Now that the 70's has been discussed, lets move straight into the 80's! The decade where everyone was mesmerised by big hair, MTV, and Princess Diana's iconic wedding dress. Keep reading to find out more!
Hair in the 80's
When you think of hairstyles in the 80's, does anyone in particular come into mind? For me, the first person in my head is the infamous George Michael, (Rogers, 2017). Recognised world-wide for his big blonde hair and cross earring, George Michael had the world in a chokehold. This hairstyle is what everyone wanted to achieve at the time, and many men did their best to try to style their hair to look exactly like George's! But it was not just men who pulled off the big hairstyles, it was women too! For women in the 80's backcombing, crimping, and texture powder was the key to achieving one of the biggest hair trends of the decade.
1981 was the year that MTV broadcasted onto screens and took the music world by storm! (Retro, 2024). This brought along the iconic lycra and neon coloured outfits. MTV had a HUGE impact on fashion during the decade, introducing the 'world of neon clothing'. No one did neon like people in the 80's. From bright pink leggings to yellow windbreakers, neon clothing is a trend that will always be remembered. An iconic music video that aired on MTV was Olivia Newton John's "Physical", making activewear a huge fashion trend, (Glamourdaze, 2023). Bright lycra leotards, colourful headbands, and flamboyant leg warmers, what more could a woman want?! A big name in the world of promoting fitness fashion was the one and only, Jane Fonda, the woman who revolutionised at-home workouts for women across the world! (Palumbo, 2021).
Icon of the 80's
Ask yourself, who would you say is one of the biggest icons in relation to 90's fashion? If you said Madonna, then you are absolutely correct. Madonna made HISTORY with how she styled her outfits, with help from the legendary stylist Maripol. A big trend that Madonna helped become recognised across the world was the controversial trend of 'double denim', (Singer, 2018). As crazy as the idea of double denim is to some people, it was a huge trend in the 1980's, and has even made its comeback in fashion nowadays. Another way in which Madonna impacted the fashion community in the 80's was the push of 'power suits', (Millar, 2021). Power suits for women in the 80's was a HUGE feminist move, as suits were predominantly a 'masculine' piece of clothing. Madonna helped allow women to feel a sense of power in respect in what they were wearing, and that they absolutely had the right to wear whatever they felt comfortable in.
The People's Princess
If talking about fashion in the 80's, I absolutely HAVE to mention the one and only, Lady Diana Spencer. In 1981, her wedding dress sparked opinions from all around the world, everyone either loved it or hated it. Designed by David and Elizabeth Emmanuel, Diana's dress will go down in history as one of the most ICONIC items of clothing that has ever been worn, (Rotondi, 2021). Reverting back to power suits, Lady Diana was a huge advocate for the movement of power suits, showing women that a suit was not just for men, and that women could wear whatever they wanted, whenever they wanted, and that they should feel empowered to do so! (Mower, 2017).
References:
Rogers, R. (2017) George Michael’s style: Remembering his top 5 iconic looks, Billboard. Available at: https://www.billboard.com/music/music-news/george-michael-style-fashion-moments-7633369/ (Accessed: 05 February 2025).
Retro (2024) The impact of MTV in the 1980s, Newretro.Net. Available at: https://newretro.net/blogs/main/the-impact-of-mtv-in-the-1980s (Accessed: 05 February 2025).
Glamourdaze (2023) 1980s activewear: The Era of Fitness Fashion , Glamour Daze. Available at: https://glamourdaze.com/2023/03/1980s-activewear-the-era-of-fitness-fashion.html (Accessed: 05 February 2025).
Palumbo, J. (2021) Remember when Jane Fonda became the queen of 1980s at-home exercise?, CNN. Available at: https://edition.cnn.com/style/article/jane-fonda-workout-remember-when/index.html (Accessed: 05 February 2025).
Singer, O. (2018) How to channel Madonna’s ’80s style this autumn, British Vogue. Available at: https://www.vogue.co.uk/gallery/how-to-dress-like-madonna (Accessed: 05 February 2025).
Millar, S. (2021) How Madonna influenced 80s fashion, Whitevictoria. Available at: https://www.whitevictoria.com/blog/how-madonna-influenced-80s-fashion.html#:~:text=In%20the%201980s%2C%20Madonna%20embraced,part%20of%20her%20stage%20attire (Accessed: 05 February 2025).
Rotondi, J. (2024) How Prince Charles and Lady Diana’s wedding became a global phenomenon, History.com. Available at: https://www.history.com/news/prince-charles-lady-diana-wedding#:~:text=The%20royal%20wedding%20of%20Prince,with%20tradition%20in%20refreshing%20ways (Accessed: 05 February 2025).
Mower, S. (2017) How she put her wardrobe to work, a tribute to Jackie O and why Kate turned to her most trusted designer: Power suits that showed Diana meant business, Daily Mail Online. Available at: https://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-4794112/Power-suits-showed-Diana-meant-business.html (Accessed: 05 February 2025).
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