How to Style an 80s Party Outfit

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Embrace 80s fashion with these totally tubular tips

Written by Lana Blanc

Last Updated: March 20, 2024 Fact Checked

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Making an 80s Outfit

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Finding Vintage Clothes

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Styling Your Hair

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Accessorizing Your Look

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Video

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Q&A

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Tips

If you’ve been invited to an 80s party, you’re probably wondering what to wear. How did people dress in the 80s? Take a chill pill, we’re here to help! Whether you want to rummage through your closet, hit up a thrift store, or score a few radical accessories online, we have legit 80s fashion tips so you won’t look like a wannabe. Plus, we’ll cover ideas for styling your look with hair and makeup ideas that are, like, awesome. Party on!

This article is based on an interview with our personal & fashion stylist, Lana Blanc, the founder of The Blanc House. Check out the full interview here.

Things You Should Know

Make your own 80s outfit by wearing bright colors, a loose top, and tight-fitting pants.
Thrift for 80s fashion staples like acid-washed jeans, jumpsuits, and denim jackets.
Channel the spirit of the 80s with a teased hairstyle, sweatband, and heavy, bright makeup.
Add some 80s-inspired accessories to your outfit such as fingerless gloves, big earrings, and layered necklaces.

Method 1

Method 1 of 4:

Making an 80s Outfit

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1
Mix and match contrasting colors. Neon colors scream 1980s! Many 80s fashionistas went for bold, bright color combinations, so try mixing 3 or 4 different shades. Or, match your pants and top and accessorize with a pop of color–try a bright yellow belt or electric blue earrings^{[1]
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- If you don’t want to wear pants, choose colored tights and wear them under a miniskirt. Finish the look with legwarmers of a different color.
2
Wear a loose top with fitted pants or a short skirt. In the 80s, women’s outfits tended to be big on top and small on the bottom. Style an oversized shirt with leggings or a little miniskirt.
- If you don’t have an oversized top, try looking in your parents’ closet. They may even have actual clothes from the 80s so you can dress in authentic 80s style!
- Younger siblings may have smaller clothes you can borrow for the bottoms.
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Find or make shoulder pads–the bigger, the better! If you don’t have a shirt with shoulder pads and you’re in a hurry, fold a washcloth for each shoulder and pin them under your top. For some reason, women in the 1980s liked to have the silhouette of a football player.
4
Try an 80s punk look by wearing black and denim clothing. Pair at least two different denims: try ripped black denim jeans or a denim miniskirt with an acid-washed jean jacket.^{[2]
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Research source} Embrace the male punk look by wearing a tight shirt underneath an oversized denim jacket.
- Combine denim and lace. For a classic 80s look, style a denim miniskirt with a lace top. The contrast of drastically different materials is a key feature of 80s style.
5
Wear colorful, matching athletic clothes. Follow the iconic 80s workout trend by donning legwarmers and a leotard–preferably in wildly bright colors. For men, wearing puffy athletic pants with a matching jacket was considered stylish. Sneakers, especially Nikes, are the perfect addition to the 80s fitness look.^{[3]
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- Matching sweatpants and sweatshirts were also a popular choice for men, with NFL team logos being a favorite.^{[4]
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  Research source} Though they may be hard to find, velvet or velour sweat sets are also a great choice for an 80s themed party.
- Athletic clothes tended to be far more matchy in the 1980s than modern athletic clothes today.

Method 2

Method 2 of 4:

Finding Vintage Clothes

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The best way to style a great 80s-themed outfit is to find authentic vintage clothing. Second-hand shops are treasure troves for tacky and outdated styles! Shopping at a thrift store is an inexpensive way to score genuine 80s fashion pieces.
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Look for materials that were popular in the 80s. Try to find clothing that is leather, denim, velvet, velour, or lace. Put together some visually contrasting materials, such as bright colors and wacky prints. Animal print clothing, such as cheetah print, was wildly popular. Polka dots were also in vogue.^{[5]
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- Ask older people at the thrift store if they think that the items you have chosen seem like they are from the 1980s.
A few iconic 80s items to search for include Members’ Only jackets, parachute pants, high-waisted jeans, and stretch pants with stirrups.^{[6]
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Research source} Shirts featuring Garfield or Looney Tunes characters were also trendy.^{[7]
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Research source} You might even get lucky and find a one-piece jumpsuit or bodysuit with a belt!
You may be surprised by what they’ve stored in their attic or basement. Ask any family members or neighbors who were teens or young adults in the 1980s if they saved any of their outfits from that decade.

Method 3

Method 3 of 4:

Styling Your Hair

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Both men and women got on board permed hair and teased locks.^{[8]
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Research source} To get the look, tease your hair using a comb and a lot of hairspray. Go big or go home!
A crimper is a special type of flat iron that uses high heat to create crinkly waves. Crimping your hair is somewhat time consuming, but it will give you a definite 80s flair, and it will make even the flattest hair much more voluminous.^{[9]
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Research source} Curling your hair with a curling iron and fluffing it with your fingers is another good way to make your hair bigger. Don’t forget the hairspray!
3
Wear a mullet. Though the mullet is most thought of as a men’s hairstyle (as seen on celebs like Rob Lowe and Patrick Swayze), in the 80s both men and women wore their hair in mullets. If you don’t want to cut your hair into a mullet style, you can find a mullet wig online or at a party store. You may also be able to cut a long wig into a mullet style.
- Be sure to tell everyone that your hairstyle is “business in the front” and “a party in the back!”
Whether your hair is straight or curly, pulling your hair into a side ponytail is a perfect look for a throwback theme party.^{[10]
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Research source} Bigger is always better, so if you tease your hair before putting it in a side ponytail, it will look even more authentic.

Method 4

Method 4 of 4:

Accessorizing Your Look

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Music icons like Madonna and Michael Jackson popularized the trend.^{[11]
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Research source} You can find gloves like these online or at costume shops, or you can make your own fingerless gloves by trimming the tips off a pair of regular gloves. Take the look up a notch by choosing fingerless gloves made from fishnet, lace, or imitation leather.
The earrings don’t have to match. Wearing two different large earrings was quite popular in the 80s, for both men and women. Gaudy, colorful earrings are a good choice. Feather earrings or gold hoop earrings also work.^{[12]
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From thick chains to colorful bead necklaces, attention-grabbing jewelry is a must for a great 80s outfit. But don’t just stop at one or two–it was common to wear 10-15 accessories at a time. Chunky bracelets and shiny bangles were worn by the dozen. The inclusion of a crucifix pendant was common as well.^{[13]
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4
Put on big sunglasses. Large sunglasses with plastic rims were very popular in the decade, even indoors or at night. Recreate the look with cheap, bright children’s sunglasses. Gold-rimmed glasses were also popular and can be found online or at party stores.^{[14]
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This unisex accessory was popularized by celebs like Sylvester Stallone and Jane Fonda. Wear a wide sweatband on your forehead for a look that’s unmistakably 80s. Pair it with other 80s unisex looks like a tank top, cropped tee, or spandex shorts.^{[15]
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Apply bright eyeshadow and dark lipstick. Finish your 80s look by giving yourself a classic 80s makeover. Makeup wasn’t only for women; David Bowie and Mötley Crüe made makeup trendy for male rock fans.^{[16]
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Research source} Choose a loud lipstick, bold eyeliner, and bright eye shadow. Finally, add some fluorescent nail polish as the finishing touch.
- The eye shadow can be applied over the entire lid of the eye, up to the eyebrows. Some 80s celebrities experimented with multiple eye shadow colors at one time, making 2 or 3 blocks of color.

Community Q&A

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Question

What hairstyles did people wear in the 80s?

Community Answer

One word...BIG! Side pony tails and crimped hair are good, and tease your bangs. If you're a boy, spike your hair up or grease it back.

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What did kids in the '80s wear?

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Ripped jeans, baggy sweaters, Converse shoes and baseball caps.

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What shoes were popular in the 80s?

Garrett

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There were quite a few; these include Keds, KangaRoos, Air Jordans, and Adidas Superstars.

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Tips

Bright nail polish and especially fluorescent nails, all of the same color - orange, yellow or green. The color did not have to match your outfit.

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Helpful 8 Not Helpful 0
It’s okay to improvise. For example, if you don't have leg warmers, you can replace them with knee-high socks.

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Helpful 7 Not Helpful 1
Exaggerate your 80s look. The point of a theme party is to have fun and be wacky, so don’t be embarrassed to really go for it!

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Helpful 6 Not Helpful 1