80s Fancy Dress

80's themed parties are becoming really popular and, more often then not, the guests are required to wear 80s fancy dress costumes. The 80s are a great decade for a fancy dress theme because some of the 1980's fashions, trends and outfits were truly outlandish. If you cast your mind back to the eighties, lots of iconic images from 80s movies, TV shows and music videos will fill your mind. The 80s were a time of decadence, parties, money and being the center of attention, and 80s fancy dress costumes should definitely turn heads.

Because there is such great material from the 1980's, you might already have a good idea for a 80s fancy dress costume, but just in case you need them, here are some 80's fancy dress ideas broken down into several categories.

80's fancy dress costumes inspired by movies
There were lots of movies from the 1980s that typified the decade. Get inspired by Tron costumes (think neon and the first computer games), Back to the Future costumes (think faded denim and skateboards) and Wall Street costumes (think yuppies with filofax and massive cell phones). Other movies that could lead to great 80s fancy dress costumes are: Ferris Bueller's Day Off, The Breakfast Club, Top Gun, Teen Wolf, Mystic Pizza, Cocktail...

80s fancy dress costumes inspired by TV shows
There were also lots of iconic TV shows in the 1980's, and these can also help to generate some good 1980s fancy dress costume ideas. Think about Dallas costumes and Dynasty costumes (shoulder pads and big hair), Miami Vice costumes (Don Johnson with the sleeves of his white jackets rolled up to the elbow), and The A-Team costumes, to name just a few.

1980s fancy dress costumes inspired by music and bands
Lots of great 80s costumes can be based on the outfits worn by the musicians of the time. With the introduction of MTV music videos became really important in the 1980s and the 'look' of the band was key. The new romantics style was really big in the 80s and this provides the basis for some great 80s fancy dress costumes - think Duran Duran, Adam Ant and Spandau Ballet with lots of make up. Add to this, Prince costumes, Michael Jackson costumes, Madonna costumes and Cyndi Lauper outfits, and you've got lots of fancy dress ideas to work with.

80s fancy dress ideas based around events and trends
The 80s gave rise to lots of trends. Computer gaming really took off in the eighties and 80s fancy dress costumes could easily incorporate Space Invaders or Pacman motifs and symbols. Neon was big in the 1980s, and one big trend was to wear fluorescent socks of different colours. Yuppies were born in the 80s and their look could easily be the subject of an 80's fancy dress outfit.

As you can see, the eighties provided a wealth of opportunities for 80s fancy dress costumes. If you are invited to attend an 80s party, you certainly won't be stuck for some great 80's fancy dress costume ideas and inspiration.