80s Fancy Dresses

80s fancy dresses, as opposed to British "fancy dress," were very much about flounce. When you look at good examples on eBay or in vintage shops, what you see most often are a variation on either the 1940s or the 1950s. But with a lot of ruffles!

80s Fashion Pictures

Girlishness was "in" during the 1980s, which many saw as a backlash against the feminism of the 1970s. Nowhere was this more evident than in party dresses, some of which echoed little girls' dresses of several previous eras, what with the short and poufy skirts and elaborate shoulders.

Shoulder pads were a major trend, as they had been in the 1940s. Although this time, they were more of a throwback and a way to enhance an elaborate top, rather than an echo of the militaristic style. Many 80s fancy dresses had shoulder pads, often with a slim-fitting, drop-waisted bodice to further enhance the effect, finishing in an above-the-knee skirt with many layers of ruffles.

Aspects of the 1950s could be seen in halter dresses, often with large polka dots. Whereas 1950s' dresses fell to the knee, a 1980s halter dress usually had a mini-skirt.

Asymmetry was stylish as well, so that a lot of dresses only had one shoulder, or even a long sleeve with the other shoulder bare. Skirts could be asymmetrical as well, although the handkerchief skirt of the 1920s was replaced with skirts that could be shorter in front – showing off both knees – and then rounding to hit the back of the knees or calves.

While British designer Laura Ashley had been popular since the 1950s – and the company's home furnishings are still hot in the UK today – her floral dresses, with their soft, old-fashioned stylings, really hit their stride in the 1980s. The most common designs seen were square-necked tops with puffed sleeves and gently draping fabric. Young women might wear the dresses with white ankle socks and sneakers, but for a party dress, many women found Laura Ashley's pretty, feminine dresses to be a nice alternative to some of the more wild or fussy styles that were so popular in 80s fancy dresses.

Big hair was all the rage in the 1980s, to the point where one wonders how much all that hairspray affected the current air qualities. But hair and shoulder pads weren't all that was big. Dresses were adorned with oversized buttons and bows, sometimes both on a single dress. Giant bows at the shoulders, often near the neck, and at the hip often created a dress that wore the wearer. Some dresses even came with matching bows for the hair. Excess was in because the stock market was booming and thus everything was elaborate – especially party clothes.

Of all the vintage styles that have experienced a resurgence, 1980s fashions are the easiest to find because of their abundance and comparative newness. Unlike most of the previous eras, more people had, or thought they had, disposable income, so there was much more turnover in clothes. Whereas even in wealthy decades like the 1950s, a middle-class girl might wear the same dress for a few years, that was far less the case in the 1980s. Of course, a lot of clothes were now being manufactured overseas and their cheapness meant they had less durability than in previous decades, but many were discarded after only a few wears, meaning that they can now be found in almost-new condition.

eBay is a great source for 80s fancy dresses. A lot of women who kept their prom dresses are now having kids and clearing out space, so there is a lot to be found. Increasingly, they have moved out of thrift stores and into vintage stores, taking their place beside the more desirable items of earlier eras. For many women who hoped to see the end of giant ruffles and puffy shoulders, nostalgia changes everything, and a vintage 80s dress is just the thing for a lot of proms.

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