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The 1980s saw a surge of women entering the workplace and as such, women’s office fashion became a much more prominent aspect of the eighties global fashion market.

Power dressing became the in style for any swanky inner-city office with eighties stars like Julia Roberts, Brooke Shields and Tiffani-Amber Thiessen all embracing the power dressing craze.

This trend was influenced by pop culture of the time with movies like Working Girls influencing fashion trends. The eighties fashion scene moved with the times, reflecting societal changes and what was happening in the world.

When you want to feel like a boss at your next board meeting take a leaf out of the eighties power dressing trend and try out these styles.

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Shoulders Should Never be Boring

A staple of any eighties office environment, shoulder pads were the must have style of the eighties. Often incorporated into a blazer style jacket, blazers with shoulder pads work great when styled with trousers and skirts for any office environment. Popular in movies like Working Girls and worn by stars including Julia Roberts, try embracing this power dressing style for your next day at the office.

The Sassiest of Earrings

No one said that office appropriate attire shouldn’t have a hint of sass. The eighties working women knew that the ultimate accessory to bring some sass to any eighties office environment were some hoop earrings. Donned by the likes of Janet Jackson and Kylie Minogue, try a matching a pair of hoop earrings with a blazer for a great office look.

A Stylish Turtleneck

As demonstrated in the eighties by fashion icon Brooke Shields, when styled right a turtleneck oozes sophistication and style. Whether you are working in a swanky office up town or a fashion house, you can’t go wrong styling a turtleneck under a sleek blazer for an effortlessly chic, eighties inspired office look. Bonus points if you include some hoop earrings.

Forget the Mini-Skirt

Although the mini skirt was loved for a casual look in the eighties fashion world, in the office the knee length skirt was the trend to have. Looking great when style with a simple top and blazer, this style was adopted by working women all over the world and was a style that was commonly worn in the eighties by Lady Diana Spencer.

The Trendy Trench Coat

When going to and from the office, women of the eighties knew that you could still look incredibly stylish. Trench coats were the must have coat for the working world, often tied firmly with a sash belt around the waist. This style was popularized by movies like Working Girls and embraces sophisticated style when worn over a pair of slacks with heels.

Hair Should Make a Statement

Every eighties working woman knew that hair should never be ignored. Big hair was all the rage in the eighties and this extended into office fashion trends. Volume was the go to word with styles that embraced as much volume as possible. Eighties star Tiffani-Amber Thiessen was a particular fan of the big hair craze.

Suits Don’t Just Have to be Black and White

In the eighties world of office fashion, pastel suits were one of the must have items. These stylish suits gave some individualism and creativity to a look while still maintaining their sophisticated and professional vibes. Looking great with heels and a white singlet, this is an ever-trendy style that is still popular today, with stars like Margot Robbie embracing the pastel suit look.

The Sophistication of Skirt Suits

If you wanted to embrace power dressing in the eighties but donning trousers just wasn’t your thing, then the skirt suit was the go to style. Blending together the sophisticated vibes of a suit with a more feminine touch, the skirt suit was a popular look in the eighties professional world. As shown by Michelle Pfeiffer in the movie Scarface, a skirt suit when styled with matching heels oozes effortless sophistication and boss vibes.

Read:

Best Crop Top Outfits and How to Accessorise

Best Plaid Skirt Outfits How to Accessorise

Best Trench Coat Outfits and How to Accessorise

Best Blazer Outfits For Women How To Accessorise

Best Turtleneck Outfits And How To Accessorise Them

Trousers Shouldn’t be Tight

Before the rise of the skinny leg trouser, wide leg trousers were all the rage. Soaring to new heights of popularity in the eighties working world, wide leg trousers were an important element in power dressing and donned by stars like Christy Turlington. When embracing this look, try styling some wide leg trousers with a singlet and blazer, tying the whole look together with a thin belt.

The Ultimate Power Dressing Jacket

The blazer was the ultimate jacket when embracing the power dressing trend that was sweeping the world in the eighties. Looking stylish when worn with wide leg trousers or a skirt and maintaining all its sophisticated vibes when worn over a singlet, turtleneck or button-down, the blazer was the must have jacket. Worn to perfection by stars like Brooke Shields, try incorporating a stylish blazer into your next office look.

For an Alternate to the Blazer

If you want to wear a jacket into the office, but blazers just really aren’t your thing then never fear. Every eighties working woman knew that a suede jacket was a stylish substitute for a blazer. A suede jacket is a great office look when paired with some trousers, heels and a turtleneck and back in the 80s was worn by Linda Evangelista at a 1989 Calvin Klein fashion show.

With more and more women entering the workforce in the eighties it is no surprise that there were so many great office-based trends that soared to new levels of popularity in the eighties fashion world. From the stylish vibes of a turtleneck and blazer, to the incorporation of shoulder pads, there are so many great looks to draw on for your next day in the office.

So whenever your next heading into the office, why not embrace some of the power dressing trends of the eighties and look and feel like you are ready to take on the world?

About The Author

May is totally crazy about the 80s and everything the decade inspired! Having grown up in a household that was totally taken over by 80s music and fashion its only natural that May lives and breathes the 80s!

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