Fashion in the 1980s was the most experimental of any decade. New fashion trends in this decade included flared jeans, padded shoulders, gaudy hoops, and other interesting fashion choices. Fashion started to become more important to individuals as fashion in the 80s saw a rise in trends that promoted materialistic and ostentation ways. It became important for people to spend more money on branded athletic gear and designer templates in order to fit in. Iconic brands like Nike, Calvin Klein, and Ralph Lauren gained great popularity throughout the decade. Like almost every decade we have talked about so far, teenage fashion was heavily influenced by their favourite movie and rock stars of that decade and it was no different in the 1980s. The first article of clothing that I would like to talk about is jackets. 3 types of jackets were very popular. The first was the leather jacket, which would typically be worn by both teenage boys and men. A typical outfit would consist of a large leather jacket, padded shoulders, and jeans. This rise in popularity of leather jackets was heavily influenced by Micheal Jackson and in particular his look in his hit song “Thriller”.
Bomber jackets were another type of jacket that gained immense popularity during this time and that was heavily due to the movie “top gun”. Both teenage boys and girls wore bomber jackets in the 1980s. The last jacket type I would like to mention is the letterman jacket. This jacket was first released in the 1950s,however, it made a comeback in the 80’s due to popular rap groups “Run DMC” and “NWA” sporting them. Another article of clothing that really took off was printed t-shirts. These t-shirts would act as a way of advertising for big companies such as Nike, Adidas, and Guess by printing their logo, slogan, and graphics on the shirts. These shirts were popular amongst both boys and girls.
The 1980s were also known for their neon fashion. This included neon leggings, neon t-shirts, socks, and other neon accessories. It was also sought after for teenage girls to paint their fingernails in neon colours and also to add neon streaks to their hair. It was not uncommon for teenage girls to be dressed in neon from head to toe.
The last piece of clothing that I would like to talk about is acid-washed jeans. Both teenage boys and girls wore these jeans and due to the acid weakening the threads it would usually create holes in the pants but this only added to the style. The 1980s had many fads throughout the decade, however, there are still a few styles that were invented in the 80s that are still popular to this day. As you scroll down you will see some pictures of the 1980s’ interesting fashion choices.
