Shell suit 80s style to rock your next 80s costume party!
May 8, 2019Wear a shell suit 80s style for your next themed costume party and you will stand out from the crowd in your uber-bright fancy dress costume!
Shell suit 80s style is a stand-out wear to rock your next fancy dress costume party, especially if the theme of that party is sportswear based costume wear! Yes, you can pick a jacket and trousers from either the 1980s or the 1990s, but nothing makes a stronger style statement, so don’t be afraid to go big and go bright!
shell suit 80s style
History of the 80s shell
The shell suit 80s style was a reinvention of the 1970s track wear, where the traditional jacket and trousers of the sportswear track wear was jazzed up and reworked in gaudily coloured nylon or rayon fabrics with contrasting stripes or lightening bolts along sleeves, jacket fronts and trousers, with early adoption by the break dancing and hip-hopping crowd.
The eighties style was the epitome of streetstyle and the forerunner of today’s athleisure wear in the nineteen-eighties, worn as both a symbol of rebellion and a bold fashion statement.
Liverpool lads and lasses were another group of major adopters and fashion influencers of this iconic, famous style. They rocked the look with their bubble perms, broad accents and TV shows with David Icke in his globally-recognized shell suit costume of turquoise blue. Talk of Liverpool style today and this iconic style is the first image that comes to mind.
In the 1990s, the flamboyant style was receding as the height of fashion, evolving into a different spin on the track jacket and trousers of the 90s, much more understated and less in-your-face.
But true die-hard shell suit 80s aficionados continued to rock the eithies sportswear trend well into the 1990s as a statement of their free spirit and bold style.
80s Navy Print Shell Suit Two Piece
As fancy dress costume
You can’t go wrong rocking the shell suit 80s style for your next fancy dress costume party or event. This look is so bold and bright and full of fun and fashion, you can’t help but stand out from the crowd with fearless panache in your shell suit costume!
Find your shell suit 80s style online at a range of virtual market places, like Blue17, or go visit your local thrift stores for bargain-priced one-of-a-kind options. Check out your neighbourhood consignments stores too, for upmarket takes on the 80s shell. You may even find your 80s shell by a world-renowned designer like Gucci if you are lucky.
eBay is a great place to start your online search for your eighties jacket and trousers combination. This online market place offers you a vast selection of track suit options, either as full eighties shell suits or as separates that you can mix and match to your taste and budget.
At eBay, you can pick a low-cost eighties costume spin for your one-off fancy dress costume event, or get yourself an authentic, high-end eighties costume in a durable fabrication and subtle colouration for an outfit you can mix and match with your current pieces.
Another great option when you are looking for original throwback style options for costumes, are the global market places of Etsy or Simply Eighties where you can find the best in authentic retro wear from across the world. Pay a little more to get yourself a real 80s shell instead of a copy of the original, then rock the look not just at your next costume party but mashed up in your current wardrobe too!
80s style shell jacket and trousers
Completing the look
When heading out to your fancy dress costume party, complete the shell suit 80s style look with a funky permed wig in a real-world colour or a bright neon if you dare, and high-top white sneakers. Throw some chunky gold chains around your neck and carry a real or fake boombox to add those finishing touches.
You’ll find endless inspiration for your 80s style shell jacket and trousers at Ebay and Amazon.Com. You don’t necessarily have to buy any of the items listed there – simply get inspired if you wish!
When choosing your footwear to compliment your shell suit eithies style, look for high-tops with colourful angled stripes on the side, preferably designer brands like Nike or Reebok if you can get them. They will add that special finishing touch to the whole 80s shell retro vibe.
Further finishing touches include adding a contrasting coloured headband and some throwback shades and you could be a star on TV shows that rocked shell suit 80s style back in the day.
[i] https://www.blue17.co.uk/vintage-blog/1980s-shell-suit-tops/
[ii] https://www.etsy.com/market/80s_shell_suit
[iii] https://www.simplyeighties.com/80s-shell-suits.php
[iv] https://www.ebay.co.uk/bhp/shell-suit
[v] https://www.amazon.co.uk/slp/80s-shell-suit/msbzds4cnvp944o
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https://www.blue17.co.uk/vintage-blog/1980s-shell-suit-tops/
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