The Brilliant 1980's

Exhibition in Fashion Museum, Riga, Latvia. May - October 2019.

Shoes by UnknownFashion Museum

The 1980s are the time of fashion flourishing. Middle class grows wealthier, status and its' attributes mean more. Fashion is in fashion again.

Dress of 1980s in the mirror by UnknownFashion Museum

Fashion of the 1980s is often called the last stylistically integral one, and to a large extent this is true. For clothes of the 1980s, a recognisable and memorable silhouette is typical...

...as well as bright make-up and glittering bijouterie. The motto of the decade is "More is more".

Evening dresses by CAVADINI by UnknownFashion Museum

At this time, a new image of a woman loomed - a woman leader, a female winner. In the afternoon she is a business woman, in the evening she is a seductive and dangerous predator in sparkling clothes.

In English, a word that accurately characterised a new type of powerful and sexy women soon appeared: - glamazon, from the words glamor and amazon.

Shoes and accessories, 1980s by UnknownFashion Museum

The growing well-being of Western countries has given rise to a real boom in consumption. Marketing and advertising worked aggressively.

Pink lady's shoes, 1980s by UnknownFashion Museum

“The Newsweek” called 1984 the year of yuppie - and in fact, in many respects, yuppie created the consumer and narcissism society in which we live today.

Hat and fashion magazine "Rīgas Modes" by UnknownFashion Museum

In the 1980s hats came back into fashion, influenced by the image of Princess Diana. They wore hats in the royal court, so Diana had a lot of them.

Outside of the ceremonial dress code, hats helped create an individual and extravagant style.

Gadgets of the 1980s by UnknownFashion Museum

The trend of the 1980s fashion is an aggressive emphasis on sexuality and the body: these are fetish outfits, such as leather, corsets, and very close-fitting dresses, body-con or body-conscious dresses.

Streetwear by UnknownFashion Museum

The typical 1980s passion for sports (aerobics, bodybuilding, running) and the desire to improve body shape influenced fashion.

Lots of people wanted to show their “achievements”, so they chose very fitting clothes: tights and leggings and elastic jeans.

Accessories and shoes of the 1980s. by UnknownFashion Museum

Brilliant metallic, electric neons, evening dresses with patch shoulders and sparkles, aggressive colours animal prints, leather and latex, bleached denim.

All this rampant chic could be seen in almost all major European and American designers.

Cocktail dress by UnknownFashion Museum

In the 1980s, Yves Saint-Laurent created vivid thematic collections inspired by literature and art - Shakespeare, Aragon, Cocteau, Apollinaire, Matisse and the Cubists.

He has also included classical models, such as tuxedo for women, safari jackets, blazers, and dress shirts into his collections.

Dresses by JEAN-PAUL GAULTIER by UnknownFashion Museum

Jean Paul Gaulthier is often called the “terrible child” - enfant terible - of French fashion. He ironically played up gender stereotypes, dressing men in skirts, and women in grotesque conical corsets.

One of the most famous collection of Jean-Paul Gaultier in the fall-winter of 1986 was devoted to Russian constructivism.

Mini-dress by UnknownFashion Museum

Dresses by JEAN-PAUL GAULTIER by UnknownFashion Museum

Gaulthier looked over a short but intense period in the history of Russian art, when artists and designers created a new direction comparable in influence to the Bauhaus school in Germany.

Evening dresses by ARNOLD SCAASI by UnknownFashion Museum

Fashion designer Arnold Scaasi created outfits for the stars: Joan Crawford, Ivana Trump, Lauren Bekol, Elizabeth Taylor, Catherine Deneuve, Princess Yasmin Aga Khan...

...and for the First Ladies of the USA - for Mamie Eisenhower, Barbara Bush, Hillary Clinton, and Laura Bush.

Afternoon dress by UnknownFashion Museum

In the 1980s, the Fashion house of Arnold Scaasi experienced a new wave of prosperity, his outfits were very much in demand in higher society of New York.

Riga Fashion House poster by UnknownFashion Museum

Riga Fashion House was officially found in 1948, but actually began to work in 1949.

Its goal was to develop new models for large garment factories, guidelines, and to create a high-quality, interesting models for international exhibitions and shows outside the USSR.

Girls cotton dress. by UnknownFashion Museum

In the 1980s, very professional designers worked in the Riga Fashion House.

But the economic and production system, alas, did not allow them to fully express their creative potential, unlike Western designers. Even because of not easy economic situation these designers made a huge creative impact on fashion and culture of the whole world's clothing.

Credits: Story

Fashion Museum, Riga, Latvia
Rīga, 24–1 Grēcinieku Street, LV-1050

www.fashionmuseumriga.lv

Credits: All media
The story featured may in some cases have been created by an independent third party and may not always represent the views of the institutions (listed below) who have supplied the content.
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