What was worn in the 80s

Leotards for adult women were typically in solid bright colors or thin stripes, but girls and teens could choose from leotards with patterns or designs. Shop 80s workout clothes. They were worn by men, women, and teens, often with a T-shirt or knit top. Women and girls paired them with crop tops in the summer, and also wore them over bikinis or with bikini tops. Brands such as Nike, Adidas, Reebok, Converse, Puma, and Pony partnered with important figures in the sports world to promote their shoes.

Shop retro sneakers. Classic pumps, canvas sneakers, moccasins, wedges, penny loafers, boots, and sandals were not new inventions. These classics paired well with the latest trends while remaining neutral to the overall outfit. Pumps were worn by the working woman to the office, so many came in basic colors black, red, navy, white with minimal decoration.

Strappy heeled sandals were popular, with straps at the ankle and straps that criss-crossed over the vamp of the shoe. These shoes were flexible and breathable, which made them perfect for casual summer wear. Jelly sandals were made of PVC plastic, and typically came in transparent colors or with glitter!

They were cheap, comfortable, and could get wet, which made them very popular with women and girls. The only downside was the plastic was not breathable, which meant they made your feet hot and sweaty. Most of the time, colorful socks were worn with jelly shoes. Shop 80s-style shoes. Shop 80s shoes, boots, sneakers, flats, and skates.

For casual wear, women had lots of different flat styles to choose from. Other dance style shoes were popular as well, especially Capezio brand shoes. Loafers, moccasins, and boat shoes were worn by both men and women, giving a preppier look to casual outfits. Saddle shoes also came back into style, but were primarily worn by women and girls and basically disappeared from fashion by the end of the decade.

I adored my Minnetonka moccasins. On the more casual side of athletic shoes were canvas shoes. Keds and Converse were two of the most popular brands — Keds for women and girls and Converse for all ages and genders. Shop 80s style shoes and see more pictures of s shoes.

Booties were short boots, like ankle boots, that typically had flat soles. Western boots in leather and suede were available for men and women in different heights, colors, and embroidery styles. Victorian-style boots laced up and had a short heel. Also known as granny boots, these were primarily worn by young women and teens. Most boots were made of leather, suede, or urethane and could be flat or have heels.

Shop boots. Another sock trend brought on by the athletics craze was tube socks. Knee-high and usually striped, these socks were typically worn pulled all the way up. They were typically worn as a fashion item by men, but were worn as athletic wear by both women and men.

Shop vintage style socks. Shop 80s accessories here. Madonna wearing beaded necklaces and gold dangle earrings. Big hoops, studs, and long dangling earrings were popular, and these were usually paired with matching bracelets and necklaces.

Long pearl necklaces were worn for a dressy look, while beaded necklaces, pendants, and chunky metal necklaces with or without stones were worn for casual or dressy occasions. Cocktail rings — decorative rings typically made with large, colorful stones — were worn by mature women.

For teens and pre-teens, jelly bracelets, Swatch watches, and friendship bracelets were popular jewelry trends. With jelly bracelets, the more you could wear, the better! Jelly bracelets were inexpensive and came in all colors. Swatch watches were colorful plastic watches that came in a wide variety of colors and designs. The more Swatch watches you wore, the cooler you were! They were the easiest way a woman could get the cinched waist look to counteract the wide shoulders and flared skirts that were trendy at the time.

They were often worn over long shirts or sweaters, as well as dresses. Many styles were brought back from previous eras, including fedoras, newsboy caps, berets, and even the bowler.

These styles topped the heads of some of the most famous heads of the era, including Michael Jackson, Boy George, and Princess Diana. Another hat made popular by celebrities was the bucket hat. Kangol hats have seen a recent resurgence and are still available for sale today. Shop 80s style hats, visors, headbands.

These sunglasses spawned tons of knockoff styles, including styles with contrasting earpieces. They came in round or geometric shapes. Big, fluffy, curly looks, often with bangs, were replicated by women all over. Women achieved volume with their hair by crimping, curling, or getting a perm, and these methods worked on both long and short hair. Naturally, all of these styles were held in place using lots of hairspray!

Another alternative was a short, almost masculine cut worn by many mature women. Hair accessories such as hair bows, clips, headbands, barrettes, and scrunchies were also popular. Headbands were typically worn straight across the forehead like sweatbands, and one trend was to wear a bandana wrapped around the head like a headband.

Type keyword s to search. Today's Top Stories. Goodbye to All That. Getty Images. Iman poses on the runway at Thierry Mugler's spring ready-to-wear show. Models strut down the runway at Issey Miyake's fall ready-to-wear show. Mondadori Portfolio Getty Images. Models parade down the catwalk at Franco Moschino's ready-to-wear show. Models on the runway at Claude Montana's spring ready-to-wear show. David Corio Getty Images. Just about every guy wanted a suit with flecks of white or different colours all over it - just don't ask me why!

Create a Flashdance Costume. Use these pointers to find your personal 80s fashion style You can be forgiven for not being very comfortable with the fashion styles of this time, and there are many outrageous looks that certainly make matters worse, including enormous shoulders, wearing your under garments as outerwear and ginormous jewellery. On this page, you will discover many original photos from the 80s relating to the many trends and fads that existed during the decade.

The eighties certainly had a very strong identity, and people weren't afraid to experiment. The early part of the decade was awash with an array of different styles in the UK, including punk tartan, Dr. Marten Boots , leather and studs became popular , 2 tone and ska revival , and flamboyant new romantic fashion styles. Palmer himself was never seen without a suit on.

Tattoos were also popular in the 80s , especially with rock and metal stars such as Axl Rose and Slash from Guns N' Roses, which encouraged teens and young adults to go and get inked.

It didn't matter whether you were male or female, wearing bold make-up was essential if you wanted to be fashionable in the s. Boy George, Adam and the Ants and the New Romantics made it cool for men to wear eyeliner and lipstick. For the ladies, mixing bold and colourful eye shadows, eyeliner, heavy lipstick and liberal amounts of blusher was essential! Cyndi Lauper created an iconic look when she wore blue eye shadow and flame coloured hair.

Some 80s jewellery trends are back in fashion , and these include beaded faux pearl necklaces as worn by Madonna and Cyndi Lauper , colourful bracelets and big earrings. Big looped earrings were popular, as were geometric shapes and animal print.

Geometric 80s Jewellery Set 2. Pink Lightning Flash Earrings 3. For quite a while, an aerobics craze grabbed hold of the nation, and it was created by American dance movies such as Fame and Flashdance. It just looked like far too much effort for me, especially that early in the morning! Olivia Newton-John was also at it in her controversial video for her hit song Physical.

It seemed like every female wanted to join in, and we suddenly saw women appearing out on the streets in aerobics gear just to do the shopping - this was in broad daylight, too!

The 80s keep fit look for women included items such as neon-coloured, plain, pastel or stripy legwarmers that were scrunched up and worn over leggings, tights or even their jeans for a more casual style. They were also worn with mini skirts. The over-sized, grey sweatshirt with a large neck opening which was ripped open and worn off-the-shoulder became hugely popular after Jennifer Beals wore one in Flashdance. The classic s aerobics look included a headband, leotard, tights or leggings and, of course, those legwarmers.

Aerobics in Visit our 80s Workout Clothing page. Dolphin shorts Gym shorts with a drawstring also became popular and were in usually in one block colour and often with a contrasting edging colour such as white. Interlock running shorts were very similar but without the drawstring. Womens Retro Shorts.

This look was very scary indeed, and for a while power dressing was all the rage with power-hungry career women and the soap stars who portrayed them. The question is, i s there anyone who thinks that padded shoulders were a great idea? Walking around looking like you've left the coat hanger in your jacket or dress surely has to be one of the worst fashion fads to come out of the 80s!

I believe it was a "girl power" thing, and this was long before the Spice Girls came onto the scene. Women were rising through the ranks like never before, and here in Britain, of course, our country was being run by our first female Prime Minister, Margaret Thatcher, who was loved and hated in equal amounts.

With it's geometric shapes and substantial shoulder pads, the first jacket in the image above is about as eighties as you can get! Not one to be left out of the latest fashion trends, Princess Diana also sported shoulder pads , although, she was often responsible for starting a new trend. At the Academy Awards ceremony, the pair channeled old Hollywood glamour but made sure to give some timely touches to their outfits, like Costner's round glasses and Hannah's glitzy cocktail dress. Front row at a show during New York Fashion Week, the award-winning actress wore a polka-dotted dress with some serious shoulder pads and red circular sunnies.

At the Los Angeles Batman movie premiere, Basinger wore a mesh long sleeve dress over some lingerie, which in retrospect is something any member of the Kardashian family would totally wear today. The house key as an earring! The acid wash jeans! The strategically collared shirt over the colorblock sweater! I swear I've seen this exact outfit on one of my Pinterest fashion inspiration boards. Just another friendly reminder that the singer never ages.

She also knew how to mix textures. I mean, an animal print scarf with a pink geometrical shirt? Mentally, I want to be at the New York City premiere of Steel Magnolias so I can witness Parton in this sparkly dress that comes with a matching jacket. I'm swooning! Years before she tied the knot with rock legend David Bowie in , the supermodel was a muse for designers like Gianni Versace and Yves Saint Laurent.

Here, she wears an all-denim look paired with silver accessories. Don't Dakota Johnson's parents look so chic here?! I can't tell what I would want more in my closet: Griffith's lace dress or her coat with red lining. United States. Type keyword s to search. Tim Graham Getty Images. Michael Ochs Archives. Madonna circa Advertisement - Continue Reading Below.

Ron Galella, Ltd. Jane Fonda circa Michael Putland.