A timeline history of Shoes and Fashion

The 1980's:
BIG HAIR, BIG SHOULDER PADS, BIG MONEY & BIG IDEAS

WHAT’S GOING ON? 
The 1980’s were as materialistic as materialistic as you can get. The economy boomed, people were living longer and acted younger. The Berlin Wall came down, privatization began to take hold and suddenly greed was good. Women entered the corporate world by the droves and the youth culture which dominated the last two decades took a back seat to the dominant market of older and more financially secure individuals. The DINK and the YUPPIE were born and shopping malls started sprouting up everywhere to cater to this new luxury mind set.

back to top

WOMAN’S FASHION: 
Women, now in the corporate world had to dress the part.  Thus the new trend of the so called Power Suit. Want to be taken seriously ladies?  Get out your dark business suit with the gigantic shoulder pads.  It’s that easy. 





<Left: Mystery woman with 1980's shoulder pads.







And to compliment those gigantic shoulder pads one must have gigantic hair.  The bigger the better. Tease it, mousse it, spike it, color it and glitter it.  It didn’t matter as long as it was big, big, big.





Right: Big 80's hair>

Big prints and big bright colors. Everything big was good in the eighties.  Isn’t that when the dreaded stirrup pants came into being?  And leg warmers?  Headbands ala Pat Benetar, parachute pants, satin jackets and bangle bracelets?





<Left: Pretty in Pink. 1986. Molly Ringwald, Harry Dean Stanton & Andrew McCarthy.






How about the Madonna thrift store fashions? I will admit to wearing NONE OF THE ABOVE despite the fact there is photographic evidence to the contrary.   

back to top

WOMEN’S SHOES: 
To go along nicely with the serious power suit one had to have serious shoes.  Shoes that mean business.  Shoes that screamed out professional with every step you took.  Hence the sling back court shoe with the pointed toe and slender heel.  Because nothing says professional like a sling back except I always found sling backs to be hard to walk in but maybe that’s just me. It’s hard to look professional when you’re tripping over your own feet. I should have stuck with the loafers and man-styled oxford pumps which were also  great accompaniments to the power suit.




Right: 80'S Disco Pumps
Pink faux leather and 4 inch spike heel.>






And for all you non corporate types, let me introduce the ankle boot with the pointed toe.  Went great with the stirrups. Not that I would know anything about that. 

back to top

MEN’S FASHION:
Women wore power suits while men’s fashions snapped right back to conservative land, forgoing all that nonsense in the 60s/70s.  Big square suit jackets, and the advent of the  micro thin tie. And big bold patterned shirts and sweaters. 


<Left: Oh, and the Miami Vice pastel colors.  But that is probably best forgotten. 








back to top


MEN’S SHOES: 
To go along with their conservative-land wardrobe, Men wore conservative and classic shoes. No surprise there.  The oxford. Check.  The brogue.  Check.  And the loafer.  Check.




Right: ROGANI BRUNO e FRANCO brown laced shoes>







Which all came in the most fashionable array of crazy colors like black and brown. Oh, and brand named sneakers?  I think kids were killing each other over them.  Come on People! Everyone knows Manolo Blahnik's are the only shoes worth dying for.



What? You want to see the fashions and shoes of the 1990's and 2000's? Go look in your closet! If you're old enough to read this, then you are old enough to remember what you wore!


For more images of 1980's shoes, please visit my style gallery.

back to top