These days we are used to the media driving fashion, but in the 1980s this was something quite new.
Although of course television was nothing new, it wasn't until the 1980s that music television such as MTV really started to take off and this had a massive influence on the way that people dressed. This influence by TV and the media helped to make 1980s fashion bold and strong, which is probably why we still see so
much of it in today's fashion choices.
We came out of the 1970s with a love of bold autumnal colours and patterns but the fashionista of the 1980s started to make different colour choices. Pink was a very popular colour throughout the 1980s from baby pink to bright magenta as well as duller muted shades and pretty pale pastels. Jewel tones such as cobalt blue, ruby red and emerald green were also hugely popular but there was also a massive trend for the simplicity of a monochrome palette. This amazing 80s vintage dress by Frank Usher is a perfect example...
Big, baggy clothing also become popular - people liked wearing puffy shirts, long trench
jackets and over sized t-shirts. You can look at any high street fashion brand today and see many oversized dresses, jackets and tops which are the height of chic, we have 80s fashion to thank for that. It's fair to say that many of the items we wear today and consider to be at the height of fashion were made popular in, or take their inspiration from the 1980s. Leggings are seen everywhere now and these really started to pick up in popularity back in the 1980s. Bat wing tops, tracksuit bottoms, crop tops, denim shorts, ripped jeans, trench coats and over size t shirts all really started their popularity back at this time too.
The 1980s was all about outfits being finished perfectly and this meant paying attention to everything you
were wearing. Shoes and accessories were a massive part of an outfit with bright colours and metallics being super popular. Much like the 1970s big hair was also popular during this time, although now people wanted to add some colour and a bit of glitz to the style. Glitter mousses and coloured hair sprays were popular with people who wanted big hair with plenty of unique charm and pezazz!
Accessories were also essential to make a whole outfit perfectly finished. A big part of this was bold jewellery to either match or totally contrast the colour and the boldness of the rest of the outfit. This involved big chunky jewellery, bold clutch bags, supersized hair bows and more. For many people blue eyeliner was a must-have too!
Love it or hate it, 80s fashion made some serious waves when it comes to trends and many of which we still see today. Don't just grab a mass-produced modern item with 80s inspiration - choose some original 1980s clothing to really stand out from the crowd!
Until next time
Emma x
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