ELLE Fashion: Our 80s

Author: (French) Baudot (F.) / (French) Demachy (J.) / Wu Xue
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2004-11-01
Features: Broad shoulders, hourglass figures, vibrant colors, diverse styles. Fashion in the 1980s was like a cocktail mixed with stripes, polka dots, jewels, and sequins. This era of fashion gave rise to a new generation of models, who became the true stars of the 1980s, their brilliance extending far beyond the catwalk. As Naomi Campbell, Claudia Schiffer, and Carla Bruni strutted and swayed in the courtyards of the Louvre, a group of young designers emerged in the high fashion circles of New York–Paris–Milan. The absurd and rebellious moment arrived: ripped jeans, the eccentric genius Jean Paul Gaultier even had men wearing skirts. As the Berlin Wall crumbled under the world's gaze, the advent of CDs allowed us to listen to Michael Jackson and Madonna. They thus became the new idols of an entire generation.
For over half a century, ELLE has been not only a chronicler of fashion but also its leader. Generations of fashion professionals have regarded it as the authority of reference books. As a women's weekly magazine, ELLE excels at capturing the spirit of the times. The ELLE Style series, comprising five volumes with abundant illustrations, each corresponding to a decade, provides a complete overview of fashion in the second half of the 20th century. It vividly recreates the trends of the era while also chronicling the major world events of that transformative period.
Although the 1980s are often called the "greedy decade," fashion experts celebrate it as a treasure! Opening this fashion diary that faithfully records a decade of style, we can understand why this era of individualism and bold creativity was so significant. Symbolizing the rise of women's rights, power suits, gender-bending costumes, abstract patterned prints, and avant-garde vibrant color schemes, the invasion of Japanese fashion, graffiti culture, personal branding, and the birth of hip-hop street style—even the high-contrast punk rock, rock musicians in tight leather pants, and massive shoulder pads—all these brilliant and enduring creative ideas were not accidental. They all originated from the same place—the 1980s.
Therefore, ELLE, which has always been at the pulse of fashion, could not let fashion enthusiasts miss this most important fashion topic of the 20th century. Even if we couldn’t participate in that dazzling past in New York and Paris, or if that from music and art has faded, we can still immerse ourselves in this fashion record through the barrier-free communication of Chinese and perfect full-color images, allowing us to relive the exhilarating mood of that classic history!