Top5 80s Fashion trends that are making a comeback this year

Just when you thought the 80’s were gone forever, along came an 80’s resurgence in both fashion and culture. The 80’s fashion comeback started in 2006 with the re-introduction of skinny jeans and leggings. Three years later, we are still in the midst of an all-out 80s love-fest, and it feels, well, like totally awesome.

In the 80’s, acid-washed jeans and denim jackets became popular with both men and women. Acid washing is the process of chemically bleaching the denim, breaking down the fibre of material and forcing the dye to fade, thus leaving pale white streaks or spots on the material.

Madonna was the "Queen of the 80's" and set several pop trends during the decade.

One popular look for men in the late 1980s was Hawaiian shirts. Often they would be complemented with jackets with stitched looks. They were often grey and white, and were worn for both casual and business settings. When worn in the business setting, they were often worn without a tie.

Leather jackets popularized by Michael Jackson and films like The Lost Boys were often studded and left undone to create a messier look. Oversized, slouch shouldered faded leather jackets with puffy sleeves caught on.

Gloves, sometimes fingerless, were fairly common.

Late in the decade plain brown aviator jackets made a comeback, styled after World War II fighter pilot jackets. Already popular aviators were joined by other forms of sunglasses. It was not unusual for sunglasses or shades as they were known, to be worn at night.

Earrings became a mainstream fashion for male teenagers. Teen culture held that to pierce the left ear was acceptable for a heterosexual male. A right ear piercing indicated homosexuality. Adults who did not understand the fad worried about how this would affect young men's job prospects as they reached adulthood. Ear piercings left a scar even if they closed from disuse.

Severely bleached and ripped jeans, either manufactured purposely or done by hand, become a popular fashion trend, being a main component of glam metal music acts such as Poison. Although gay men have often been thought of as trendsetters in the fashion world, elements of gay fashion exploded into the mainstream in the 1980s. The outdoor look, such as the wearing of huge hiking boots, jeans and flannel shirts in the city caught on, drag styles for men and butch styles for women spread into straight society.

Tattooing and piercing also began to enter the mainstream.

As so often happens with fashion, 80s fads are returning. Among the 80’s fashions making a return are:

· Jumpsuits

· Granny Boots

· Stirrup Pants

· Paint splatter clothing

· Parachute pants

At the online 80s tribute site liketotally80s.com, the most visited sections of the site are the fashion and costume sections. People are clamouring for information, pictures, and how-to’s on pulling the 80s look together.

What is clear is this – the 80’s are back. The nostalgia circle runs in 20 year cycles. We are seeing that with teens today. Suddenly, their 80’s-era mom is just a little cooler than she used to be. I mean, she was there when Madonna was just coming on the scene. She had big hair, loud earrings, and shoulder pads that reached for the sky. Enjoy the 80s while they are back among us! Dig out your parachute pants and strike a pose.