Themed parties are very popular and fun. You may be invited to an '80s themed party and don't know what to wear to the party. Use these tips to relive the fun and cool 1980s look and feel, so you can fit in or even be the talk of the party!
Step
Method 1 of 4: Looking for Antique Clothes
Step 1. Visit a thrift store in your city
The best way to find '80s fashion is to find clothes that are original from the '80s. Thrift stores can be a treasure trove of out-of-date and tacky fashion collections, so this should be the first place you go.
Step 2. Ask your older relatives about '80s fashion
You might be surprised to learn what people keep in their attics or basements. Ask family members or neighbors who were in their teens or early '20s in the 1980s (born in the mid-1960s) if they have any of their old clothes for you to borrow.
Step 3. Find a particular outfit that was popular at the time
Some iconic '80s clothing for you to look for specifically are Members' Only jackets, parachute pants, faded denim pants, shirts with large logos, mini skirts, leg warmers, elastic pants with footrests, overalls, and denim jackets.
Step 4. Look for clothes that were popular in the '80s
Mixing different materials was very popular in the '80s. Try to find clothes made of leather, denim, velvet, velvet velor, or lace. Wear several visually contrasting materials together.
- Also look for bright colors and whimsical patterns.
- Ask the older folks at the thrift store what the items you choose look like from the 1980s.
Method 2 of 4: Styling Your Hair
Step 1. Style your hair so that it rises
The hallmark of the style of the '80s is large, fluffy hair. People who have straight hair will usually do the curling, which will make their hair curly permanently. However, hair can also be temporarily made large by the use of a comb, styling spray, and a little patience if you brush your hair.
Step 2. Style your hair into plank or regular curls
A board curler is a special type of hair iron that is used to style your hair into board curls using high heat. Styling your hair into plank curls can take some time, but it will give you a genuine '80s look, and even the straightest of hair will give you a lot more volume. Curling your hair with curling irons or rollers then parting it with your fingers and spraying it with styling spray is also a good way to make your hair more voluminous.
Step 3. Style your hair in a mullet style (a hairstyle that is short in the front and sides of the head but long in the back)
While this style is definitely considered a men's hairstyle (exemplified by the iconic country singer Billy Ray Cyrus), in the '80s men and women cut their hair in the mullet style.
- If you don't want to cut your hair into a mullet style, you can look for mullet wigs at a party supply store. You may also be able to cut a long hair wig into a mullet style.
- Be sure to tell everyone that your hairstyle is "business in the front" and "party in the back."
Step 4. Style the hair in a side ponytail
Whether it's straight or curly, the side ponytail is a classic '80s hairstyle. Bigger hair is always better, so if you can curl or comb your hair before tying it into a side ponytail, your look will look much more authentic.
Method 3 of 4: Making Your Own Clothing
Step 1. Shape your clothes
The '80s was a time of experimenting with various styles. The style of the women tend to be big at the top and small at the bottom. Oversized shirts are usually combined with mini skirts or tights or leggings.
- If you have an oversized t-shirt, trimming the neckline so it hangs over one shoulder will give it a more '80s look. Wear a tank top or sports bra in it, and preferably a light color.
- If you don't have an oversized top or tight bottom, try looking in your parents' wardrobe (they may even have original '80s clothes). Your siblings may have tight clothes that are too small for you that you can borrow to wear under your costume.
Step 2. Find or build shoulder pads
Shoulder pads were very popular for women's clothing at that time. The bigger the shoulder pads, the better. If you don't have a shirt that has shoulder pads, try inserting some sort of padding into the shoulders of your shirt.
Step 3. Mix and match the colors
Most actors in the '80s fashion used a combination of bright and bold colors. Neon colors are very popular.
- Match your tops and bottoms and add a shock of contrasting colors. For example, electric blue pants and tops can be accentuated with a yellow or light pink belt and long earrings.
- Contrast your light colors. If you don't have a costume of the right color, you can also wear different bright colors together. Try to mix three or four different but bright colors.
- Light-colored stockings can be worn inside a miniskirt and stacked with leg warmers of a different color.
Step 4. Try an '80s punk look
Another is '80s punk style, which will mostly involve black and denim.
- Wear at least two different denims. The men at that time usually wore denim pants combined with a denim jacket. The women of that era wore denim mini skirts combined with denim jackets. Men and women usually wear tights inside a denim jacket.
- Combine denim and lace. A classic '80s look is a lacy top paired with faded denim pants or a denim mini skirt. The drastically different fabrics of clothing were the hallmark of '80s style.
Step 5. Put on sports clothes
Sportswear was also popular in the 1980s. However, '80s sportswear tends to be much more appropriate than modern sportswear.
- Puffy sweatpants and a matching jacket paired with sneakers make for the perfect '80s look. While these outfits may be hard to find, a velvet or velvet velor tracksuit can be used.
- Another way to wear '80s sportswear is with the iconic '80s women's sportswear look: gymnastics, tights, and leg warmers. It would be even better if everything was a contrasting light color.
Method 4 of 4: Complete Your Look
Step 1. Cut off the fingers from the glove
Fingerless gloves are very popular, especially when paired with a more punk look with denim and lace outfits. It's a good idea to choose lacy gloves, but either one will work.
Step 2. Wear big earrings
Earrings do not have to match each other. Wearing two different large earrings - for men or women - was quite popular in those days. If the earrings are a light color that matches or contrasts your outfit, even better! If you don't have colorful bobble earrings or feather earrings, you can wear gold hoop earrings.
Step 3. Look for a necklace full of stones or beads
Repeat again. Stacking various ornate necklaces will help create an '80s punk look. Heavy beaded chains or beads were popular at the time, and crosses tucked in them were also common. The more necklaces, the better. You'll also need to stack some kind of thick, bulky bracelet in a contrasting metal.
Step 4. Put on big sunglasses
Oversized sunglasses with plastic rims were very popular in that decade, even indoors or at night. Cheap children's glasses with light-colored ear hooks are very similar to the glasses that were popular in the '80s. Gold-rimmed glasses are also popular and you can usually find them at party supply stores.
Step 5. Apply '80s style makeup
'80s makeup included dark lipstick (for punk girls and boys!) and very light eye shadow. Eye shadow can be applied all over the eyelids, up to the eyebrows. Some '80s celebrities experimented with multiple shades of eyeshadow at once, creating 2-3 color schemes.
Step 6. Put on a sweatband
A wide sweatband in your hair (preferably with a mullet) will give you an '80s look. This accessory goes well with '80s sportswear: whether it's a pair of velvet velor tracksuits or a gymnastics/tights/leg warmer combination.
Tips
- Maximize your '80s look. The whole point of an '80s themed party is to have fun and go crazy.
- If you don't have something for your costume, try replacing it with something similar. For example, if you don't have a leg warmer then you can replace it with knee-high socks.
- Be crazy and fun to look more attractive. Make sure you wear a neon pink, crimson or dark purple lipstick.
