The 1980's! More is more!

1980's fashion can be commended for its creativity. Continuing with the over the top flamboyance and athletic wear trends of the 1970's, the 1980's was all about color, size and experimentation. The line between men's and women's fashion was blurred and androgyny was in.
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Many of the biggest fashion trends were unisex:
  • members only jackets
  • parachute pants
  • converse chucks
  • Wayfarers (sunglasses)
  • BIG HAIR
  • "Cosby" Sweaters
  • Windbreakers
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Hip Hop Fashion

Hip Hop came into its own in the 1980's and has influenced fashion ever since. Beginning in the late 1970's and extending into the mid 1980's, sportswear companies like Adidas and Kangols attached themselves to the emerging hip hop scene. Wearing name brand clothing was incredibly important to hip hop fashion since it showed signs of wealth. Wearing large chunky jewelry was also important for the same reason. This trend in hip hop fashion still exists today and is even more extravagant.

​Defining styles of hip hop fashion of the 1980s include:
Brightly colored brand name tracksuits, chuck taylors, adidas sneakers, hi top fades, large sunglasses, and bucket hats.  Women wore over size gold door knocker earrings, and men wore heavy gold chains. Heavy jewelry has always been an enduring element of hip hop fashion since its beginning. 
Fashion Icon: Madonna!

When Madonna exploded onto the scene in 1983, her impact on fashion was staggering. Women ran to their salons to get wavy blonde hair with highlights. Black tank tops, lace, skirt, dirty beach blonde hair and an attitude. She was the pioneer of the "messy chic" look which consisted of layers layers and more layers! Lace tops, oversize jackets and sweaters and multiple layers of necklaces and bracelets. The everyday Madonna look is a skirt over a tight short pants. She truly changed fashion. 
Jeans/ Denim: 
Much like today, jeans were a huge part of 1980's fashion due to the wild washes and experimental colors and prints in 80s jeans. 
  • stone wash
  • denim on denim
  • denim jackets with patches and buttons
  • high waist
Shoulder Pads

 More and more women were entering the workforce and gaining positions equal to men in the 1980's. As a result, women felt they needed to physically equal men in the workplace. The shoulder pad added width and height to a woman's shoulders making her appear more bold and strong. Women also worse the bow in place of a man's tie in a suit, to mimic male work-wear. 
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Interested in Jordan's? The first Nike Air Jordan's came out in 1985. Go to the following link to learn more and see tons of examples!
Character Apparel
Beginning in the 70s but continuing in the 1980s, character and merchandise apparel was all the rage. 
Movie Influence!
Just like in the 1970s, media played a huge role in shaping fashion. Movies like "Ferris Bueller's Day Off" (1986) ,  "Back to the Future" (1985), "The Breakfast Club" (1985) and "Pretty in Pink" (1986) epitomized teen life in high school on screen. The teenager really began to define fashion of all ages at this time. Teenagers were seen as a huge untapped market for the fashion industry, teen girls especially. Fashion trends began to cater to them in order to get their money and the media further pushed the teen fashion ideal. 

Assignment # 1

Please answer the following questions about 1980's fashion. Copy and paste the questions into a new slide in your google slide presentations and answer them in complete sentences. Please use your own internet research if needed to answer them. 
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  1. ​What are some of the main fashion trends of the 1980's?
  2. What were the main styles and trends of hip hop fashion?
  3. What was important to hip hop fashion in the 1980's and why?
  4. Who was Madonna?
  5. How did she influence fashion in the 1980's?
  6. Why did women wear shoulder pads in their clothing, especially in suits?
  7. What types of movies and tv shows influenced fashion?
  8. Why was the teenager so important to fashion in the 1980's?
Assignment # 2: 1980's Mood Board
  • You are to create a 1980s mood board consisting of at least 10 images. Use this as your research phase for your sketches. (Ex: If you are planning on creating a hip hop inspired design, your board should consist of those kind of reference images)​
VIDEO TUTORIAL PIXLR E:
​Assignment # 3
​You are to design your own original 1980's design. It must include the following:
  1. It must be a design from head to toe, including shoes!
  2. There must be an additional accessory of some kind (hat, handbag, sunglasses, boom box...get creative!)
  3. The design must have an accurate silhouette for the time period. 
  4. The overall design must be fully rendered either traditionally or digitally complete with a background done in Photoshop. (Look up 1980's patterns and patterns)
  5. There must be evidence of good work ethic and EFFORT. 
PIXLR E VIDEO TUTORIAL BELOW:
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