How The 80s Rock Chick Look Came Back for today’s Twenty Tens Fashion
August 9, 2018Welcome to the 80s Rock Chick look back again in fashion today, refreshed for the Twenty Tens! Read on to see how to re-work retro 80s fashion for today’s trends
So, you want to know how the 80s rock chick look came back into today’s fashion? Look no further to get answers to all your burning 80s fashion questions and how to rock those retro fashion styles today.
Blue17 rock style 80s dressing
The 80s Rock Chick Look
If you want to go down memory lane to uncover how the 80s rock chick look came back into today’s fashion, then think Madonna, Cyndi Lauper, Grace Jones, Bananarama and Debbie Harry. You’ll have the most iconic 80s rock chicks setting fashion trends in the decade that brought in neon coloured clothes, makeup, nails and shoes. And there’s crop tops, lycra leggings, animal print dresses, one shoulder tops and all the glitz and glamour of the age of excess.
Madonna trail-blazed in her tutu mini-skirts layered over lycra leggings, topped with cropped slogan T-shirts, tons of pearl and metal necklaces, short lace gloves and big floppy bows in her spiky hair.
Grace Jones was a radical opposite in heavy black leather with lots of metallic hardware, black eye-liner and short punky hair.
The Bananarama girl band rocked crop tops, animal prints, rolled up jeans or tight spandex mini dresses.
Cyndi Lauper was big into the punk rock look, with black fishnet tights under tartan mini-skirts, rainbow-hued spiky mullets, lots of dangling chains, tons of layered bracelets and bold, bright eye-shadow, cheeks and lips.
Debbie Harry had a more understated style, with short platinum bleach-blond hair, lots of black outfits, white-on-black slogan T-shirts, one-shoulder tops offset by coloured tights.
Cyndi Lauper, Brasil in 1989, By Travis Wise from Bay Area, California, United States (Cyndi Lauper) [CC BY 2.0], via Wikimedia Commons
Leather Fanny Pack By Plot Spoiler [CC BY-SA 3.0], from Wikimedia Commons
Today’s Spin on 80s Fashion
Yes, you can rock those iconic styles in the Twenty Tens – everything cool always comes around again! Here are some retro fashion trends that are alive and well today that will help you understand how the 80s rock chick look came back into today’s fashion:
Fanny Packs
Now called belt bags or waist bags, the fanny pack is back in a big way! Today’s incarnation looks quite different from the 80s originals, now in florals or structured, multi-functional athleisure or pretty pastels just right for spring and summer.
So, how the 80s rock chick look came back into today’s fashion with fanny packs, was through differentiation. They are even worn differently today, usually hung on the side of the waist or sometimes worn around the neck, never on the fanny!
Today’s fanny packs are much more of a style statement than a functional way to go hands-free. Use them as accessories to add texture and layers to your outfits, especially to add some structure to today’s delicate, flimsy, floaty dresses and tops. They can be used to create a waistline and add your own personality to a high street look.
Madonna in concert wearing fishnets 1987.
Tom Lynn, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
80s Rock Chick look – Crop Tops
Another trend to understand how the 80s rock chick look came back into today’s fashion is the resurgence of the crop top. Now much more sophisticated than the simple cropped T-shirts of the 80s. Today’s look is usually part of a two-piece skirt and top, or skirt and pant. The skirt or pant is typically worn high-waisted, with just a sliver of bare skin between the bottom and top of the outfit. The crop top and bottom – skirt or pant – are in the same fabric and pattern, so the eye moves up and down, with an interesting break in the middle to highlight a toned midriff.
Another way to wear today’s crop top is layered over anything – picture a bright crop top over a crisp white button-down shirt wore outside a pair of skinny pants or jeans or over a wide-leg pair of pants. The crop top also looks cool layered under your spaghetti strapped summer dress or your denim overalls.
Animal print. By “Boca a Lenda” [CC BY 3.0], via Wikimedia Commons
80s Rock Chick look – Animal Prints
You can wear them in their traditional colours of brown, white and black, brown, gold and beige or just white and black. Or try a new take on the colour tradition and wear them in unexpected colours like black and blue, or in muted shades of grey.
To get a feel of how the 80s rock chick look came back into today’s fashion, remember that style options are vast too. So, try an all-over animal print jumpsuit, or a black moto leather jacket with animal print sleeves. Pick an animal print layered chiffon skirt to wear with your structured tops, or even wear the print in your favourite skinny jean or jegging shape.
The timeless, most stylish way to wear the look is with the traditional colouring of brown and gold patterns on a beige background on your high-heeled pumps, ballet flats or structured bags. These accessories work as neutrals and go with everything, but look especially good with solids like red, black, white, olive-green or khaki beige.
Mom Jeans. By Charlie Marshall from Bristol UK, United Kingdom (Framed By Fountains) [CC BY 2.0], via Wikimedia Commons
80s Rock Chick look – Mom Jeans
No, these are not exactly the Mom Jeans of the 80s. Today’s Mom Jeans take the best of the throwback look and rework it for today, with high waists, tapered legs and lots of distressing. Today’s look is typically in a light wash or in white, worn with a crop top to show off toned abs, with the bottoms rolled up to show off ankle boots in a dark hue. Picture Bella or Gigi Hadid strutting their stuff on the sidewalks of America or Europe, rocking this new take on the Mom Jean. And that’s how the 80s rock chick look came back into today’s fashion through Mom Jeans!
[i] https://www.topshop.com/en/tsuk/category/jeans-6877054/mom-jeans-6906630?geoip=noredirect
https://www.boohoo.com/womens/jeans/mom-jeans
https://www.lasula.co.uk/black-eyelet-lace-up-rock-crop-top
https://www.whowhatwear.co.uk/rock-chick-style/slide4
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