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Suits and Outfits for Women in the 80s

At the beginning of the 1980s, everyone wanted to know what fashions could be expected. The designers were not able to be very helpful because each one had their own idea about what both men and women should be wearing. The fashion world was in even more of a state of “flux” than usual and “Evolving Style” seems the best term to use to describe the 80s “look”.

Women were moving into more visible positions of professional power and while there was lots of sass and flair in everyday fashion, these women were focused on their demands for business wear that could rival that of a man. They wanted fashion forward women’s suits with a distinctive conservative style. The 80s decade began with women wearing jackets with a slightly boxy design and skirts with “prim and proper” knee length hemlines. The colors of many of these outfits were plain and straight forward, consisting of relatively somber shades of blacks, grays, or browns. One accessory commonly seen was a feminine version of the “string tie”.

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The Power suits hit their stride and all women wanted to look professional and polished like the strong females they saw in movies and on television. As homage to their feminine side colorful scarves began to be used as bows instead of the “string ties” and lace edged hanky squares or small cloth flowers would be seen gracing many breast pockets. Colors began to move forward and checks, plaids, and bold bright shades like reds and yellows were now entering the business scene.

Suits, jackets and pants that carried the label of a top designer were what the public longed to wear during the 80s. Polo, Calvin Klein, Bill Blass, Galanos, and Ralph Lauren were some of the most popular names of this era. The classic, understated elegance that these fashion giants continued to produce seemed to best fit the look that a large majority of the population wanted.

As the years moved forward, the mid 80s produced a vast array of single-breasted suit styles for both men and women. Women’s fashion continued to evolve and hemlines were raised even in the office setting. Of course, this meant that the boxy shape of the jackets also had to be redesigned. Blazers were a popular choice for fashionable women, and throughout most of the 80s, the ubiquitous shoulder pads remained a staple widely used by the designers.

Women used unstructured linen blazers to pair with pleated slacks for a “dressy casual” that was both youthful and elegant. This style of dressing was less common in the business world but for almost any other setting it was extremely popular. Another style of women’s suits that had burst onto the fashion scene in the 80s was the peplum. This ruffled flounce was used on women’s jackets, dresses and suits to create one of the most remembered of all the 80s fashion looks.