80s Disco Fashion

80s Disco Fashion

"Fashion in the 80s was full of colour as new wave washes away the fashion debris left by disco. Neon is the newest color of the rainbow, designers get crazy with jeans, and legs everywhere are getting warmer. Put on a headband and get physical, ’cause the metal is getting heavy and the spandex is getting tight. The 80s decade is all about you. And by you, we mean ME." Skooldays.com

Mirrored balls and disco music set the tone for disco dances, an alternative to 1950s style sock hops. Gold, glitter, glitz and glam were the themes for accessories.

Off-shoulder tops, bodysuits, leotards, oversized sweaters and leggings – all reminiscent of the hit movie Flashdance and Olivia Newton - John’s single ‘Physical’ – are several dance wear - inspired items that became popular in this decade.

The 1980s was also when Madonna gained notoriety as the Material Girl during her Like a Virgin years, pioneering innerwear-as-outerwear – a trend that’s experienced a renaissance in recent years – and shocking a society that was still a largely conservative one.

Here are the main points:

1. Everything was BIG in the 80s
2. Wear Tight and Shiny Clothes.
3. Bright and Strong Make-Up and Painted Fingernails Colours
4. Dress like a 1980s icon (Madonna, for example). 
5. Hats came back!
6. Bags

1. Everything was BIG in the 80s

• hair (tease, curl or frizz your hair, hair with mousse or gel), 
• jewellery (think clunky faux gold necklaces with matching earrings),
• belts (coloured leather or fabric cinched around the waist), and 
• shoulder pads. 

2. Wear Tight and Shiny Clothes.

Gold lame and other metallic coloured fabrics will add glitz to a 1980s disco dance outfit. Sequinned clothes provide the glitter that was popular in the 1980s dance scene. Women can wear shiny, spandex pants with a big, sparkling top.

3. Bright and Strong Make-Up and Painted Fingernails Colours

Long fake fingernails painted in bright colours, as fire red nail polish 1980s fashion dictated flash and color). So pour on the make up with plenty of eye shadow, blush and red lipstick. Fake eyelashes also help with the look.

4. Dress like a 1980s icon (Madonna, for example). 

Any 1980s disco dance should play a list of Madonna 1980s tunes. Dress as Madonna during her "Material Girl" phase. Wear black spandex pants with white lace gloves and big bulky jewellery.

5. Hats came back!

Hats of all styles made a comeback. For the disco, headbands were a MUST.

6. Bags

• Quilted Chanel bag
• Prada Nylon Bag
• Bum Baga (Hobo Bag)

Oliva Newton Flashdance and "Get Physical". Her look:

• Create your own “loose, baggy, oversized sweatshirts” that are “super worn in” and have a “cut-off neck.”

Madonna "Like a Virgin" looks: