Fashion is a cyclical thing, and the styles and models of dresses, skirts and trousers are exactly the same as in my mother’s youth or reminiscent of grandmothers on the catwalks and magazine covers. So is the fashion of the 80s. becoming very popular today. And although experts say that this time was the most disastrous, in terms of style, we remember which dresses were worn then, and we are surprised to find the accents of the 80s in modern things.
General trends
In general, the 80s can be safely divided into two eras - before and after perestroika. The first half of the decade was undoubtedly more like the USSR, and dress models were more conservative and strict. And the second half, especially the years 87-90, is the flood of fashion magazines, bright things, plastic jewelry, and outspoken styles that rushed upon Soviet women. In 87, Valentin Yudashkin released his first collections, Slava Zaitsev won unprecedented popularity, films such as “The Most Charming and Attractive”, “Little Vera”, “Love and Pigeons”, “Interdevochka” are released, where fashion and outfits are given not the last a place. It’s enough to recall how the heroine of Irina Muravyova bought fashionable outfits from the farmer, how Raisa Zakharovna flaunted in similar ones at the resort, and what amazing dresses the heroine of Elena Yakovleva wore.
Silhouettes and styles
So, during this period, there is a tendency to new fashion trends, some of the women of the Soviet Union are dressed in bold outfits according to the Western model, and some remain true to traditions. That is why the naive floral print dress cut off at the waist with a Tatyana skirt, and bold sheath dresses with an asymmetric cut, and fitted military-style outfits are in fashion.
The main trend of the early 80s is the X-silhouette, or hourglass, which was created by increasing the line of the shoulders and pulling the waist. Another fashionable detail of the cut is a boat neckline, which, in combination with a narrow waist, made the shoulder line visually wider. The skirt could be complemented by a long peplum, making the waist narrower and the hips wider.
During this period, a shirt dress with a long row of buttons, a turn-down collar and a narrow fabric belt was also popular. They wore it both as a summer version, and in winter with high boots with a wide bootleg and a narrow nose. Complemented the suit with a neckerchief. The trend of safari dresses has also become incredibly popular. A beige or brown buttoned jersey dress or a blue striped dress with a belt was combined with light turtlenecks, platform shoes and large sunglasses in a wide brown frame.
New styles
In the middle of the decade, a rectangle silhouette came into fashion. Women put on baggy coats and dresses with a wide waist without a belt or belt.
Subcultural movements of punk and grunge are expressed in leather straight dresses and lace trim. During this period, the styles of dresses become deliberately sexy. A tube dress made of a thin material that tightens the entire body is very popular. This dress was a very simple cut, usually ultra-mini with a round, deep neckline, lowered to one shoulder.
Skirt
In the unconditional trend was the length of the mini. Society felt freedom, and all who could afford, dressed up in mini-dresses. However, midi was still worn for work or study, so the fashion was a detachable dress at the waist with a flared skirt half the length of the middle of the calf.
They were combined with high heeled boots. However, they also wore maxi - a wide long skirt and a waist pulled by a belt were the companions of a fashionable dress of the 80s. He was worn under a wide coat with an indispensable long scarf.
As for the styles, they wore almost everything - a tulip skirt, corrugation, and the sun, and four-blades, and a tatyanka. Also, the dress could be with cuts on the sides or back. Especially popular was the skirt-year - narrow at the hips with a strong extension to the bottom. Dresses with such a skirt were worn on the way out or as a business suit.
Sleeves
The length and cut of the sleeve is a noticeable accent detail of the costume of the time. And one of the most popular options was the bat sleeve. This is the name of the special cut, which combines a very wide armhole and a narrow sleeve. 80s Fashion made such a sleeve the ultimate dream of all fashionistas, and it perfectly complemented thin knitted mini dresses with a high collar or sheath dresses with a narrow skirt. In combination with wide shoulders, the bat sleeve made the waist visually even thinner and gave the image freedom along with grace. I must say that in those days, such a style of dress fits perfectly into any dress code - both business, casual and evening.
Another version of the fashionable sleeve of a dress of the 80s in the USSR is with puffs. This is a wide fluffy sleeve at the shoulder, tapering to the bottom. The length of the sleeve can be different, both short and long. Such puffs were made even on uniform dresses sewn to order for senior girls.
Another feature that is more characteristic for dresses of the second half of the 80s is the sleeve, lowered to one shoulder. Such liberties were already allowed at that time by many, and the evening out of a young fashionista with such a bare shoulder and mini was at the height of fashion.
Details
As we have already noted, the hourglass silhouette was incredibly popular in the 80s, with emphasis on the shoulders, waist, and hips. Women in this pre-perestroika period became more emancipated, they began to receive information about fashion trends from abroad and copy it in the most exaggerated version. So, fashionable dresses of the 80s were with wide massive shoulders. This was achieved due to the thick shoulder pads and decor - chains, folds of fabric and even shoulder straps.
The emphasis on the waist was made using a wide leather belt, often in a contrasting color. And the hips could be distinguished by a special cut, for example, folds on a skirt. Despite such hypertrophy of details, the silhouette turned out to be refined and feminine.
In general, everything was massive and large in fashion: if it was a belt, then it was almost of a corset type, if it was a collar, then apache, if accessories, then it was massive and bright. Shuttlecocks and frills, draperies and a bold combination of fabrics were in fashion. But the romantic style dictated the presence of ruffles, frills and frills. The dress of a business woman could be supplemented with a large bow on the collar or the same frill. Evening dresses of the 80s could be complemented by an abundance of details: lacing, flounces, and draperies. All this made the outfits diverse, unlike each other and what they wore before.
Fabrics
Synthetics was still not as popular as in the 90s, so more often dresses of the 80s were sewn from natural fabrics. But stretch fabrics have already appeared on sale. Of these, narrow tight-fitting mini dresses were sewn. However, krimplen, a synthetic lightweight and crease-resistant fabric, should be noted separately. And although the peak of his popularity came in the 70s, in the 80s they continued to sew dresses from him.
Available became jersey and denim, velveteen. Of them sewed dresses and sundresses. In evening dresses began to use lurex and sequins, metallic fabrics, for example, a deep silver color “wet asphalt”. The romantic style was supported by crepe de chine and chintz in a small flower.
Children's and teenage dresses
Dresses of the 80s worn by schoolgirls deserve special mention. Despite the harbingers of perestroika, it was still Soviet times, and if students and young women could afford much, schoolgirls still wore uniforms.
For first-seventh grade students, it was a laconic cut-off brown dress just above the knee at the waist, while high school students could wear a three-piece suit, this was the innovation of this decade. To personally see school children's dresses of the 80s, just look at “The Adventures of Electronics”, “Guest from the Future” or any series of “Jumble”.
In their free time, high school students wore either simple dresses with a stand-up collar and a half-skirt, or, if there were opportunities and ties, jeans and corduroy dresses and outfits sewn to order or bought from blacksmiths, largely copying adult dresses.