Daniel James Cole and Nancy Deihl describe the overall 80s aesthetic in The History of Modern Fashion (2015):

“Fashion in the 1980s was especially indicative of social status. The fashionable person used his or her appearance to signal economic achievement, cultural affiliations, lifestyle preferences, even taste in music. A number of important looks coexisted and overlapped during this period, including: preppy; ‘power dressing’; avant-garde Japanese; and numerous subcultural styles.” (352)

Princess Diana highly influenced 80s fashion as she was followed by millions of fans across the globe. She had a huge influence not only due to how she dressed but also how she emphasized the power of dressing. The feminine ideal of the the time celebrated the new independent and strong-minded working woman.

On the other hand, street fashion was influenced by music, youth culture, sexual liberation and politics, as 80s Fashion: Club to Catwalk (2013) describes:

“If the clothes look like something Diana, Princess of Wales might wear, chances are the designer has his or her feet planted firmly on the side of the establishment. If, on the other hand, the clothes come off looking a bit wacky or witty or outrageous then you can bet that the designer is of the other school, one of the inimitable British ‘street’ designers who created attention-getting fashion.” (18)

A parallel trend was for oversized coats that were accentuated with large shoulder pads inspired by menswear fashions and womenswear of the 1940s (Figs. 7-8). American Vogue in figure 8 states:

“The difference: coats with a dramatic, oversized scale. Sometimes, in a menswear shape. Always, bigger, broader through the top. Always, with something narrow -very narrow – underneath.” (167)

Cole and Deihl further elaborate:

“Many overcoats were mid-calf length, with an oversized cut, strong shoulder lines and deep armholes. Some were belted.” (353)

A September 1983 spread in French Elle featured a prominently belted coat on the right (Fig. 7). In order to reinforce the oversized and shoulder pad, looks were heavily accentuated with the power belt that was styled either over a shirt (Fig. 9), jumper (Fig. 10), coat, or dress. The effect was to accentuate a woman’s curves by reducing the waist and showing the hips in order to give the illusion of a broader chest.

To finalize the perfect outfit, animal print shoes were a must (Figs. 17-19). This trend was shown in American Vogue, British Vogue, French Elle, and Harper’s Bazaar, between March and September 1983. Animal prints were popular in accessories such as sunglasses and scarves; figure 20 shows a suit by Yves Saint Laurent Rive Gauche that’s matched with a leopard print cravat. The prints were either snake (Fig. 17), leopard or zebra (Fig. 18), and even dalmatian spots (Fig. 19). Figure 21, in comparison, is a leopard fur coat made by Revillon Frères, which shows that animal furs and prints could be found on outerwear as well.

In American and British Vogue, Harper’s Bazaar, and French Elle, large amounts of advertising space is dedicated to shoe brands such as Garolini, Bill Blass, and Bruno Magli. Similarly, the skincare/makeup industry was huge in the 1980s; mainly French brands like Clinique, Lancôme, and Estée Lauder were highly featured. In terms of lifestyle, travel companies were advertising ‘new’ places to travel and discover, such as Brazil or Los Angeles. In the magazines, sports were encouraged, moving towards a healthier lifestyle; examples of fitness exercises to keep in shape and healthy recipes for food were published. The color white was a key trend in the spring/summer 1983 collections. Fashion magazines advertised mainly total-look white outfits along the beach.

In 1983, Marc Bohan, a French fashion designer for Christian Dior, won the Golden Thimble award, which was attributed twice a year to haute couture designers between 1976 and 1990. Bohan took over from Yves Saint Laurent in the 1960s as the lead designer for Dior, working longer for the house than Christian Dior himself or Yves Saint Laurent. Figure 22 is one of Bohan’s creations from 1983. The yellow silk evening dress featured a cinched, belted waist. A similar silhouette is also seen in Thierry Mugler’s mustard yellow coat (Fig. 23), also created in 1983. As Cole and Deihl note: “By 1980 Mugler was already showing futuristic jumpsuits with sharp padded shoulders and cinched waists” (356).

Sheridan Barnett designed the “dress of the year” (Fig. 24), which was a dark grey linen dress and a white linen coat.

The many types of styles prevalent in 1983 represent the differing aesthetics in fashion thanks to new voices being given a platform. Azzedine Alaia, for example, founded his house at the beginning of the 80s and one of his designs in 1983 was a leather suit (Fig. 25) with shoulder pads and wide sleeves. While employing the typical silhouette of the time, the use of leather for the suit shows how designers in 1983 were inventing new ways to approach older models and standards.

The 1980s was a period where Japanese designers emerged to rival European designers on the global stage. It was a time when women were becoming more empowered and the working woman power suiting style was adopted. The year saw eccentric color palettes and bold graphics paired with extreme silhouettes (Fig. 26). The peplum provided a new prevailing shape and the power belt was utilized to accentuate women’s curves. Women were no longer in the shadows of men.

The early 2020s experienced a revival of 1980s fashions, which can be seen in oversized jackets and coats along with big shoulder pads making a return. This revival goes to show how influential the 1980s were and continue to be in terms of determining the direction of global fashion trends.