The ‘80s were a magical time, weren’t they? From the mullets to the music, the ‘80s were iconic. And it wasn’t just the hair and the tunes that made it that way, oh no. The fashion, you guys, the fashion! We cannot forget the truly unique fashion of the ‘80s, or how some of it is making a comeback all these years later. Were you one with the leg warmers? Or maybe you had a thing for acid wash jeans? No matter what, you surely sported at least one of the 15 ‘80s fashion trends we’ve featured below.
More into hair than clothes? We got you: 10 Hella Bodacious ‘80s Female Hairstyles / 10 Totally Memorable ‘80s Mens Hairstyles
Acid Wash Denim
If your jeans weren’t acid-washed, then you were totally not in fashion in the ‘80s. Extra bonus points if they were also pleated in the front like the girls in the above photo on the left. The acid wash look wasn’t just for pants, though, it was also super popular in skirts and jackets as well.
Aerobic Wear / Leg Warmers
Aerobics wear as a fashion statement became super popular in the ‘80s thanks to the likes of Jane Fonda’s workout tapes, Olivia Newton-John’s “Physical” music video, the movie Fame, and countless other examples, including Heather Locklear in our photo above. It was all about tight spandex leggings underneath a unitard situation, with a headband and, of course, leg warmers. What was the point of leg warmers? There was no point, let’s be honest, other than to create a fashion trend.
Shoulder Pads
In the ‘80s, a defined, sometimes poofy, but always unnatural shoulder was definitely a thing. No one could escape this trend, as shoulder pads often came velcroed into blazers or dresses. The more dramatic the person, the more likely they were to have a dramatic shoulder pad situation. Even Oprah got in on the shoulder pad sensation, as you can see in the photo above alongside Deidre Hall (better known as Marlena on Days of Our Lives), and, of course, Joan Collins.
High-Waisted Jeans
If your jeans weren’t acid-washed, then they had better have been high-waisted back in the ‘80s. In the photo above, Freddie Mercury displays a prime example of the lighter-washed and high-waisted look in one of his most iconic performances. Next to him is another example in an ad Brooke Shields did for Calvin Klein, showcasing a darker, but still very much high-waisted jean.
Animal Print
If you wanted to be a little more punk rock, then animal print was probably for you, though it wasn’t just for those into the rock star life (though Jon Bon Jovi, who was definitely a rocker, totally wore a lot of animal print). Even Ferris Bueller sported some animal print in Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, and Suzanne Somers got in on the action as well.
Members Only Jackets
Ah yes, how can we forget the Members Only jackets? They came in a variety of colors, and were usually worn mostly by men, though there are some ads that feature women as well. Stranger Things even has Steve Harrington wear a Members Only jacket, and Seinfeld even poked fun at it as well, so you know it definitely was in the cultural zeitgeist.
Leggings / Pantyhose
Leggings were often part of the aerobics look we mentioned above, but they were also pretty popular for the younger generation to wear underneath a large t-shirt that was tied at the side. A cousin to leggings was just as popular in the ‘80s, though, and that was hosiery. There were no bare legs allowed in the ‘80s, you had to be wearing some kind of nylons, pantyhose, tights (or whatever you may have called them!).
Neon
Bright, bold colors were a hallmark of the ‘80s, and definitely spilled over into the early ‘90s as well. Fashion was truly a statement back then, and your color palette definitely reflected what statement you were making. If you wanted to be fun and spunky, then neon was definitely for you.
Swatch Watches
The timepiece on your wrist has always been something of a statement, whether you’ve got something fancy like a Rolex, or something more utilitarian. Back in the ‘80s, the ultimate in wrist wear fashion was a Swatch. Colorful, thin, with all sorts of different options, everyone could find a Swatch that matched their personality.
Tracksuits
Tracksuits were around in the ‘70s, but it was the ‘80s that really saw them shoot to popularity with their windbreaker aesthetic and, often, neon colors. Fila was a brand that was particularly big with their tracksuits, as you can see in two of the ads featured above. If you’re ever looking for an ‘80s Halloween costume these days, you will undoubtedly come across a tracksuit as an example.
Huge Eyeglasses
Eyewear in the ‘80s was HUGE. Not as in super popular, but as in large. If you wore glasses in the ‘80s, then they were likely gigantic and covered half your face. Was this an actual fashion trend, or did makers of glasses just not want to make smaller ones? In the photo above we have some prime examples with Meg Ryan in When Harry Met Sally, Harrison Ford, and Molly Ringwald in Pretty in Pink.
Cut-Off and One-Shouldered Sweatshirts
If you were into Flashdance in the ‘80s, then surely you got yourself a sweatshirt that went off one shoulder so you could look like Jennifer Beals. Just as popular, though, was the cut-off version, or what today we’d call a crop top. Even more interesting is that those crop tops were very popular among men, as you can see with Esai Morales in a teen magazine and Carl Weathers in Rocky III.
Colorful "Ugly" Sweaters
The Cosby Show definitely made these types of sweaters rise in popularity thanks to the patriarch almost always wearing some version of it. He wasn’t the only one to sport these crazy sweaters, though, as you can see Ted Danson also sporting a version on Cheers. Sadly, these sweaters are a bit tainted these days because of their association with Cosby, so much so that we almost didn’t include it here. But, they definitely are a hallmark of the ‘80s era aside from just him, so we decided we should.
Skirts - Mini / Rah Rah / Tutu
While skirts have certainly been around for generations, in the ‘80s they evolved into some distinct styles, including the mini skirt, rah rah skirt, and tutu skirt. The mini skirt is pretty self-explanatory, and was most popular among rock types, including Pat Benatar pictured above. The rah rah skirt was full of ruffles, and was inspired by cheerleading skirts, though they look different than the typical pleated cheerleader skirt — Winona Ryder is featured wearing one of them above. The tutu skirt was made popular by Madonna, pictured above, and was small and poofy, a more punk-rock take on the typical ballet tutu.
Ray-Bans
While eyeglasses may have been oversized, when it came to sunglasses, the fashion trend was definitely not so terrible. Ray-Bans were all the rage, from the classic Wayfarers to the aviators, you couldn’t go wrong in the ‘80s if you had some Ray-Bans. Tom Cruise sported them in both Risky Business and Top Gun. Indeed, all of the pilots in Top Gun wore Ray-Bans, including Val Kilmer pictured above. And, of course, the queen of pop, Madonna, also wore some Ray-Bans as well, so you knew they were hip.
What were your favorite ‘80s fashion trends? Did you rock all of the above? Let us know in the comments!
- Swatch is a Swiss watchmaker founded in 1983 by Ernst Thomke, Elmar Mock, and Jacques Müller. The name Swatch comes from a combination of “second watch,” as the watches were intended as casual, disposable accessories.
- The modern process of acid washing jeans was patented in Italy in 1986 by the Rifle jeans company. They accidentally tumbled jeans and pumice stones wetted with a weak solution of bleach in a washing machine without water and it resulted in acid wash jeans!
- The Members Only brand was created in 1975, and introduced to American markets in 1980 by Europe Craft Imports. The slogan for the brand was “when you put it on… something happens.” Ummm. Okay!
- Ray-Ban was created in 1936 by the company Bausch and Lomb. Bausch and Lomb sold the brand in 1999 to Italian eyewear conglomerate Luxottica Group for a reported $640 million.
- Though shoulder pads were popular in the ‘80s, that wasn’t the only time they were in demand. In the 1930s, Joan Crawford wore them in a dress in the film Letty Lynton, and the dress was subsequently widely copied and sold in Macy’s, which helped popularize the look.
- Swatch is a Swiss watchmaker founded in 1983 by Ernst Thomke, Elmar Mock, and Jacques Müller. The name Swatch comes from a combination of “second watch,” as the watches were intended as casual, disposable accessories.
- The modern process of acid washing jeans was patented in Italy in 1986 by the Rifle jeans company. They accidentally tumbled jeans and pumice stones wetted with a weak solution of bleach in a washing machine without water and it resulted in acid wash jeans!
- The Members Only brand was created in 1975, and introduced to American markets in 1980 by Europe Craft Imports. The slogan for the brand was “when you put it on… something happens.” Ummm. Okay!
- Ray-Ban was created in 1936 by the company Bausch and Lomb. Bausch and Lomb sold the brand in 1999 to Italian eyewear conglomerate Luxottica Group for a reported $640 million.
- Though shoulder pads were popular in the ‘80s, that wasn’t the only time they were in demand. In the 1930s, Joan Crawford wore them in a dress in the film Letty Lynton, and the dress was subsequently widely copied and sold in Macy’s, which helped popularize the look.
