80s Revival
04:43
Although I have always found myself categorising my style and interests to that of the 60s Warhol Factory crowd, or a 70s Beat Punk, I have recently faced up to the fact that I love the 80s. A couple of years ago I remember saying that the 80s can never come back in fashion, "it's too ugly and loud, the music is tacky, it was all a big joke". I can't believe I ever thought that, as I'm now seeing the decade in a whole new light. There's so many things that have contributed to this; from music, film, and politics. In the world of fashion in 2015/16, it began around when Demna Gvasalia and his team created Vetements, where all subcultures meet to create something so new and innovative, you now can't imagine the industry without it. The 80s features heavily, through check two-piece suits, the ridiculous shoulder pads, the thigh high boots. He then showed off this look again for Balenciaga, where spandex and power dressing is the new trademark.
In this Edited article, it discusses how Balenciaga and Marni have brought back the stirrup trousers, which is an unlikely trend for 2016, but is definitely selling.
There's so many different looks from the 80s, it's hard to focus on just one. Perhaps this is why we're going back to it, as we as customers want more choice so blend all different styles into one unique look. Where the 80s and 2016 differs is the strict subcultures. The New Romantics, Westwood Punks, Goths, power dressing, Disco; the list is endless, but each one had their own way of dressing and attitude. It's great we feel we don't need to fit into categories anymore, but in a way, the idea of belonging to an aesthetic and lifestyle is still really appealing. Post-Brexit, many young people are feeling disenchanted with the UK and want a way to rebel against the norm, so looking back to subcultures that started revolutions is a social reaction.
2016 has faced the death of 80s style legends Bowie and Prince, which is absolutely heart breaking in itself, but this is another factor in why we're looking back to the 80s, so we can appreciate again what these ground breaking stars did. This could answer the question of why I'm personally loving the 80s right now, as I'm a huge Bowie fan, and I'm getting the urge more and more to break out of my uniform dressing and just go for it, like he would have wanted. Music always influences fashion, and vice versa. 80s bands like The Smiths and The Cure had their own style, and that's still referenced by designers today. Like music, cinema is another driving factor for trends; 80s film Heathers is a cult classic, making shoulder pads and matching plaid cool. The new TV series Stranger Things has taken the world by storm, with it's 80s costume and playlist being a driving factor.
Anthony Vaccarello has also brought his 80s Versace glam to his first show at Saint Laurent, which didn't leave me too impressed, but the Grace Jones throwback did work. I'm a die-hard Hedi Slimane fan, and for his final show he did the 80s in a theatrical, yet tasteful way. Slimane was known for referencing the 60s, 70s, and 90s, so it's no wonder he turned to the 80s for inspiration. Whatever he does next, it'll be interesting to see whether he picks up this trend where he left off. New brand Hillier Bartley, the collaboration between Katie Hillier and Luella Bartley, who used to be the creative force behind Marc by Marc Jacobs, look to the 80s in a subtle way. British countryside tweeds, crushed velvet, and menswear inspiration. The brand has shown that the trend can be extremely wearable and chic, while still retaining the element of Boy George.
I wonder if I'm only now loving the 80s because it's become cool and relevant again, which doesn't reflect well on myself, but aren't we all controlled by trends one way or the other? It's a shame, but whether we know it or not, if other people are wearing something that you aren't 100% on, it's reassuring. Then again, the 80s isn't your every day high street trend; it's complex and still daring, over 30 years on. Maybe it's a generational thing, as we never got to live through it, so it's all still quite new and exciting. I'm sure if I asked my mum what she thought, she would say she's been there, done that. I was recently at an 80s club night, and an older woman told me and my friend we looked like real New Romantic club kids, "with the serious pout and everything", which would have offended me slightly a year ago, but I took a small sense of pride in the comment. In a few years time we may look back on the 80s revival and laugh, or it could be a part of the process of breaking down style boundaries, and creating a merge of decades and cultures which is entirely new.
First image is my own collage; images used are from vogue.com, bowie image from theartchiveproject.wordpress.com, heathers image from theatlantic.com, and the final images are from hillierbartley.com
Reports are from edited.com
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