Eighties Power Dressing Is Back

It wasn’t until long ago that the world of fashion used to look back on the ‘80s with bewilderment and a certain sense of shame for the audacity of the outfits and all beauty trends. The ‘90s imposed a new tempo and a different type of woman, fashion insiders say, but that era has come to an end and we’re seeing elements from the ‘80s, once so shunned, slowly crawling back into our everyday style.

Joan Collins was, undoubtedly, a fashion icon for those times. Her character in the hit series “Dynasty” was not only an extremely intelligent and beautiful woman, but also a role model for the people at home who tried their best to emulate her look onscreen.

It is this very look promoted in “Dynasty” that is now making a strong comeback, stylists maintain. Shoulder pads, puffy sleeves, high-waist pants and pencil skirts, suits, bows and hats, and outrageous colors are just now wreaking havoc on the catwalks and we’re to expect them to reach us this spring in full force.

It’s called “power dressing,” Joan Collins tells the Daily Mail, and it’s meant to show each woman has a strong personality and is not to be messed with, be it at the workplace or in the company of other females.

Unlike the trends set in the ‘90s, Collins explains, this empowering style has never tried to make all women look alike and meet a certain beauty standard (as is the case with today’s fashion), but to allow everyone to express themselves as they felt. It was a style individualist to the extreme that played on contrasts and verged on the outrageous, but was also extremely flattering and empowering. Thank God, it is also back, Collins adds.

“Why don’t designers today make dresses with sleeves? No wonder women over 40 aren’t buying those strapless, sleeveless frocks that look good only on flat-chested girls. The empowerment of women in the past 30 years, which was reflected in the strong, ‘statement’ clothes we wore, has been greatly eroded by this recent desire to look super-skinny. It’s a Barbie Doll look that can be achieved only with severe dieting and implants.” Collins points out, drawing a parallel between the power dressing of the ‘80s and today’s fashion.

“Quite frankly, so many stars today look identical with their straightened hair, shiny faces and red carpet uniform of strapless gowns. The 18-year-olds look almost as old as the 30-year-olds, while the 40-year-olds all look 30, so sometimes it’s hard to tell the difference.” the legendary actress further emphasizes. With this in mind, it’s no wonder she, just like the fashion industry as a whole, is happy power dressing is making a strong comeback this year.