If you thought the only lasting reminders of big and boxy 1980s fashion would be your photo albums and a copy of The Breakfast Club, think again. The -80s are back in style, shoulder pads and all. This time around, however, it is possible to include elements of the -80s into your look while still retaining a sense of - let's be honest here - basic fashion dignity.
Boxy Shoulders: Angle Action
Shoulder pads permeated just about every possible look in the 1980s. Blazers, suit jackets and sweaters were constructed in a manner that made us all look like football linebackers. The thought process was that power dressing, as the movement was known, would allow women the chance to more closely evoke the confidence and swagger of men in the workplace. Unfortunately for many women, the shoulder pads were accompanied by big necklaces, big hair and big fabric patterns. The style overwhelmed women's smaller frames.
Today's emerging shoulder pad trend can be balanced with neutral colors, soft fabric and delicate hair and makeup. Let the strong shoulders serve as the main fashion statement. By doing so, you can let your overall look evoke thoughts of unique geometry on a feminine form, rather than a tacky power meeting in 1987.
Leggings: Class It Up
Leggings have been a part of women's fashion since the 1960s, but they made their first real foray out of gyms and onto runways in the 1980s, thanks in large part to a huge fitness movement. Olivia Newton John's "Physical" single and video captures a key element of the decade, from both philosophic and fashion standpoints.
Leggings in the 1980s were worn in bright colors and under just about anything, but particularly baggy sweaters or skirts. It became an easy albeit sloppy look, given the fact that leggings soon made way for baggy stirrup pants, which led to the parachute "Hammer" pants of the 1990s. In hindsight, it truly was a slippery slope.
While some fashionistas - think Lindsay Lohan - are embracing that old philosophy by wearing torn leggings around town, others are proving that leggings can take on more of a mod approach. If you pair a simple pair of black matte leggings with a bold minidress and black flats, for instance, the look can be much classier than you might anticipate. Katie Holmes has proven that this style feels much less 1980s, much more Swinging London.
Acid Wash: Just Say No
While the harsh pale blue of acid wash has started to pop back onto runways, there is little way of classing up this look. Acid wash embodied the harsh approach to 1980s fashion - there has been too much progress made since to encourage this particular trend's return. If you want to embrace the -80s denim look, take a pair of scissors to your favorite jeans instead. Adding a hole to the knee of dark rinse jeans will allow you to incorporate an element of retro style without looking like you never made it past 1989.
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