What Should I Wear for 80s Day
Off-the-shoulder sweatshirts, acid-wash jeans, big hair: the eighties look, part by part.
All 60 things to wear
Tops
Bottoms
Shoes and socks
Hair
Accessories
From things you already own
Leave for another decade
Tops 12
Blouse with puffed sleeves The romantic look of the early eighties came with puffed sleeves and big bows. Chunky knitted sweater Worn by men and women alike, a fashion school’s history says. Denim jacket, acid-washed if you have one Popular with boys and girls. By the late eighties the acid-washed kind was in fashion. Double-breasted pinstripe suit with a wide tie The men’s power suit of the middle and late eighties. Hooded sweatshirt with a gold chain From the hip-hop style of the later eighties, a fashion school’s history says. Jacket with padded shoulders The mark of power dressing, which took over as the decade went on. Off-the-shoulder sweatshirt Dance wear turned street fashion early in the decade. Wear it over leggings. Oversized sweater in a bright color Girls wore bright, baggy sweaters and cardigans over leggings, a fashion school’s history says. Polo shirt with the collar turned up Part of the preppy look, a fashion school’s history of the decade says. Sweater tied over the shoulders A preppy signature of the decade: a knit sweater thrown over the shoulders. T-shirt under a suit jacket A mid-eighties trend for men, Wikipedia’s survey of the decade says. Padded shoulders help. Tracksuit Sportswear stayed popular early in the decade, tracksuits and sports jerseys above all.
Bottoms 9
Acid-wash jeans Acid and stone-washed jeans were wardrobe staples, a fashion school’s history says. Baggy basketball shorts Young boys took to them from 1984, a fashion school’s history says. High-waisted straight-leg jeans High waists and straight legs set eighties jeans apart from seventies flares. Leggings in a bright color They came in a rainbow of colors and stopped at mid-calf or the ankle. Miniskirt over leggings or tights From 1987 the mini was the length designers backed, worn with tights or leggings. Parachute pants Nylon pants that became a fad with breakdancing. Their peak was 1984 and 1985, Wikipedia says. Rah-rah skirt A short, flounced, layered skirt from cheerleading, a teen fashion of the early eighties. Shorts with tube socks What boys often wore, like the men of the decade, a fashion school’s history says. Stirrup pants Tapered pants with a strap under the foot, in casual fashion from the mid-eighties.
Shoes and socks 7
Brightly colored tennis shoes Named with high-tops and denim jackets in a fashion school’s history of the decade. High-top sneakers Canvas high-tops were popular with boys and girls alike. Jelly shoes Plastic sandals in every color, some with glitter. The trend began in the early eighties. Leg warmers A fad of the early eighties, worn with leggings, jeans or tights. Old-school white sneakers White trainers were a key piece of the decade’s hip-hop style. Pumps with pointed toes Sharp toes and spike heels belonged to power dressing. A low pair is easier at school. Slouch socks Worn over stirrup pants or leggings with casual sneakers, Wikipedia says.
Hair 8
Bangs with a headband A late eighties style for girls, Wikipedia’s survey of the decade says. Big hair, teased up Big hair was popular in the eighties for men as well as women, Wikipedia says. Hair bow Hair bows were part of a pop star’s look that many copied in the mid-eighties. Hi-top fade Common among young Black American men from 1984 to 1993, Wikipedia says. Mullet Mullets were everywhere in the eighties, a British newspaper wrote, as Wikipedia quotes it. Perm Perms were in fashion from the very start of the decade, Wikipedia’s survey says. Scrunchie The scrunchie was patented in 1987 and stayed popular through the nineties. Side ponytail in a scrunchie High and side ponytails with a scrunchie became common in the late eighties.
Accessories 9
Baseball cap worn at an angle Named with gold chains and hooded sweatshirts in the decade’s hip-hop style. Big earrings Prominent earrings in many shapes went with the dressy, broad-shouldered look. Elastic headband An athletic accessory that the aerobics craze turned into a trend in the early eighties. Fanny pack The nylon kind came into use in the eighties. A trade magazine named it product of the year in 1988. Fingerless lace gloves Gloves, sometimes laced or fingerless, were made popular by a pop star of the decade. Glasses with large plastic frames In fashion for men and women in the first half of the decade, Wikipedia says. Layers of long bead necklaces Long strings of beads, worn in layers, were part of a mid-eighties pop look. Stack of jelly bracelets Jelly or thin metal bracelets were worn many at a time on one wrist. Wide belt over a long sweater Oversized belts and bows were bold statements of the early eighties.
From things you already own 6
Any blazer over a plain T-shirt A T-shirt under a suit jacket was a mid-eighties trend. Push the sleeves up. Every bangle and bead necklace in the drawer Bracelets were worn many at a time and beads in layers, so pile them on. Gym clothes, a headband and bright sneakers Stylish gym wear was everyday wear, a fashion school’s history says. Jeans rolled at the ankle over slouchy socks Men rolled their jeans to show their slouch socks in the early eighties, Wikipedia says. Long sweater, belted, over leggings Long, bulky sweaters and wide belts are both on record for the decade. Old sweatshirt with the collar cut off It slips off one shoulder, which is the dance-wear look. Ask before you cut.
Leave for another decade 9
No bell-bottom jeans By 1982 the flared jeans of the seventies had gone out of fashion, Wikipedia says. No cargo pants Cargo pants became everyday wear as the nineties went on. No disco hot pants Sequins and hot pants were what women wore to the disco in the early seventies. No flannel shirt with baggy, worn-out jeans That is the grunge look of the early nineties. No go-go boots Shiny white go-go boots went with the Space Age fashions of the sixties. No low-slung jeans with a crop top A fashion school’s history calls the pair the hallmark of the decade after the nineties. No poodle skirt One of the most lasting images of the fifties, not the eighties. No slap bracelet Invented in 1983, but a fad among children and teenagers only in the early nineties. No slip dress with a white T-shirt under it A popular daytime look of the middle nineties.
How this list was compiled
The 60 things to wear, and the line under each, were written for this page on 2026-10-13; no list was copied. What a row says was worn in the 1980s comes from two places, read on 2026-10-13. The Fashion History Timeline of the Fashion Institute of Technology, State University of New York, 1980 to 1989 (https://fashionhistory.fitnyc.edu/1980-1989/ ): sportswear and dance wear, the romantic look, power dressing, the preppy look, men's power suits, hip-hop style, and what children wore; its pages for 1950 to 1959 (https://fashionhistory.fitnyc.edu/1950-1959/ ), 1960 to 1969 (https://fashionhistory.fitnyc.edu/1960-1969/ ), 1970 to 1979 (https://fashionhistory.fitnyc.edu/1970-1979/ ) and 1990 to 1999 (https://fashionhistory.fitnyc.edu/1990-1999/ ) for the looks that belong to other decades. English Wikipedia, as its articles stood on 2026-10-13: 1980s in fashion (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1980s_in_fashion ), Leg warmer (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leg_warmer ), Stirrup pants (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stirrup_pants ), Parachute pants (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parachute_pants ), Rah-rah skirt (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rah-rah_skirt ), Jelly shoes (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jelly_shoes ), Scrunchie (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scrunchie ), Big hair (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Big_hair ), Mullet (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mullet_(haircut) ), Hi-top fade (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hi-top_fade ), Fanny pack (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fanny_pack ) and Slap bracelet (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Slap_bracelet ). The second half of a line is our own advice on putting the look together from an ordinary wardrobe. Your school's dress code still applies on a theme day. Left out on purpose: films, songs, shows, stars and brands of the decade, prices, and anything about body shape. Licence: own work
How it works What should I wear for 80s day? An off-the-shoulder sweatshirt over leggings, or acid-wash jeans with a denim jacket and high-top sneakers. Six of these 60 looks need nothing but your own closet.
Read the full guide
Sporty, preppy or powerful
A fashion school’s history of the decade opens with one rule: bigger meant better. Three looks sit inside it. The sporty one came first, on the back of a fitness craze, with stylish gym wear worn all day. The preppy one copied college style. Power dressing took over as the decade went on, with padded shoulders, bold accessories and big hair.
Pick one of the three looks and stay in it. Pieces of all three at once read as a costume box, not a decade.
Questions and answers
What should I wear to an 80s themed party?
Any look on the list works, and a party is the place for the bolder ones: lace gloves, layers of bead necklaces, a short flounced skirt, big teased hair, or a suit jacket with padded shoulders over a T-shirt.
What should boys wear for 80s day?
Acid-wash jeans with a denim jacket and high-top sneakers, a tracksuit, or a polo shirt with the collar up and a sweater over the shoulders.
What colors did people wear in the 80s?
Bright ones. A fashion school’s history says color and pattern were loud for everyone, children included, and Wikipedia’s survey of the decade lists neon hues, plum, gold, pinks and blues among the popular colors of its last years.
Were slap bracelets from the 80s?
Only just. Wikipedia dates the invention to 1983, by a Wisconsin teacher, but the craze for the bracelet among teenagers and younger children came in the early 1990s, so it belongs with a nineties day.