Buy 80’s Clothes - Men and Women 80’s Fashion

Buy 80's Women's Sweaters

The Look of Fashion Sweaters of the 80s

The 80s was a time of extreme fashions and most people reveled in the fact that they could now “Express” themselves. No matter what type of clothing you preferred there were tops and blouses that would fit your mood. The 60s was the “Age of Aquarius” and the setting for Flower Children. In the 70s, Disco was the Fashion Giant. In the fast moving 80s, perhaps “Bold” is the best way to describe the clothing people were choosing to wear.

Sweaters hit new heights of fashion during the 80s and these came in all lengths and styles. There were sweaters with a cropped top look and coat sweaters that kept you toasty warm. One of the most recognized sweater styles of the 80s was known as the “Bat Wing”. With this sweater you could hold your arms straight out to the sides and the silhouette looked similar to the wings of a bat. 

Cardigan Angora Blend Sweater Cherry Red Size Large    US $9.99

PAUL SMITH Decadence Cropped Cashmere Cardigan    US $269.99

Juniors Misses vintage Z Cavarcci cropped sweater szM    US $.99

Speaking of sleeves…the 80s three quarter length sleeves were a fashion must for a few years.  This sleeve length made many of the 80s sweaters very distinctive.

 Cashmere and angora sweaters were popular choices for those selecting high-end casual wear during the 80s. Pastel colors were popular sweater colors for these, but there was also a demand for bright primary colors.

Heavy, ornate embellishments were seen on many of the sweaters during the 80s. Glitz and glitter seemed to equal high fashion to a lot of consumers. Sleeves, shoulders, fronts, and backs of many of the sweaters were decorated with gold, silver and fringe trim. Designer sweaters were a favorite of many fashion divas. This was also the era of big time rip offs in high priced designer fashions.

People became so desperate to flaunt clothing that had expensive designer labels and logos that they would buy cheap counterfeits. Many of these “knock off” items would even have the designer name misspelled. This did not deter shoppers who shelled out their hard-earned money merchandise anyway. They were happy to get those sweaters and tops even if they were only cheap and illegal copies.

The thick, shoulder pads were constantly used in sweaters, jackets, and tops. Even a thin cardigan or a sheer nylon blouse would have shoulder pads inserted. These pads were both high and wide. A woman dressed in many of the 80s sweaters looked as powerful as any pro linebacker.

Fashion conscious women and men began to tie sweaters around their body as a fashion statement. Even if the weather turned a bit cool, people preferred to keep the sweaters off their arms and around their necks.

Although this had been seen before, wearing one’s sweaters this way was elevated to a fashion trend during the 80s era. You could not walk one block without seeing IZOD and POLO sweaters draped over someone’s butt or back.

The sweater sleeves were always loosely knotted around the waist or shoulders to preserve the “casual chic” look. When it came to sweaters many colors were popular, but pinks and greens seemed to be some of the favorite choices.