Women's 80's Dresses and Skirts
Women's Dress Styles in the 80s
The 80s fashions are fondly remembered for the bigger than life clothing styles. After all this was when Hair was Big and clothing had to be memorable. This was a decade when fashion conscious women saw dresses in all types of designs, from preppy to diva, and everything in between. Puffed sleeves, padded shoulders that rivaled those seen on football uniforms and outfits made from lingerie…Yep, the 80s had it all.
If you need a visual to help you picture what some of the dresses in the 80s looked like you can check out reruns of “Knot’s Landing” or “Dynasty”. You might opt to watch one of the 80’s videos like “Desperately Seeking Susan”, “Footloose", or “Sixteen Candles”. Any of these movies will help you gain an understanding about many of the most popular 80s dresses.
 Vintage 1970s Chestnut Brown Secretary Dress  US $9.99
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 Vintage 80s Black Velvet Satin Party Prom Dress 12 US $8.99
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 Vintage 80s Pink Bandage Party Prom Dress 6 US $8.99
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 Vintage 1980s Red Abstract Print Dress US $9.99
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 Vintage Dress 80s Sexy Long Custom COTURE RARE Hot US $53.00
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 vintage 80s 90s cocktail dress bodycon cage strap SM US $14.99
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The fashion scene was wide open and designers were hard pressed to keep up with the furiously changing demands of the public. Almost as quickly as one style was introduced another was shouldering it to the sidelines. Peplum dresses and jackets were seen everywhere. Peplum clothing had a ruffled appearance at the waist and many one-piece dresses looked as though they were 2 separate pieces. The flared ruffle usually ended right above the hips. For many women this design was very sexy and slimming. The peplum often had the effect of creating a more curved and shapely body appearance.
Plunging necklines were seen in many of the dresses and these were accented by heavy beading, stripes or other trimmings designed to grab attention. Tiered and ruffled skirts made the rounds and many of these had high waists and short hems. Females in the 80s were determined to try every new look that hit the market. Women tested clothes with puffy sleeves and puffy skirts; they also donned mini-skirts and stuffed themselves into Spandex dresses so tight they had to be unzipped in order to breathe.
Neon colors, bold stripes, and decorative embellishments were often seen on many of the dresses that were made in the 80s. Halter style gowns vied with ruffled dresses at proms, parties, and weddings. Some of the 80s prom dresses had ruffles at the neck, shoulders, waist and hem. There were often more ruffles on the girls at dances than there were Ruffles in the chip bowls.
The 80s was the era of the “Valley Girl”, the “Goth”, the “Punk Look” and “Madonna”. Dresses came with extra wide belts and sashes that could be tied in bows. Sundresses with bright colors, polka dots, or stripes were worn in the summer. Flapper styles, keyhole necks and backs, fringe and beading could all be seen on dress styles during the 80s. The shirtdress and coatdress were both popular styles that enjoyed their day in the 80s sun. Wrap dresses were one of the truly comfortable and easy to wear fashions that also came of age during the years of the Endlessly Changing Eighties.
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