The Change Of Fashion In The 1980's

The Roaring Twenties brought many fads and fashion rages. During the 1920's, Americans were given the honor of being called the "best- dressed". Several things contributed to this honor: Affordable pricing, mass production clothing, the birth of the "flapper girl", and rise of fashionable movie stars that Americans wanted to imitate.

In today's society we focus on clothing more than we focus on our country’s problems. We have fashion shows for popular brands while companies fork over millions of dollars on a piece of clothing that the average citizen will not wear. In the 1930’s, the fashion industry was much different. In today's society it's normal to wear baggy sweatpants with a hoodie and still look “appropriate.” Fashion was all about elegance in the 1930’s. Men and women had very different but similar styles in clothing from our society today. Some of the brands from this time still exist to this day, and some of their most popular products are still worn in our society.

The 1920’s fashion was a period of liberation, change, and even more importantly a movement towards the modern era. Fashion in the 1920’s varied throughout the decade but one could see the noticeable change from the previous fashion statements and eras. At the start of the decade, women began emancipating themselves from the constricting fashions by wearing more comfortable apparel. As women gained more rights and World War I forced them to become more independent, flappers came to be, mass-produced garments became available, and artistic movements increased in popularity, one can see how the fashions from the roaring twenties characterized the time and redefined womanhood. (1920s clothing 1)

    The 1980’s was a time of prosperity throughout America. From the Calendar that went from January 1st to December 31st to the increase of jobs. This decade was full of good changes socially, economically, and politically.

This essay will explore the effects social and political changes had on fashion in the 1980’s. This period was chosen because the new romantic fashions were so different to the punk fashions that had been before, this essay will therefore identify the changes that had taken place to influence this change. Primary evidence used to support findings will include interviews and photographs which will show a firsthand account of the period.

Fashion was all the rage back in the 1980s. Mostly men and women wore a mullet, kids wore their jelly shoes, and teens had their boom boxes. But there’s way more to it than fashion. There’s also fads. Fads such as the slangs “PSYCHE!” and “Not!” But fashion choices were really interesting such the fingerless gloves or the jelly shoes

Annotated Bibliography Phillips, Paul. "Fashion in the 1960s." RetroWaste. N.p., n.d. Web. 04 Nov. 2015.

Fashion has evolved over the past century and as culture and attitudes shift, the depiction of an era, as defined by fashion, directly impacts the decisions of what to wear. Fashion symbolizes the spirit of the times and throughout history, women have embodied every decade by distinctively making a statement with garments created by various top fashion designers. Due to the burdens of World War II, the early 1940’s was a time of conformity, regulation, and limited accessibility of basic needs for every citizen in the nation. Encouragement and support of the war effort in all ways possible and making the best of out what resources were available was expected and considered patriotic. Being in style was not necessarily top priority during the war years, however at the same time, fashion had a great influence on how people dressed.

A Change in Times The new music, clothing style, and drug use made the 1960s into the decade it was. New genres of music was formed along with the release of new music that reached the top of the charts. The clothing style definitely changed as well.

Beauty is what a person sees themselves as, and what others sees them as because beauty is based on opinion. Fashion is the current style that society portrays. The ideals of beauty and fashion have changed since the Victorian age to the roaring twenties to today. The most dramatic change was from the Victorian age to the 1920s. The roaring twenties ideals of beauty and fashion are similar to today's society by what women do to their bodies, what women wear, and how women see themselves.

International fashion was popular in the 1980s. “Japanese designers dominated the fashion world in 1983. Featuring the likes of Yohji Yamamoto, Kansai, Rei Kawakubo and Mitsuhiro Matsuda — unknowns in the western world up to that point — the formless, dark elegant styles influenced designers around the globe” (www.retrowaste.com). Also people went back in time to the Renaissance. Later the year, fashion travelled into the future with space like looks. Other than going international, shoulders were customized frequently. In 1985, people wore wider shoulders as a famous designer of this idea was Calvin Klein. Also, in 1989, jackets featured smaller shoulder pads and even animal prints. A popular designer of this trend was Gianfranco Ferre. Other than shoulders jackets all together were also popular. Women in 1984 wore an outfit called, menswear, which consisted of a sports jacket and trousers. Also in 1986, wool coats were the trend of the season which brought a cool and fresh look. In conclusion, fashion was enormous as it is still evolving

Change is a theme that is ever-present in our culture and society. Often this change is reflected in the dress of its people. From the fashionable silhouettes of the 1920’s to the colorful 60’s, hip-hop look of 90’s up to the modern twist of today, social change and change in fashion has, in theory and practice, been linked. According to ask.com, Fashion can be defined as a prevalent style by a particular group at a particular time, and, therefore, may be linked to a specific cultural and historical context in which there is general acceptance of a given style or look

Back in 1990’s there was a huge demand for the neon colors. By 1992 animal prints started to become very popular, including giraffe and tiger prints. Then in 1993 came a return of the bell bottom pants and platform shoes. 1994 was all about the grunge look for both men and women. Finally in 1997 baseball caps were being worn by everyone, even the children.

The 1920’s, also called the roaring 20’s, was a time of change. During this time period the fashion for both men and women was changing immensely. The aftermath of WWI caused America to enter a vigorous era. As a result of the role of women during the war, many customs and morals were changing. The Stock Market started booming, many new dances and music came about, and women got the right to vote and enter the workforce. There was an uprise in almost every activity, and fashion was definitely one (Tirocchi, Anna and Laura). Although fashion varied throughout the decade, one could notice a drastic change from the prior fashion.

The Years between the 1950’s and 1960’s was an explosive time in fashion. The 50’s represented an out coming of the new generation. People began to gain their own personal style and appearance, influenced by films and singers (“Vintage Fashion”). Their styles incorporated leather, jeans, corduroy, and the ballet shoes for the girls. Men’s wear began to drastically change. Men would wear a leather jacket, with jeans that narrowed at the bottom, and a simple t-shirt (Peacock 210-211). This was the first time in history that jeans were not just worn by the working class but by all men (“Brief History”). The man’s lust for flesh grew during this time, so women’s skirts began to get shorter and the bikini was invented. Clothes were made to glorify the female body and emphasize every curve. It wasn’t until the Barbie doll was created in the late 50’s that young girls began to have a separate fashion from their mothers. Young girls would wear sweaters with full skirts or pants