Handbags in 1982

After researching a few websites, I noticed a few similarities in the accessories and handbags that were popular in 1982. The trend was casual for day and handbags such as small leather ones with long straps ( shown to the left) were trendy among middle aged women.
This photograph depicts one of the stylish colors that was popular in the time period(red) and also shows a classic casual look.




Along with the red bridle leather shoulder strap bag, Dooney and Bourke also designed similar handbag designs in 1982. The picture below shows a more nuetral color, and also has the duck branding for Dooney and Bourke. Similar to the red purse, It is also constructed from leather and has a long adjustable strap for the woman on the go. I believe designers of 1982 incorporated the extendable strap for women who wanted to be trendy but were also on the go, more specifically, the working woman. Since the 1980's were all about power dress, the handbag shown definitely accents that particular style.

Handbags were also fun in th 1980's! One of the handbags I found, is gold and was worn for nights on the town ad for the party seen. It is similar to a modern day clutch or coin purse in size.
While reading archives in the new york times, I found an article that described a new style of handbag that was popular in Europe. These were highly fashionable and started in Paris and was worn for evening wear. The handbags were made of fur or feathers and was part of the couture collections for fall and winters seasons in 1982. Although, this was a more luxurious style of bag, it is easy for one to connect this garish style with the momentum of the 1980's.

makeup in 1982

The 1982 style of makeup is all about experimenting with color. Lip color is shown as big and bold. Most of the makeup advertisements in Vogue are regarding lip color and lipstick. Lipstick is very popular in colors such as red, coral, and pink. The bright lipstick style has been adopted by almost all women at this time. It is not only shown in adds through Vogue, but also in magazine such as Good Housekeeping (which targets the everyday woman).



There are many different colors of eyeshadows being experimented with. Anywhere from bright brights to pastel to earth tones. Color pallets are highly advertised such as the eyeshadow shown in the picture to the right which was taken out of the Vogue from May of 1982.

It is stated in the Consumer's Research Magazine in May of 1982, that at this time, over $8 billion dollars are being spent on cosmetics a year. People have more of a disposable income which is causing the more expressive and bold make up styles of 1982. The bold makeup is also related to the more expensive dress. The more confident people become in their dress, the more people express themselves with their makeup.

Below is a commercial advertising lipstick in 1982.



Synthesis: Disposable income can lead to more makeup and fashion purchases which will allow for more experimentation and confidence. This can cause woman to choose from a wider variety of colors and mainly go for bolder colors.

Designers to remember from 1982

Since designers were considered high status innovators of the 1980's period. Many of them can be recognized as major fashion designers of 1982. One of the most remembered designer of this period woukd be Azzedine Alaia, a designer that transformed the body with the use of suede, viscose, and lycra. His dress shown to the right was constructed from wool and nylon.

Claude Montana can be recognized for using leather beginning in the late seventies and early eighties. He was a young parisian ready-to-wear designer who was innovative and made leather fit the body well.

Stephen jones, unlike many of the designers of the time used the ronmantic period and movement to signify his fashion and decipher innovative designes for his clients.

Giorgio Armani, still a stimeless male designer was huge in the eighties. He is recognized for his large success in men's suiting and mens wear as welll as crumpled fabrics which was introduced in the early eighties.

Ralph Lauren blew up in 82 and began designing new styles not only in women and mens wear but in luggage, home textiles, leather, shoes, sportswear, and eyewear.

Manolo Blahnik and Adidas were two major names in shoe design in the eighties and were mainstream designers for women and men. Adidas was also worn by an aray of celebrities, including the rap group RunDMC.

Parisian fashion was one of the major movements of this time period and influenced designers like, Claude Montana. This moevement was significant because it allowed consumers to purchase Paris influenced clothing. This style was chic and looked high end and was considered luxurious, which was perfect for the consumers of 1982, as they had a tendency to partake in luxurious spending and were more diposable with their income. Fashion was huge in the eighties and the designers of the time were the innovators and the hierarchy who controlled the market through design and uniquenss of the apparel constructed.



Sources:
Refashioning the Rag trade by Michael Webber and Sally Weller
Fashion the twentieth century by Francois Baudot

Cotton Incorporated advances of 1982

A system created by Cotton Inc, in 1982 has since become an industry standard. It is called the EFS system and its contribution to cotton growing industry is that it is software that contributes to the increased production of cotton bales. The way it helps is by accompanying mills in managing High Volume Instrument (HVI) Data including inventories, acquisitions, warehousing, mix selection, product performance monitoring and electronic data interchange. The system assists the mills in learning more about the cotton they were working with and picking the cleanest, smoothest most suitable cotton for hassle-free production. It was introduced in 1982 producing 300,000 bales using HVI and by 1996 it was increased to more than 19.5 million bales. With the growing demand for cotton products in the 1980’s this system was a necessity in all textile production factories. It improved the quality and efficiency in producing cotton in the mills and there have been advances from this system to fit in any industry segment in the textile field.

Source: Cotton Inc

Records also show soil quality has greatly improved over the years bringing to the industry better quality cotton fibers that contribution to the quality of cotton production. 1982 was the start of these trends including the savings of tons of crop soil. Erosion has decreased with a total 41% decrease from 1982 to 1997. Wind erosion has also gone down 43% in that same time period. This creates a great savings of soil that croplands need to be profitable. The management methods to conserving cropland have had a big impact on this decrease and there has been an improvement in organic soil matter as well. The organic soil is vital to the physical, chemical and biological health of croplands. There are more nutrients in the soil along with better water retention. One factor in this is the decrease of fuel consumption by 3.5 gallons an acre. Specific to the apparel and textile industry, this improves the quality of our cotton although it affects many other crops as well.

Source: Cotton Inc

Fashion Flops of 1982

When searching for the worst dressed and fashion flops of 1982 celebrities are what come up on the search list. They are the ones who try and be innovators and bring a new look to the nation that hopefully the masses will follow. Those who tried to branch out and bring life to a party were criticized for these looks in 1982. Liz Taylor was attacked for wearing over sized pajamas out, bird feathers, tiaras, and cowboy hats. Mr. T was criticized for his everyday dress as well. This consisted of his combat boots, chest-baring vests, sweatpants and the abundance of jewelry that covered his body. They even added up how much the 100 necklaces, 7 earrings, 14 ankle chains, and 10 rings weighed coming to a total of 20 pounds. Head scarves, lace-up boots, and see-through skirts were also frowned upon. Some celebrities even got appraised at wearing $5,000 evening gowns that looked like they came from a low-budget horror film.

Other flops include many of Cher’s outrageous costumes which were skin tight leopard pants, long, dangling earrings, purple or black hair, and huge, vintage sunglasses. Tight pants for men were also discouraged along with more army attire such as nylon army boots, olive drab hats, and paratrooper warm ups. Another celebrity was railed for wearing a ankle-length sable coat over a snakeskin jumpsuit.

Some of these images of celebrities have not left others views of how they dress. Some, such as Mr. T, still dress this way today. They must not have let making the worst dressed list affect them. Cher is still known for her outrageous outfits and bold style, and is considered one of the most beautiful people to some. The way these celebrities dress is how we get to know them and how they express their individuality. Mr. T and Cher will always be remembered for their crazy styles and we will never cease to be amazed at how they pull them off.

Source: Archive of People Magazine 1980-83

The Color of 1982

1982 was filled with many colors from all ranges of the spectrum. There were heavy blacks for going out and pastels for when you wanted that feminen feel. However with all thoses colors there was a color trend that really stood out from all the rest in the fashion world and it was primaries. Bold primary colors such as yellow, red, green and blue were huge in 1982. Especially red, seen as a bold empowerd color was a faviorite among the confidents modern women. The 80's were all about over the top statments, the bigger the better and the brighter the better, this was very apparent in the color trends of the day. It extended from the color of the cars to the clothes and even to the makeup selections which were far from subtle. All in all the colors of the 80's were an exsprestion of the spirit of the times and im my opinion they reflected the attitude of the year perfectly.

Sources:

http://www.fashionmagizine.com/

Library source: Vogue May-Aug. 1982

Style and Trends in 1982

WOMEN: While looking at various scholarly journals and websites online I found that some of the Fall fashion styles and trends for 1982 included the use of suede and leathers. Dark colors like brown and black were popular among fall and winter apparel and were used in accessories as well such as leather gloves, scarves, and headbands. Headbands were at their peak in 1982 and first became popular in this year.
Some trends and styles of 1982 included Ra- Ra skirts that lasted only a few years and was worn by young girls as well as brightly colored shirts with geometric shapes (young men also wore various colors and patterned shirts). Moreover, cloaks, leather wear, fun party attire, flea market purchases, retro influenced long gowns and evening dresses. Also, the baroque style cam back and influenced blouses and shirts.Moreover, leg warmers also took a plunge into fashionable wear and were worn by many as a fashionable look verses functional wear. I believe the most important social movement that took place in the eighties was the womens workforce movement which obviously impacted the scene of apparel and fashion. Women started to wear power clothing including: trousers, blouses, and two piece suits with shoulder pads. The silhouette changed from a slim fit to a combination look of the fifties and sixties. In addition, geometric shapes were also used in jewelry. From art influences, art deco designs and geometric shapes were used in earring fashion and necklace fashion as well.

MEN:The most obvious change in 1982 apparel for men was the rise in primary colors and bold striping on various shirts and blouses. active sportswear was at a peak and was worn on the everyday common man. Sun washed shades was the title of mens wear during summer of 1982. This meant pastel colors with the use of color variation, wide striping, oxford weaves, and broadcloth. Also, the main textiles that were used during this period were herringbone, tartan plaids, beefier knits than in 1981, black and white shirting and two faced denim. However, denim was not the only casual pant worn, rugby pants also became popular for casual dress. Suiting had only subtle changes and overall was kept the same from 1980-1982. In contrast, men's dress ties were made a little wider by about one to one and three fourths inches.

The most important movement in fashion during this period was the rag trade which changed policies and adjusted trading through imports and exports. Thus, having an effect on the industry. Also, the economy shifted leaving people with more disposable income, as a result people spent money on fashion and high society rose. Haute couture was still rising and more people were taking part in luxurious spending. This rise in disposable income inspired designers to create more lines, thus delivering a new collection every six months. Celebrities fueled the fashion scene in the eighties as well as models and fashion designs. The trickle down theory can be applied, as celebrities were seen as innovators and were followed by the subculture and mass people.



sources:
Men's wear magazine 1982/1983
Fashion the twentieth century by Francois Baudot
www.fashionmagazine.com
and scholarly (apparel) journals