Are the 80’s Back?

Looking back now, most of us would agree that the fashions of the 80’s were over-the-top. The shoulder pads were ridiculously big, the colors bolder than one may want and the cut of the “power suits” were intimidating. Now, in the year 2008 are we seeing a modern version of the clothes we once scorned? Another economic crisis has seemingly thrown the fashion market into frenzy of modernized clothes from yesteryear. As I flip through the pages of Vogue, Time, and all the other fashion magazines out there I am reminded of the fashions of the 80’s. The connecting piece is the idea of surface manipulation. The clothes of twenty years ago were made to draw attention. So, far I see that the clothes for spring of 2009 are being made for the same purpose. Terri John, Banana Republic, and MaxMara are only a few names in the long list of designers that have welcomed back ruffles, pleats, and anything else that makes clothing appear three-dimensional. After reaching this conclusion I have begun to wonder how long it will last? We all know that fashion moves in a cycle; trends come in and go out and are recycled again. So, how long can we anticipate the excitement that once existed for the clothes of two decades ago to last in this modern era? Today is a time when everything is faster and consumer’s desire change that moves as quickly as they do. If there is one market that can keep up with the evolving mind of the consumer it is fashion. At the core of fashion is the ever evolving cycle.
~Stephanie Mastrangelo~