While high fashion greatly declined in the ‘60s and ‘70s, designer trends
were back in the ‘80s. New York boutiques and Paris runway shows were flooded
with American women looking to get their hands on the most sought after
fashions straight from designer lines. Money dominated much of the style in the
‘80s, with mass producers replicating high-end clothing for the middle and lower
classes. Similarly to present time, fashion was centered on top designer clothes
and accessories, while everything else seemed to just be a duplicate of that.
Clothing was a sign of power for many women. Women wore expensive
business suits to work to be seen as authoritative and dominant. By night,
extravagant gowns portrayed a woman’s femininity and glamour. A trend that was
happy to be forgotten for over 10 years but which recently has surfaced again in
the fashion world is the iconic ‘80s shoulder pads. Some women wonder why they
would ever want their shoulders to appear bigger; but in the ‘80s world of money
and power, large shoulders on women asserted that they were powerful as well.