When thinking of 80’s fashion, the words ‘big and bright’ indeed sums it up. It was a decade of big hair, shoulder pads, large and dramatic earring types, acid wash jeans, and eye-straining fabric colors and patterns. Fashion trends in the 1980s were about materialistic values and flaunting wealth. Having the right clothes meant spending the extra money to buy designer labels and sports goods with a brand logo.
80s fashion gave rise to more style idols than any previous decade. It’s hard to imagine now, but in the 80s, there were no cell phones or internet. TV offered only a few channels, and watching a movie was a luxury. After television, magazines, and advertising were the average person’s primary source of fashion information. Limited exposure gave a select group of celebrities, music bands, and eighties clothing brands the opening to significantly influence 80’s fashion trends.