3 80's Fancy Dress Costumes

Here are some classic examples of 80s fancy dress costumes. All of them are inspired by the music of the 1980s and would be fantastic costumes for an 80s themed party or an eighties costume party.

Michael Jackson costume

Michael Jackson was at the top of his game in the 1980s. Thriller was the biggest selling album and Bad spawned number one singles all over world. Michael Jackson's look and outfits were as memorable as his music. A Michael Jackson costume is easy to put together. If you're going for the Thriller costume, you'll need red trousers and a red jacket. Add to this some white socks and slip-on black shoes and you're almost there. If you're going for a Bad-era Michael Jackson costume, you've got to go a bit further with the accessories. Start with some black trousers (preferably with a stripe running down the sides), add a dark military jacket (with medals), some shades, a shiny belt and a sparkly glove on one hand. For extra authenticity, you could get hold of a Smooth Criminal style hat and add some plasters to the non-gloved hand. Michael Jackson costumes always make great 80's fancy dress outfits. A Thriller costume could also be re-used as a Michael Jackson Halloween costume.

Madonna costume

If Michael Jackson was the King of Pop, Madonna was the queen. She made great music in the eighties. Because Madonna changed her look so often, it is probably best to recreate her early look for an 80s fancy dress party, as this is most readily associated with the 1980s. For this Madonna costume you will need a dark dress with leggings (fishnets) and a short funky jacket (in a dark colour). It's the accessories that make this Madonna costume, so load up with rubber and leather bracelets, lacy gloves, hair scarves and headbands and religious necklaces. This outfit is a great one to choose for an 80's fancy dress party because it can be put together from cheap purchases from thrift and charity stores.

Wham costumes

No band typifies the cheesy side of the 80s as well as Wham. George and Andrew with their bleached blonde hair, white trousers and shorts and neon T-shirts, really shouted: 1980s! You've got two options, go for the 'aviator look' from the Club Tropicana video (in which case you'll need a white military-style suit and hat), or the Wham on tour look, which I've described above. You can't go too over-the-top when putting together a Wham costume. These 80s fancy dress costumes are always successful at an 80's party because wham tracks are usually on the playlist.

These are just three examples, but there are lots of other 80's artists that would provide the inspiration for brilliant 80s fancy dress costumes.