Shoulder pads are back in style

Dear users, dear authors,
Do you like shoulder pads?

Dear Josefa,

in the ’80s, they were definitely a must-have in every jacket or blouse. They made your waist look slimmer because your shoulders looked broader. If you naturally had slumped shoulders, you could achieve a more flattering silhouette this way. In that sense, I liked them.

If they were in a blouse today, though, it would seem strange to me. I’d probably like them again if they weren’t too over-the-top and if they didn’t show through on the outside. With very thin fabrics, I never liked that you could see right through the shoulder pads.

But who among us even goes clothes shopping anymore? I haven’t been to a clothing store in so long that I don’t even know what’s trendy these days. So what I have in my closet is enough—and there are no shoulder pads there.

Best regards, Ina

I hate those things; they give you boxer shoulders and a shapeless figure. I cut them out wherever I could back in the ’80s.

Best regards, Inge

So I’m guessing you wouldn’t like a revival of ’80s hairstyles either? ;)

I used to remove them whenever possible back then.

Being short and having shoulder pads—it’s never really worked for me.

Would you walk around with a mop on your head just like in the photo? ;.))))) This is an old photo of me from the ’80s; back then, we were at the Luisenburg in the rock labyrinth. The jacket I’m wearing there was one of the first jackets I sewed myself—it was a reversible jacket, and I loved it. I even had a pencil skirt to go with it; back then, I could still pull off something like that ;.) :-))

Love, Inge

They're so fluffy :-)
The jacket is great.

I always thought these shoulder pads were awful, too, especially when you could see them through thin blouse fabric. I cut them out, too. But they work great as stuffing or padding for dollhouse bedding.

These pictures are from the ’80s and ’90s. Do you remember those glittery shirts?
In one picture, I’m wearing a blouse made of diaper cloth, embroidered by me, with crocheted edging on the sleeves and a cord at the neck. 
The other picture was taken at work; I’m wearing a sweater I knitted myself. Oh man, those were the days—with the fashion and the hairstyles.

Oh, I think we’re back in the ’80s thread again. But the photos are just awesome! Everyone knows these hairstyles: whether it’s the “Angela Davis hairstyle” or the homemade glittery tops. EVERY woman had something like that.

Inge, I had a hairstyle like that in my early 20s, too: a perm. And that with totally straight hair. Of course, the hairdresser meant well and left it on longer. My hair was frizzy as a result. Combing wasn’t necessary anymore—it sat like a helmet. Back then, we had a really old Wartburg 311, and my husband would always let me know in time when he wanted to turn. With my hairstyle, I was just in the way of his view. So I always had to keep my head tilted way back.

Andrea, you’ve stayed true to yourself—you still have long hair, after all. But I remember those decked-out clothes, too. Back then, those rhinestones with the little prongs were like gold dust. And I used to sew crocheted borders onto my necklines, too. And I wore hand-knitted sweaters, too, even though “wool” back then was usually made of acrylic. To us, that was chic back then.

And I liked shoulder pads, as long as they weren’t too thick. I could use a bit of shoulder. But they just couldn’t show through. I’ll see later if I can dig up some pictures. Then we can all have a good laugh about it :-)

Since the ’80s were before my time (I probably wasn’t even planned yet ;) ), I didn’t really notice shoulder pads back then... I only know them from photos and old clothes, and I have to say... I find them super creepy! I don’t like them at all.

My mother-in-law once lent me a blazer with shoulder pads, and I feel so incredibly uncomfortable wearing it. So, if it were up to me, I’d rather do without them :)

I’m also mostly familiar with ’80s hairstyles from my childhood (from people who still wore them well into the ’90s) or from old photos.
I can’t really picture myself with that look... But when it comes to hairstyles, I’m pretty open to trying new things :)

But yeah... If this trend really does make a full comeback, I’ll probably be wearing it in 3–5 years.
Somehow, I usually think most trends are awful at first... Until I get used to them... Then they’re already halfway out of style, and I start to like them :)

By the way, I think your old photos are great! Please share more!
@Bastelfan: Is that you in all of them? At first glance, I thought the picture at the front was an older photo of my mom. Not at all with the others, but in that one, there’s a certain resemblance :D

So, I did a quick search and found a picture of myself with my permed hair...
Big hoop earrings were always a must too, along with shoulder pads:

I'm telling you, those were mop-head hairstyles :-))))))))) But since everyone was walking around like that, you didn't even stand out. Those mullet hairstyles were just as bad—just plain awful—and then the bangs were so long you needed a pole to see anything :-)

Best, Inge

It’s so nice to look back at your old photos.
Awesome, Ina. Yeah, I think we all used to look like that. Right now, I can’t find a photo of myself with that hairstyle.

But do you guys still remember those blow-dried, tousled hairstyles?

That’s me at 14 or 15 years old


And in the other photos further up, yes, that’s me too

Shoulder pads weren’t my thing. I felt ridiculous in them

Shoulder pads are apparently still in style, so I’ve bumped this thread back up.
Your photos are really great. :-)

Since I was born in ’88, this doesn’t really trigger any nostalgia for me.
I have wide hips, equally wide shoulders, and a relatively narrow waist. Plus, I’m not particularly tall. So I feel like shoulder pads would just make me look wider and actually distract from the rest of my figure. Visually, they’d definitely not be my thing.
I once had a blazer with slightly padded shoulders—back then, you couldn’t get one without them. Of course, it was a bit too wide in the shoulders and barely fitted at the waist, so the silhouette made me look like a short, stocky figure^^ I didn’t feel comfortable in it at all.

Great photos. As far as clothes and hairstyles go, I think the ’80s were the worst. Back when I was actually living through it, it was all great, of course. But when I look at photos from back then, it’s just awful. I really hate shoulder pads—at least the way they were worn back then. They were way too wide. And those perms from back then—somehow they made you look 20 years older. I really love ’60s and ’70s styles, but never again with ’80s fashion :-)

That’s right. I’ve always found shoulder pads creepy and have cut them out whenever possible. Some people wore them in their blouses and then again in their blazers—it looked like they were playing football.

Imelda, I agree with every word you said—the ’80s were just horrifying fashion-wise, but it was also a time of upheaval in various areas of life, and people were just experimenting. Thanks to the ’70s, the old ways had finally been left behind, but nothing really new came of it either… I already mentioned this above: hairstyles—you looked like you had a crazed mop on your head—or what I also found terrible was that mullet, and then on top of that, that perm. I never sewed shoulder pads into my jackets—I was naturally broad enough, and what I didn’t have, I didn’t need to pretend to have.
I did quite like those pleated pants, though, because they did conceal a slightly wider butt a bit, and from behind you didn’t look quite as much like a Belgian farm horse ;-) Above all, they gave the girls who otherwise didn’t have much of a butt a little more of one, so they were a good choice for everyone. :-)

Best regards, Inge

Wow, what interesting photos you’ve shared here. I have no idea where my photos from that time even are. I got together with my current husband in the ’80s—that was the biggest highlight. All I know is that the “Mecki” haircut was in style back then. I had that cut too, and I wasn’t happy with it at all. Once my hair grew out again, I always had a slight perm until about 10 years ago, and I was happy with it because my hair has always been very thin. However, it takes a toll on your hair. I never had that kind of messy mop of hair—just curly hair that looked natural.

I liked wearing jackets with padded shoulders because I have pretty narrow shoulders. But they were only very subtle pads. I can’t even imagine that today.