If you need an idea for an Eighties costume for Halloween or for a party, have a read through the following suggestions.

Consider fashion from this decade. Big hair was popular, especially for women. Big hair consisted of large hairstyles, usually held in place with lots of gel, hairspray or other hair products resulting in a ‘do much bigger than the person’s head. The mullet was a popular men’s hairstyle, although since much ridiculed. To get an 80s hairdo, buying a wig is the best bet unless you happen to have enough hair to work with and are willing to style your own hair to suit. Padded shoulders in women’s jackets were also popular.

The valley girl look was popular in the 80s. This was associated with the film of the same name and featured miniskirts, such as cheerleader skirts, leg warmers and sweatshirts which had had their collars removed.

Music is another source of inspiration, as it influenced the fashions of the 80s, and can be a good source of costume ideas as it was both worn by musicians and people of the times. The New Wave and the New Romantics in the UK were notable in their clothing styles. UK artists really took a hold of the use of music videos, so the launch of MTV was a boon for them. This resulted in fashions being copied from the videos and making it into everyday usage.

The New Wave was somewhat tied to punk rock of the 70s and the New Romantics were a development of glam rock. Some notable users of these styles were Adam and the Ants, Culture Club – with their lead singer Boy George – and Spandau Ballet. New Romantics tended to streaky eyeliner, spiky hair and the clothing such as “pirate” shirts with puffy sleeves and frills. New Romantics often utilised clothing of prior periods and certain Edwardian styles were re-used.

Another musical trend was that of the revival of ska by groups such as Madness. Members of Madness often wore suits with shirts but no tie, sunglasses and hats, similar to the mod culture of the 60s.

Rap, and later Gangsta rap, started becoming more mainstream in the 80s with artists such as Ice Cube, Ice-T and Dr Dre. “Bling” was starting to appear, although it wasn’t as common as it is nowadays. A notable rap song that made it into the mainstream was MC Hammer‘s end of the decade hit single U Can’t Touch This which can still heard today, often in adverts. MC Hammer wore his trademark ‘Hammer Pants’ – loose fitting trousers that were saggy at the crotch and tapered at the ankles.

The Eighties were also the heyday of artists such as Prince and Michael Jackson. Both of these artists wore distinctive clothes that sometimes resembled those of the New Romantics.

Heavy metal was one of the most popular music genres of the 80s. A heavy metal costume can feature long hair (or a wig), leather or denim jackets, tight worn out or acid washed jeans and white, high trainers. Badges and logos of 80s metal bands were also popular, and a t-short with such could be worn underneath the jacket.

Some of the most successful films of the decade were the three Indiana Jones films, Raiders of the Lost Ark, Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom and Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade and two more Star Wars films, The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi. Indiana Jones had a distinctive and carefully designed costume and the Star Wars films are perennially popular and easy to get costumes for the many characters from the franchise. Films such as Flashdance and Fame popularised wearing dancewear and leotards.

Miami Vice, a popular police crime drama from the mid to late 80s, inspired its own fashions. T-shirts were worn underneath expensive suit jackets such as Armani. The jackets often had padded shoulders and the outfits were colourful, featuring bright pastels. Designer stubble, or a slight growth of beard, was a popular look.

Here are a few more detailed ideas from the above subjects.

– Become Indiana Jones by wearing a wide brimmed and high crowned fedora hat, leather jacket, safari shirt, World War II officer’s trousers from the army and Army Air Corps, boots, a bullwhip and a revolver.

– Dress as Sonni Crockett from Miami Vice with a pastel coloured suit, t-shirt, shoes but no socks and stubble.

– Get a New Romantic costume with heavy makeup, a frilled buccaneer shirt, high waisted baggy trousers and a gold braided Hussar jacket.

– Be a Thriller era Michael Jackson with matching red/black leather trousers and jackets, a glove, sunglasses with your hair styled in a Jheri curl, or a wig.

– Copy rapper MC Hammer with Hammer Pants, Hammer vest and some neck bling.

Hopefully these will give you some ideas on how to make an Eighties style costume.

Here are some more detailed ideas:

For Men – Indiana Jones

For Men – Michael Mackson’s Bad Outfit

For Men – Michael Jackson’s Thriller Outfit

For Men – Sonny Crockett from Miami Vice

For Men and Women – New Romanticism