In the ever-changing and fluid world of fashion, repeatability and influence are the ultimate markers of something great and classic. The 1980s, by far, have had the most influential impact on fashion even today, especially as we are still styling high-waisted flared pants that are comfortable, stylish, and yes, an innovation of the 80s (we are never going back to low-waisted skinny jeans). The era was all about fun, bold, out-there colours, and it laid out the foundations of the Gothic aesthetic with a hint of punk rock on the side. Think pastel oversized sweaters, colourful shirts, faux fur coats, graphic t-shirts, geometrical wayfarers, and radio sunglasses; it was time for 'yuppie fashion'. Power suits with a preppy aesthetic, with athleisure wear laying its roots (think spandex and mismatched unitards) and Madonna making waves with her music. We have curated the ultimate list of 80s fashion trends that you must consider reintroducing and inculcating in your everyday fashion as they are fun, bold, relaxed, and comfortable — everything we hope to achieve with our fashion sensibilities.
Florals, Pastels And Punk-Rock: Check Out 80s Fashion Trends That Still Slays!
Acid Wash Denim
Oversized Graphic T-Shirts
This trend is very evident in all the sitcoms of this era, where you can spot characters in graphic tees and high-waisted jeans. It also marked a tiny segue for the punk-rock aesthetic and denoted the popularity of rock music around that time. It was the casual wear of the yuppies and has still stayed a trend that we do not see going away anytime soon.
Pastel Button-Downs And Sweaters
Pastel button-downs with high-waisted pants were the uniform of all the new professionals that were entering the workforce. The political climate of the 1980s was about an effective surge in industries and the corporate sector, especially in America. This resulted in a lot of fashion that gave a successful, accomplished, and sophisticated vibe, where women wore pant suits and men opted for blazers and sweaters with their high-waisted pants.
Pleated And Leather Skirts
Of course, skirts were not unheard of before the 1980s; they were pretty much all popular, but what makes the distinction between this era's skirts and its predecessors was the material. Lycra and leather skirts slowly started showing up, and they stayed for more than two decades. In South Asia too, many designers picked up on the trend and made it accessible and wearable for their audience with bold prints and patterns, slightly increasing the length. In India, this style became integral to college fits, where many women opted for skirts with clunky belts, highlighting their waists, and tied-up shirts.
Athleisure With Bright Colours
Shoulder Padded Dresses And Shirts
Shoulder-padded dresses and tops were preferred because of the illusion they create around the waist and because they created some stunning flowy silhouettes. Shoulder-padded dresses can be seen in the workwear of this era, where more and more women were choosing to wear power suits, which were also bridged with dresses that were elegant and sophisticated.
Scrunchies
Accessories of the 80s are well distinguished, with chunky belts, gold hoops, neck pieces, and most importantly, scrunchies. Pick out any style or any character from any sitcom of this era, and you will have scrunchies, poofed-up hair dos, or perms. The scrunchy was almost a cultural phenomenon that went away for quite some time but came back stronger than ever after the pandemic, thanks to the soft-girl aesthetic era we're in.
Floral Sarees
In India, everything floral was popping off during the 80s, be it floral pantsuits, or shirts and skirts. If you make a lookbook of all the saree outfits of icons like Rekha and Amrita Singh, you will find floral sarees, with puffed sleeves. This colour scheme is really interesting, as for the west the whole vibe was contradictory with tan-beige colours. But closer to home, people preferred pastels, sparkles, and florals. Sarees are evergreen silhouettes, and floral patterns are something that always looks good on the six-yard magic, perfect to style every day and could also be styled as occasion wear.
