The 80s Research Paper

Usually when an individual thinks “‘80s”, their mind immediately goes to neon colors and leg warmers. While that isn’t incorrect, it does not accurately represent the ‘80s in its entirety. Music expanded a lot in the ‘80s, and fashion was heavily inspired by it. The early 1980s were extremely similar to the late 1970s, and colors were different to what you might expect - lots of khaki greens and peach pinks. This was popular in a fashion category called “Preppy”. The preppy trend stemmed from a book that was witten called The Official Preppy Handbook. Preppy-style clothing was worn by your typical rich kids - it traditionally was a more formal style, especially when compared to the other styles of the ‘80s that featured ripped clothing and flashy textiles. People who dressed in the preppy style generally wanted to be taken seriously. The “modernist” or “mod” style was created in the late ‘50s, but had a revival in North America during the ‘80s. The mod style focused on looking sharp while being dressed in bright, solid colors, coupled with

This style was characterized by bright neon colors and geometric shapes. It is probably the style that comes to mind when you think “‘80s”. Memphis clothing always had squiggly lines, triangles, and rectangles, all made of bright neon colors against a black or white background.. It began as a movement - the Memphis movement - and its primary goal was to break away from modernism, a style that confined designers to many specific standards. People listened to anything that was in the Top 40 charts, whether that be rock, new wave, or pop. It was the mainstream style for a long time. Mini skirts, jeans, capris, jellies, gladiator sandals and white hi-top sneakers were the go-to. Girls typically had their hair in a permed bob, but there could be scrunchies or banana clips involved. Accessories would be clunky and geometric, and brightly