The Eighties Online

The 80s clothes were about a feeling great and having good time. Tight jeans are back, off-shoulder sleeves are visible in most teen fashions, mixed up colors are back, dark color big bangles are back as well, don't forget the flat pumps that young girls wear today, all from the 80s.

Back in the 1980s, music culture was very different! In contrast to punks the wearers made an effort to look flamboyant in an attractive, luxuriant, beautiful, narcissistic way. Power dressing, New Romantics, sportswear and stretch dressing gave the women of the 80s a wide choice of fashion trend to follow.

Eighties fashion is almost as big as it was in the 1980s, but the question remains ? 80s fashion is generally derided, but in retrospect, I am starting to think it was possibly the most stylish recent decade fashion-wise.

Eighties fashion had spontaneity, and thinner people to wear it. Eighties fashion, more than that of any other decade, was concerned with status, power and glamor. The fashion of the eighties is coming back into mainstream American pop culture. In fact, it never really left.

Are you watching fashion shows? I do and I like fashion in general. Don't you find it odd that some of your friends will give their opinion about your relationships, but they will have anything but praise for the way you dress. You could be one of the most atrocious dressers out there, and they will still complement the way that you are dressed. I guess it's just one of those quirks of our society. Fashion tips are not easily given. I think this is regrettable. Many people could do with some fashion suggestion. I know because I am one of them. I have always been completely blind to the latest fashion trends, and it has made my life more difficult than it would be otherwise.

The problem is that there is not a lot of persons around me that is willing to give me a fashion tip when I ask for it. Some of my friends are not better than I am, so they tend to value me in my strange look. They feel like if they gave me fashion tips, they would ruin the effect. Never mind the fact that this is insulting - it is also somewhat crippling to my fashion sense. When I was a child, I liked to dress like a slob, but I'm sick of it now. All I would need is a tip on fashion accessories, how to match pants and shirts, and various other basic things once in a while. A few fashiontips would be nice even if I am not asking for a guidebook.

Big hair and bright clothes were all topped off with blue mascara and blue eyeliner, the darker the better. Popular colors were neon green and hot pink as well as the brighter varieties of orange and yellow.Another '80s fad was jackets and trousers, made of rayon and velvet and satin, in shades of hot pink, neon blue and candy-apple red.

The 80's, was the time fashion was really integrated into the music scene. It was a time when it wasn't just about the music, but about setting trends.The clothes were Hollywood vintage store cool, but nobody really wore all that stuff together. 80s clothes that are vintage or vintage inspired keep coming back into fashion.

Sweaters were big, baggy and bat-winged. Some of the Yuppy fashion trends included the sweater over the shoulders, Izod shirts, and polo shirts. Some other 80s clothes that were big were the Members only jacket which was a must have.

From Dynasty, Alexis's hats and Krystle's shoulder pads started a trend of their own. There were many scenes in bed and the special attention was given to what ladies slept in.Both women were so incredibly

I just wanted to take a moment with our readers to share our support for Patrick Swayze and his family. We would love to see one of our favorite 80s stars, Mr. Swayze get on with his acting career and to beat the dreaded caner that has so abruptly intruded upon the life of a quiet and generous hollywood star.

Patrick Swayze was on M.A.S.H. very early in his career, which many did not know. Watch for this episode in the reruns and check the credits if you don't believe me.

Many will remember 1990's "Ghost" with Demi Moore when thinking of Mr. Swayze, however I enjoyed "Red Dawn" co-starring Lea Thompson the most of all his roles. But, "Dirty Dancing" is really deserving of a place in the top ten movies of the 1980'.

The doctor is optimistic about Mr. Swayze's chances at a full recovery, according to news reports.

Our hopes for a speedy recovery!

Bright lipstick, bright eyeshadow, big jewelry and big hair were all the rage in the mid 80's.

Short hair behind the ears with height on top (poofy) were definitely the thing. Big gaudy earrings and as many bracelets as you could fit on your wrist.

The early 80's involved bright neon colors such as pink and green on your clothing color, your hair pieces, shoes and jewelry. The brighter the better.

The invention of hair gel brought a shift away from the hairspray 60s hairstyles the parent's of the 80s kids wore. While in the 70s it seem the straighter and less styled look prevailed. No hairspray, no gel, and no big hair.

But, in the 80s for men it was cool to wear gel to spike up the hair or to get that 50s look that was popular in movies like "Back to the Future" and "Peggy Sue Got Married". More movies made the 50s hairstyles popular in the 80s such as "La Bamba" and "The Buddy Holly Story".

1. Burt Reynolds

"Best Little Whorehouse in Texas"

"Best Friends"

2. Clint Eastwood

"Firefox"

"Honky Tonk Man"

3. Sylvester Stallone

"Rocky III"

"First Blood"

4. Dudley Moore

5. Richard Pryor

"The Toy"

"Live on the Sunset Strip"

6. Dolly Parton

7. Jane Fonda

8. Richard Gere

"An Officer and a Gentleman"

9. Paul Newman

"The Verdict"

10. Harrison Ford

"Blade Runner"

11. Goldie Hawn

"Best Friends"

12. Katherine Hepburn

13. Alan Alda

14. Sally Field

"Kiss Me Goodbye"

15. Cheech and Chong

"Things are Tough All Over"

16. Meryl Streep

"Sophie's Choice"

"Still of the Night" with the late Roy Scheider

17. Robert Redford

18. Christopher Reeve

19. Dustin Hoffman

"Tootsie"

20. Timothy Hutton

21. Roger Moore

22. Chuck Norris

"Silent Rage"

23. Bo Derek

24. Brooke Shields

25. Al Pacino

"Author! Author!"

This list was tabulated by Quigley Publications in 1983. It is by no means the order I would place these actors in. These fine actors and many others not listed here helped to make 1982 a very good year for 1980s movies.

The '80s was a decade of significant political and cultural change. These events have an impact on our lives today and will into the future in so many ways.

There were also, admittedly, trivial or relatively unimportant events that took place in the 1980's. Here are some of the events that ranged from the deadly serious to the ridiculous.

So whether you loved the 1980s or hated it, there's something here for everyone who lived during this decade to bring back those nostalgic memories.

1980

• The $40 million "Heaven's Gate" took a dive after it's Thanksgiving premier.
• Despite a recession, auction prices started to soar. Lighting the way: A Tiffany Lamp sold for $360,000.
• Tampons caused toxic shock syndrome, resulting in 42 deaths.
• In Mexico city, Yin-Yin delivered the first giant panda born outside China, but smothered the cub shortly thereafter.
• "Friday the 13th" was a big enough grosser to scare up seven sequels by the end of the decade.
• Rubik's Cube, the product of a Hungarian inventor, tormented puzzlers trying to find the correct variation out of 43.2 quintillion possibilities.
• Dialects were Meryl Streep's signature. Her New York whine in "Kramer vs. Kramer" won her an Oscar.

The 80s movies and music define the fashions of the 80s about as good as anything.   Of course not everyone dressed as uniquely as Jon Crier's Duckie  character from "Pretty in Pink" or  Madonna in "Desperately Seeking Susan.  But many were extremely fashion conscious in the 1980s.

Pastel colors were seen on occasion. Most of the time preppy's or yuppies were seen in pastel colors.  The Izod and Polo shirts with the upturned collar or a pastel colored sweater tied over the shoulders. Black was worn mainly in mod, goth and punk circles.

The 80s hair and 80s makeup styles manifested in bright colored clothing and outrageous, big hair. Punk and new wave 80s makeup was at the extreme end, being load and colorful.

In the end, there were so many different 80s fashion styles and colors that the 80s can't be defined by any one fashion trend. The list of eighties fashions and accessories that follows is by no means complete. Please comment with any 80s fashion items that may have been left off.

These lists of what people wore in the 80s will be a big help to you if you are planning an 80s party and need an 80s outfit to wear. 80s parties are very trendy these days. And a big crowd pleaser.