Womenswear
Adecade defined by its “power dressing,” the 1980s really begun with fashionable sportswear and the delicate “New Romantics” style. Carrying on from the late 1970s trend for sportswear and spurred by a fitness obsession, ladies increasingly wore elegant gym clothing in their day-to-day lives. This was portrayed in Jennifer Beals’ clothing in the 1983 movie Flashdance. Dance-wear inspired design including off-the-shoulder sweatshirts and leggings, while Jane Fonda’s exercise films also pushed these styles.
Norma Kamali continued to manufacture trendy sportswear using comfy materials such as jersey. Meanwhile designers such as Donna Karan and Azzedine Alaïa shifted to employing flexible fabrics such as Lycra for body-conforming clothes. Editor Kathryn Hennessy highlights how this made a dramatic shift how fashion was worn in Fashion: The Ultimate Book of Fashion and Style: “Women’s bodies were now shaping the clothes, rather than clothes shaping the body” (388). The dresses by Donna Karan and Azzedine Alaia show how gowns molded to the body while the ensemble by Versace is an example of how sportswear made its way into high fashion. The ensemble incorporates a popular piece from the eighties: a bodysuit.
In the early 1980s, the romantic style epitomized by the prairie dresses of the 1970s maintained. Princess Diana’s fairy-tale wedding dress by David and Elizabeth Emanuel represented this concept [see “Fashion Icon” section below]. Puffed sleeves, large accessories such as belts and bows, and historical motifs created bold statements. Vivienne Westwood gave this look an edge with her Pirate Collection in 1981 and was adopted by bands and club-goers in London as the “New Romantic” look (Hennessy 390).
Fashion Icon: Princess Diana
One of the most enduring icons of eighties style is Princess Diana, the young woman who famously married into the British royal family in July 1981. The world soon loved the new princess and her style reflected popular trends throughout the decade.
Before getting married, Diana was dubbed a “Sloane Ranger,” the UK’s counterpart to the preppy appearance and so-named for the posh central London Sloane Square address many of them lived there. Pearls, pie-crust blouses, floral Laura Ashley skirts and patent heels were in her armory during this time. In her debut portrait for British Vogue, she donned a soft pink shirt with a ruffled collar by David and Elizabeth Emanuel that characterized the early eighties romantic look.
Her wedding dress by David and Elizabeth Emanuel is, of course, one of the most iconic fashion moments of the 1980s. In Diana, Her Life in Fashion, Georgina Howell writes that this garment foretold Diana’s fashion influence:
Read Also: Styling Tips for 80s Miami Vice Women's Fashion
Children’s Wear
Both men’s and women’s fashion flowed down into children’s clothes in the 1980s. However, it also took on brighter hues and bolder patterns. Emma Rensch writes, “Children’s fashion mirrored that popularized by teens and young adults, as clothing became more zany and daring than in previous decades, largely because of a culture of increasing childhood independence.” Bold stripes, vivid colors, and patterns were all popular styles for youngsters throughout the 1980s.
Many styles were worn by both girls and boys. Acid and stone-washed jeans were classics in children’s outfits. These fashions had high waists and were straight-legged, separating them from the flared jeans of the previous decade. These were typically worn with oversized sweaters.
High-top Converse, brightly-colored tennis shoes and denim jackets were other popular outfits worn by all genders. Rensch recalls a tendency for coordinating ensembles, “Matching was prevalent, and popular outfits for kids featured matching shorts, Polo shirts and socks, all with the same patterns or colors.” Like their adult counterparts, boys often wore shorts and tube socks.
Kari Pettersen
Womenswear
Adecade defined by its “power dressing,” the 1980s really begun with fashionable sportswear and the delicate “New Romantics” style. Carrying on from the late 1970s trend for sportswear and spurred by a fitness obsession, ladies increasingly wore elegant gym clothing in their day-to-day lives. This was portrayed in Jennifer Beals’ clothing in the 1983 movie Flashdance. Dance-wear inspired design including off-the-shoulder sweatshirts and leggings, while Jane Fonda’s exercise films also pushed these styles.
Norma Kamali continued to manufacture trendy sportswear using comfy materials such as jersey. Meanwhile designers such as Donna Karan and Azzedine Alaïa shifted to employing flexible fabrics such as Lycra for body-conforming clothes. Editor Kathryn Hennessy highlights how this made a dramatic shift how fashion was worn in Fashion: The Ultimate Book of Fashion and Style: “Women’s bodies were now shaping the clothes, rather than clothes shaping the body” (388). The dresses by Donna Karan and Azzedine Alaia show how gowns molded to the body while the ensemble by Versace is an example of how sportswear made its way into high fashion. The ensemble incorporates a popular piece from the eighties: a bodysuit.
In the early 1980s, the romantic style epitomized by the prairie dresses of the 1970s maintained. Princess Diana’s fairy-tale wedding dress by David and Elizabeth Emanuel represented this concept [see “Fashion Icon” section below]. Puffed sleeves, large accessories such as belts and bows, and historical motifs created bold statements. Vivienne Westwood gave this look an edge with her Pirate Collection in 1981 and was adopted by bands and club-goers in London as the “New Romantic” look (Hennessy 390).
Fashion Icon: Princess Diana
One of the most enduring icons of eighties style is Princess Diana, the young woman who famously married into the British royal family in July 1981. The world soon loved the new princess and her style reflected popular trends throughout the decade.
Before getting married, Diana was dubbed a “Sloane Ranger,” the UK’s counterpart to the preppy appearance and so-named for the posh central London Sloane Square address many of them lived there. Pearls, pie-crust blouses, floral Laura Ashley skirts and patent heels were in her armory during this time. In her debut portrait for British Vogue, she donned a soft pink shirt with a ruffled collar by David and Elizabeth Emanuel that characterized the early eighties romantic look.
Her wedding dress by David and Elizabeth Emanuel is, of course, one of the most iconic fashion moments of the 1980s. In Diana, Her Life in Fashion, Georgina Howell writes that this garment foretold Diana’s fashion influence:
Read Also: Styling Tips for 80s Miami Vice Women's Fashion
Children’s Wear
Both men’s and women’s fashion flowed down into children’s clothes in the 1980s. However, it also took on brighter hues and bolder patterns. Emma Rensch writes, “Children’s fashion mirrored that popularized by teens and young adults, as clothing became more zany and daring than in previous decades, largely because of a culture of increasing childhood independence.” Bold stripes, vivid colors, and patterns were all popular styles for youngsters throughout the 1980s.
Many styles were worn by both girls and boys. Acid and stone-washed jeans were classics in children’s outfits. These fashions had high waists and were straight-legged, separating them from the flared jeans of the previous decade. These were typically worn with oversized sweaters.
High-top Converse, brightly-colored tennis shoes and denim jackets were other popular outfits worn by all genders. Rensch recalls a tendency for coordinating ensembles, “Matching was prevalent, and popular outfits for kids featured matching shorts, Polo shirts and socks, all with the same patterns or colors.” Like their adult counterparts, boys often wore shorts and tube socks.