80s Fashion

More Was More in 80s Fashion

Whoever said ‘less is more’ didn’t come of age in the 80s.  Girl, you know it’s true (sorry, couldn’t resist the Milli Vanilli reference).  80s fashion was all about color, size, and experimentation.  We wore blue mascara and yellow eye shadow, we had hair to the skies and shoulder pads not far behind it, and the lines between men’s and women’s fashion blurred.  Many of the biggest fashion trends of the 80s were unisex: Member’s Only jackets, parachute pants, Converse chucks, Wayfarers, even big hair– all were enjoyed by both the gals and their dudes in the 80s.

Whether you remember these fashion trends first hand or whether you are younger and are researching what life was like in the 80s, we hope you find our nostalgic trip down fashion’s memory lane fun and interesting. Our writers come to the stories from personal experience, and in many cases include their own pictures from the 80s to demonstrate what these fashion trends really looked like.  It wasn’t all fingerless gloves (although they certainly had their moment) and neon (also had its moment), as today’s 80s parties would have you believe.  It was also that rainbow striped shirt you had in the 5th grade and the dyed-to-match prom shoes a few years later.  For guys, it was tight-rolling your jeans and the much-coveted gold chain.  To borrow from the Member’s Only tagline, which describes perfectly how we feel about the lasting appeal of 80s fashion–“when you put it on, something happens.”

This is what 80s fashion really looked like – much more than just neon and leg warmers.

Get Lost in the World of 80s Fashion

Choose from the categories below (hair, makeup, jewelry, trends, shoes, etc) to begin exploring the wonderful and somewhat wacky world of 80s fashion.  We are expanding our catalog of 80s fashion trends all the time, so be sure to go here for the latest fashion stories.

Need an 80s Costume?

Be sure to check out our guide to 80s Costumes for a totally awesome guide to clothes worn in 80s and 80s costume ideas (for 80s parties or Halloween).

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