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1980's. An Entire Decade of Fashion ( Fashion Forecaster Dianna Prince )

diannaprince
Sep 16, 2018
7 min read

Hello and welcome to my 1980's fashion blog! I honestly could have just featured images of Madonna, and no one else! She was, in my eyes, the most iconic fashion influencer of the 1980's decade. Few things I want to cover. In fashion there is a , " rule of thumb ". Every 30 years, or so, fashion trends and styles repeat themselves. That topic is a blog within itself. Every era, ever decade, which us a span of 10 entire years, has different fashion trends. Every member of society, did not wear the same style clothing, or hairdos. I keep in mind that actors, performers, singers, dancers, stars and public figures, within the entertainment industry, dressed differently than the, " average housewife ", or a business career woman, a factory worker, etc. From a royal Princess, to a pop star, a housewife, to a career woman, a fashion model, to a college student, as well as age gaps, social status, and financial status, even within the same exact year they all dressed in different styles, than each other. People going out clubbing and to party, weren't wearing what a typical housewife would be wearing at home. The fashion trends a housewife would wear on a daily basis, may be very different from what a Queen would wear, on a daily basis. I guarantee you royalty, children, anyone over 50, a typical 1980's housewife, a business woman, and more, were NOT dressing like Madonna in the 80's. Teens were NOT going to school with lace bras, bustiers underneath jackets, etc. The most popular music, movies, fashion trends, hairstyles, etc., in 1980, were not the same in 1989. So not only did different types of people, wear different styles within the same decade, fashion trends changes from the beginning of the 80's, to the end. I think of key clothing garments that make an 80's look. But there are club looks, pop star looks, fitness looks, casual every day clothing, upscale high fashion, teen fashions and more, all within 10 years of time. Brooke Shields, a very popular actress turned super model. In the 80's she modeled high fashion, and in fashion ads. Even in her own time, out and about, clubbing or at events, she never had the, " the 1980's Madonna look ". Like a pop star such as Robert Palmer, very popular in the 80's. His style was exclusively upscale, with suits mainly and a tie. Where as someone such as Prince, was wearing open blouses, necklaces, earrings, high heel boots, jelled hair, makeup, etc. This is blog showcases images of the most popular entertainers in the 80's, most popular 1980's movies and TV shows, and fashion trends from casual, fitness, club wear, to upscale and high fashion. As you can easily see, from the earlier 80's to the early 90's, fashion trends undoubtedly changed, and throughout a 10 year span of time. Even within the exact same year, people of all walks of life, and members of society, dressed differently. Here are key garments and accessories that make a solid 1980's look. Not a conservative look, not necessarily an upscale, or high fashion look. More so what most celebrities wore in tv, at events, or performing. These are garments and items that went totally mainstream in the 80's, at different points. Feathered, layered bangs or hairdo Black silicone bracelets Huge hoop earrings Necklaces with a cross, earrings with a cross Lots of jewelry, rings, bracelets, earrings, very busy Lace everything, gloves, socks, tights, capris, pants, jackets, bustiers, heels, boots, and more Lots of black, black satin and lace. Black suits Lots of white. All white suits, white lace bustiers, white lace gloves, dresses, and more Business jackets, sports coats. Women wearing men's dinner jackets Men with suits, gray was very popular, with skinny ties Stoned washed jeans, late 80's Leg warmers, spandex leotards Shoulder pads in every dress, jackets, blouses and tops Track suits, sports suits, jumpsuits. Adidas sports suits, gold chains, Kango hats, Adidas sneakers, huge gold hoop earrings Women still wore pantyhose in society, to church and events, on a regular basis. Bankers, flight attendants, waitresses, teachers, etc. Showing a large amount of cleavage and or bum, wasn't popular in the 80's, mainstream or stars. Most women into fashion wore men's dinner jackets, with long sleeve blouses or sweaters, turtle necks, etc. Sweaters. All ages, height, weight, social classes, financial budget, occupation, personal taste, etc., all wore sweaters with colorful designs Sunglasses have been popular and mainstream since they were invented. In the 80's one style frame, made by Ray Bans, became extremely popular, mainly because of Tom Cruise Guys in pastel color shirts, pants and suits Guys wearing a sports coat, with a plain white, or solid color, cotton shirt, jeans and sneakers Lots of layers. Men and women wore layers of clothing up top, mid section, and below Bras and slip tops, were popular and wore with jeans, and often with a dinner jacket Tight pants, hot pants, leather pants, mini skirts Tiny heels, aka pumps, with socks that have a ruffle Socks in general were more popular, and purposely seen Big bows in the hair, and on dresses If you notice, women were wearing mens shirts and jackets, even dress shoes that looked like a mens shoe. Lots of women shaved the back of their hair, or sides. The mohawk was popular with both genders, just not with everyone in society or entertainment. Then the men, were wearing more feminine looking garments, blouses, jewelry, boots with heels, wearing makeup, or pastel colored shirts, with matching socks. Mens suits and ties, in the 80's, were similar to mens suits in the 50's, later 40's. And several womens fashion trends from the 50's, also became popular in the 80's. Different hair, that's for certain! Swimsuit styles changed throughout the 80's. Lingerie had lots of satin and lace, very little spandex or lycra, no boning or stiff materials. Thigh highs have remained popular, but in the 80's, way less women wore thigh highs and garter belts, on a regular basis or for photo shoots. Popular models that were super sexy like, Carmen Electra, Pam Anderson, Coco Austin, etc. Mens magazine models, didn't come alone until the 90s. Similar to when most rap videos began featuring sexy dressed, almost porn style models. The huge implants, big booty, big full lips, platform stilettos, big layered hair, like country girl, full hair, models and actresses weren't doing all that, and showing all that in the 80's. Sure in Playboy magazine, there were always sexy implied nudes and topless, with 1980's style lingerie and hairdos. Those models were not in bright colored lingerie or clothing. No wild colored hair, lots of jewelry, lace gloves and socks, no bright colored tights and blue lipstick, etc. No purple nail polish. Same exact era, within the same exact decade. Completely different people, different occupations different side of the industry, different personal taste, different use for clothes, different budgets,..... Look how the characters were dressed on Miami Vice. Sporte coat, Bermuda shorts, pastel color t shirts, sunglasses, loafer, casual style shoes. Then look at guys like Morris Day, of The Time, or Robert Palmer. No pastel shirts, no big, printed sweaters, no tight leather pants, no jeans, no feminine looking silk blouses with the ruffles, no high heel boots, no penny loafers or polo shirts. Look at I Love Lucy, Leave it to Beaver or Happy Days. Moms in the kitchen cooking meals for hours, apron on, oven mits, yet exquisite dresses, high heels, full on pantyhose, jewelry on, hairdo fabulous, wearing Pearl's or a neck scarf,...... yes at 8 am on, until bedtime. Cooking in the kitchen wearing pearls! Having friends and family over for a meal, men in suits or slacks and a nice shirt, kids looking casual but nice. Moms in an apron, beautiful dress and silk scarf around her neck. Now, not everyone had a mom who stayed home, and dressed like that every day, without fail. Women like that wouldn't even go to the market minus pantyhose and a girdle! Yet, every woman in the 50's did not dress that way. Lucille Ball verses Bettie Page. Sophia Loren verses Brigitte Bardot. Audrey Hepburn verses Marilyn Monroe. Beautiful starlets, dressed differently most of the time. Fashiin icons but fashionably different, on their off time and leisure time. When fashion trends changed, hairstyles changed, and clothing designers created new styles, all those starlets, also changed their styles. Pinup Talk host Dianna Prince

1985 Weird Science

1988. Robert Palmer.

Prince. 1980's.

Sheila E. Mid 1980's.

Janet Jackson. Early to late 80's.

Michael J. Fox. Back To The Future. 1985

Tom Cruise. 1983.

Anthony Michael Hall. Molly Ringwald. The Breakfast Club 1985 and Sixteen Candles 1984.

St. Elmo's Fire. 1985. Demi Moore

Ferris Bueller's Day Off. 1986.

Joan Collins

Oprah Winfrey

Grace Jones

Heather Lockear

Olivia Newton John

Cindy Crawford

1980's fashion.

1980's fashion.

Brooke Shields

Desperately Seeking Susan. Madonna, Rosanna Arquette. 1985.

Madonna in the decade of the 1980's.

Don Johnson and Philip Michael Thomas. Miami Vice. 1984.

Molly Ringwald. 1986. Pretty In Pink.

Flash Dance. 1983. Jennifer Beals.

Prince and Morris Day. 1980's.

Run DMC

The Beatie Boys

Salt n Pepa

1980's fashion.

Princess Diana

1980's fashion.

Cindy Loper

Thank you for reading. Thank you to Atomic Jane Clothing for all my wonderfully stylish wardrobe, for my shoots! Below are a few images, of two 1980's looks I created for myself. I'm wearing fabulous bustier's by Atomic Jane Clothing! The look with the mini skirt, such a popular garment in the 80's, it's also from Atomic Jane Clothing. Short lace gloves, sunglasses, skin tight black pants, black patent leather heels, rhinestone cross necklace, huge gold hoop earrings, and 2 completely different hairstyles.