Fashion Trends Throughout Decades

Learning about history, but it's actually bearable this time

Over the past decades, fashion has greatly advanced and progressed. The fashion trends and styles in each decade greatly represent the decade they belong in. Fashion has slowly changed from proper and modest to unique and distinctive. People have slowly embraced themselves, and that is represented in their style and clothing items. In this blog post, we'll explore how much fashion has changed over the decades and the most prominent fashion trends in each decade.

1950's

New colors. New styles. New silhouettes. The 1950s was without a doubt an iconic decade in which vintage retro fashion was emphasized and focused on. People were beginning to get bold, and that was mostly seen in the experimentation of fun, bright, and exciting colors. One of the main goals and emphasis for women in this decade was to achieve an exaggerated hourglass figure. Some iconic fashion figures from this decade include the queens themselves: Marilyn Monroe and Audrey Hepburn. In these '50s fashion trends, you'll see how some of these iconic styles bled into the next following decades.

Cinched-Waist Dresses

Polka-Dotted Design

Pencil Skirt

1960's

A lot of the fashion trends and styles from the 1950s bled into the 1960s. Fashion in the '60s oozed elegance yet sass. The '60s was one of the most important decades for fashion because fashion traditions started to break, and clothing was starting to be tailored and made towards younger people. As social movements progressed during this decade, teenagers and young adults were truly starting to take over fashion. The beginning of this decade had more elegant and classic styles. As the mid-1960s came, radical and innovative styles could not be ignored anymore, and it was a breakthrough. These '60s fashion trends were bold, beautiful, and striking.

Mini Skirt

Go-Go Boots

Hippie Floral Print

Rounded and Oversized Sunglasses

1970's

At the beginning of this decade, hippies fashion was definitely booming due to this kind of fashion bleeding in from the '60s to '70s! Hippies' beliefs in peace, love, and freedom were represented in their clothing style. As the mid to late 1970s started to unravel, disco took over. Women dressed in free-flowing, fresh, and flirty clothes and danced their hearts out to the beat of the rhythm. Many women expressed their sexuality in this disco fashion, and it was absolutely iconic. The '70s was a poster child for fashion that went against the stereotypical norms, and it was a decade that will forever be memorable.

Bell Bottoms

Tie-Dye Design

Jumpsuits

1980's

The 1980s is definitely my favorite decade for fashion! If I had to describe this decade in one word it would be: funky, flashy, and bright. I love this decade because it is so distinct and different from other decades. If I were to show you a fashion trend from the '80s without telling you the decade, you would easily be able to identify that it's from the '80s. The '80s consisted of crazy hair, neon colors, sports cars, and A LOT of hairspray. People went above and beyond outside of the fashion norms, and people were not afraid to be a little different and a little crazy.

Mullets & Perms

Neon Colors

Leg Warmers

Shoulder Pads

1990's

Fashion styles and looks in the '90s mainly consisted of modern preppy, grunge, and hip hop. The style in the early '90s gravitated towards a more simple, modest, and low maintenance look. Celebrity supermodels also began their rise to fame in the '90s. Some well-known supermodels that have made their mark in modelling history are Cindy Crawford, Naomi Cambell, and Kate Moss. As the mid-'90s approached, people began to drift towards a more grunge look. Take a look at a few of these fashion trends that represented the '90s.

Crop Tops

Slip Dresses

Letterman Jackets

Plaid Flannel Shirts

Doc Martens

2000’s

Fashion in the '20s was definitely something else. Personally, I feel like fashion in the 2000s was a little messy. What were people thinking when they wore denim vests? Anyways, celebrities' influence in fashion began to rapidly rise. Some fashion icons included Beyoncé, Paris Hilton, Britney Spears, and Mary Kate & Ashley Olsen. Also, fast fashion significantly grew in this decade. Affordable, good quality clothes were making their appearance in this decade, and I am definitely glad about that! This decade mostly revolved around celebrity influence in fashion and brand name clothing like Juicy Couture and True Religion.

Kitten Heels

Low-Rise Jeans

Tracksuits

2010’s

Last but not least, the 2010s! It's crazy to see how fashion has evolved and changed over the decades. In the 2010s, we see a lot of repeats of fashion trends and styles from previous decades. Fashion in the '80s and '90s started to make a comeback, but I'm certainly not complaining. The most prominent styles in this decade include hipster/boho chic/festival, athleisure, and street style. Many brands with cheap and affordable clothing like Fashion Nova, Forever 21, and Shein gravitated towards teens and young adults. On the other hand, high-end brands like Balenecia, Yeezy, and Christine Dior were popular amongst many rich, well-known celebrities. In this decade, people began to truly embrace their style, and many were creative in styling their clothes in a way to perfectly match their personality. The 2010's fashion mainly embraced unisex clothing, street style, and thrift shopping, and I truly believe that this decade has made its mark in the fashion world.

Normcore

Customization

These amazing customized clothing pieces are made from one of my best friends and one of the most talented people I know, Laney Dunphy. These customized designs make outfits 10x better, and I without a doubt recommend sorting throughout your closet and customizing any old clothing items!

Streetwear

Athleisure

Oh how much the fashion industry has greatly evolved over the years. I have noticed throughout the decades that people have been more and more open with themselves, and that is strongly conveyed in their style. I love how people have become more open to different styles, and it's now well known that you don't always have to dress so conservatively, modestly, and fancy. Fashion styles are becoming more unique and eccentric, and I cannot wait to see what the 2020s have to offer in the fashion realm. On one last note, my school hosted a spirit week this school year. One of the themes was "throwback Thursday", so we had to dress up from previous decades. Enjoy some of these outfits from spirit week!