, pictured, has styled hers, with a short skirt and black heels.
Polka dot
Polka dot print is eternally on-trend but spiked in popularity in the 1950s and 1980s.
Fun, carefree, and feminine, it's a print we love to this day. This design from Ellen Warren features polka dots and stripes along with ruched details and shoulder pads.
Headbands
This picture of Cher from 1984 almost looks like a parody of the '80s. Rocking colored tights, a high-waisted bodysuit, leg warmers, and head and wrist bands (all in different colors), this might not be our favourite Cher outfit, but it sure fills us with nostalgia.
Headbands had something in a moment in the 1980s, as more and more people took up aerobics and needed something stylish to sweep their hair back. But make no mistake, it was as much about style as it was about function.
Colorful leggings
The fitness trends of the 80s and the widespread adoption of Lycra boosted the popularity of leggings in the 80s. No longer just workout clothes, leggings came in a range of fashion-forward, colorful styles.
Madonna even wore them on stage during the 'Virgin Tour' in 1985, complete with a customised denim jacket, belted mini skirt and cropped pink top.
Florals
Florals are always prevalent in fashion, but the print is continually adapted and evolves with contemporary trends. In the 1980s, floral prints were all about embracing maximalism and featured colorful, decadent designs.
Spandex
Spandex was created by the Lycra brand in 1958, but it really catapulted to popularity in the 1980s in the midst of the fitness craze of the decade, where aerobics and dance-based exercise classes transformed workout culture.
Spandex wasn't only popular in the studio, though, as fashionistas and celebrities rocked bodysuits, dresses, shorts, and skirts on the streets and clubs too.
Metallics
This picture of actor Jaclyn Smith features so many 1980s trends, like her periwinkle pants, the silky sleeveless bodice, and the matching plastic bracelet.
Even the decadent pink satin backdrop feels distinctly kitsch and '80s.
Punk embellishments
Eighties poster girl Madonna's fashion choices were as influential as her music.
Often incorporating punk elements into her outfits like fishnet tights, heavy makeup, studded jackets, rubber bracelets, and leather, her individualistic and eclectic style inspired people across the world.
Leg warmers
If you're invited to an '80s party and want a fun costume that is immediately recognizable as belonging to that era, you'll probably turn to leg warmers.
Leg warmers became popular thanks to the aerobics craze of the '80s, spearheaded by Jane Fonda, as well as movies like Flashdance and Fame. Not our favorite fashion item of the era, but one we'd be remiss not to include.
Chunky jewelry
Jewelry in the eighties was often big and flashy, not necessarily in a blingy way to project wealth or status.
Plastic, studs, leather, and costume pieces would add a fun (and OTT) flourish to any outfit.
Neon
The ubiquity of neon in the 1980s is sometimes overstated, but neon accents were undoubtedly popular.
While actress Leslie Ash looks amazing in her head-to-toe neon look, most others would just incorporate a bit of neon into their look, through accents or accessories.
Checked blazers
Checked outwear, specifically blazers and jackets, had a moment in the '80s. From the country casual styles preferred by Princess Diana to punky iterations rocked by Cyndi Lauper, the styling opportunities were endless.
We'd also like to take a moment to acknowledge Cyndi Lauper's amazing '80s makeup, featuring shimmery eyeshadow right up to her brow bone, and a dark red lip.
Puff sleeves
Puff sleeves were everywhere, often featuring (you've guessed it) shoulder pads. Here, a partygoer at Studio 54 combines a green puff-sleeve top with oversized sleeves with a form-fitting bodysuit and red belt.
The contrast between the voluminous top half and cinched-in waist was a popular silhouette at the time.
Sweatshirts
Debbie Harry was easily one of the coolest icons of the '80s, effortlessly blending relaxed streetwear with high fashion, punk DIY aesthetics with pop trends and glamour with a bit of grit.
Pictured here in 1980, she brought a bit of cool star power to The Muppet Show, performing in a pink sweatpant suit, complete with glitzy sequin details.
Jumpsuits
Jumpsuits had already enjoyed popularity in the 1960s and 1970s, but by the time the '80s rolled around, the styles were more relaxed and leisurely, often incorporating popular new synthetic materials, and the silhouettes that were popular during that decade. Shoulder pads were a must.
Corset belts
Corset belts were the belt of choice in the '80s as a way to achieve the popular dramatic silhouettes of the time and to provide a bit of femininity to androgynous tailored styles.
Providing an instant cinched waist, they're an easy way to style loose-fitting clothes and remain a popular styling trick in the 2020s.
Denim jackets
Jean jackets were an eighties staple - even better if they were embellished.
In terms of styling, buying them oversized and rolling the sleeves (or pushing them up) was a must.
The New Romantics
The New Romantic movement was characterized by dramatic, flamboyant, theatrical, androgynous styles that embraced luxurious, elaborate prints and materials.
The subculture emerged from the small club scene of London, England, in the 1980s and went on to influence more mainstream fashion of the era.
White and acid wash jeans
Like everything else, denim got colorful in the '80s with white and acid wash styles becoming popular. Fast forward 40 years, and we've traded our high-waisted white denim shorts for white denim pants.
Leather jackets
Leather jackets in biker, bomber, and blazer styles were all popular in the '80s, so there was a leather jacket for every style preference and aesthetic.
Here, musician, actress, and our ultimate style icon, Grace Jones, is pictured at the A View to Kill party in 1985 in a relaxed bomber-style leather jacket and headscarf.
Dolphin shorts
Athletic wear took center stage in the '80s, and dolphin shorts were particularly big at the start of the decade. The unisex athletic shorts were generally very short and made from nylon, sometimes with piping at the sides.
Forget day-to-night looks, it was all about gym-to-club styles back then.
Animal print
This look from a partygoer at Studio 54 incorporates two big trends of the era: animal print and bodysuits worn as outerwear.
Complete with futuristic, silver glasses and a pillarbox-red clutch, it's not a look we might turn to now - but we appreciate it all the same.
Chunky pearls
The royal family has long been fans of a stacked pearl necklace, but the style became mainstream in the '80s. Sally Kirkland (pictured) wore hers with a glamorous gown at the 1989 Golden Globe Awards, but the style was spotted on the streets too, with cheap replica pearl chokers adding a glam touch to any outfit.
Skirt suits
Pencil skirts, often running past the knee, were a stylish accompaniment to structured blazers with exaggerated shoulders. Sleek and high-waisted, this style counterbalanced the wider shoulder line for a wearable day-to-day look.
Sequins
The eighties embraced color and frivolity, so sequins naturally featured heavily in many styles. This cheerful orange and yellow ensemble was pictured on the runway at the Stephen Sprouse Fashion Show at New York Fashion Week in 1988.
Prom dresses
Prom dresses enjoyed a revival in the '80s, and like most other styles of the era, they were often over the top. Think puffy sleeves, bubble skirts, pouffe details, and giant bows; the bigger the better!
However, there were more subtle iterations too, like Princess Diana's baby blue Cannes Festival dress that she wore to the 1987 event.
Over accessorizing
In an era that embraced maximalism, more was more when it came to styling in the '80s. Think lace gloves, huge jewelry, big headscarves, layered necklaces, and bright, brash separates.
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