1980-1999

WOMENSWEAR

The 1980s birthed more fashion icons than any other decade.

Along with 1970s fashion, 1980s fashion was one of the most experimental periods in style history thanks to enduring style icons from Princess Diana to Madonna, Joan Collins to Boy George.

Clothes were used to define personalities and make big statements. Shoulders were padded right up to your ears, courtesy of Lady Diana and the cast of Dynasty. Meanwhile Boy George and the Blitz club crew were giving peacock punk a whirl. No doubt about it, it was a crazy era for all things à la mode – the later 1990s fashion was significantly calmer by comparison. Let’s take a look back.Our beloved Madge burst onto the pop scene in 1983, working haute scrunchies, leathers and tutus like we’d never seen before. We fell in love (naturally) and the queen of pop reigned on for the rest of the decade, breaking style boundaries with her incredible physique and conical bras.

It would be silly of us to even try to sum up Princess Diana’s impact on fashion and culture in one short paragraph, but if we had to, we would say this: she was the trendsetter of a generation, a champion of the power shoulder and that super eighties wedding dress, which literally went down as one of the biggest in history.This jacket is exactly what 1980s fashion was all about. The power jacket became a Michael Jackson style signature and one of the most copied cuts of the decade. This iconic piece went on to sell for $1.8million at auction in 2011, described by its new owner as ‘the greatest piece of rock memorabilia ever’. Enough said.Joan Collins. The queen of 80s TV show Dynasty inspired thousands of big hair ‘dos and heavy make-up statements throughout the decade. Her character, the soap’s villain Alexis Colby, had a wardrobe of puff shoulder dresses and trophy jackets that was so bad, it was so so good.From The Breakfast Club to Pretty In Pink, the Brat Pack dominated the decade’s teen movies, with one idol always stealing the show as the prettiest, most popular girl in school. Oh come on, don’t pretend you didn’t want to be her

Homemade jewelry and, to a lesser degree, self-designed clothing, was very popular.AdvertisementBy then, the eighties had become a bad thing. Hair spray was eighties. Too much makeup was eighties. Flashy clothing was eighties. Anything eighties was considered a bad thing. Most women didn’t want wild patterns and colors, they wanted simple and humble. Solid colors, preferably subdued was the way to go.

As the decade progressed, fashion became more similar to what you saw throughout the 2000s. The grunge look faded away and sexy made a comeback. Tight clothing was worn again and glamour was ever slowly inching its way back into the fashion world. Which was great news for fashion designers, who had grown tired trying to make flannel look good.