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For pretty much the entirety of the eighties it was fashionable for women (and men to a certain extent) to wear clothes with shoulder pads in. Initially this trend was mainly confined to suit jackets, but before long it was not unusual to find shoulder pads added to blouses, jumpers and overcoats too.
The fad was so popular that even if you bought an item of clothing that didn’t have shoulder pads (say a T-Shirt, although even this humble item of clothing could find itself with added shoulderiness) you could always slip a pair of detachable shoulder pads in to give you that American Footballer look. These pads could be attached with velcro to the bra straps or straight into the item itself.
Some garments even came with a choice of interchangeable shoulder pads so you could have merely accentuated shoulders or go for the whole Star Trek Romulan look if that was what took your fancy.
The reason behind this fashion trend was primarily due to the rising number of women working in office settings. The eighties were a decade where women found themselves with more choice in how they wanted to live their lives than they perhaps had previously, even in the seventies. In a bid to be treated in the same way as men, the rise of the so-called Power Dressing phenomenon came about, with smart business suits the order of the day. Shoulder pads soon became a staple part of any high flying female’s wardrobe.
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I remember that at some point during my childhood there was a real craze for slip on shoes, or loafers as they are perhaps more correctly called. All the kids at school were wearing them with their white 
Here’s one from the depths of my sisters toy cupboard. Well, not exactly, as she didn’t have the real fashion wheel but an imitation version, but it was just as good – probably better since it was smaller in size so easier to play with.
Leg Warmers are another prime example of 1980’s fashion, often picked out as evidence of the bad fashion trends that the decade is remembered for. I say “bad” because when you look at many films or TV shows made during the 1980’s you often can’t draw your eyes away from what the actors are wearing, rather than paying attention to the plot. At the time these trends were anything but bad!
Tracksuits have come on a long way since I was a kid, so much so that they are now worn as every day clothing by many people as they are both warm and comfortable to wear. Personally I think it looks a little lazy but each to his own. 
The world is a strange place, and there’s no accounting for taste, but I do find it somewhat bizarre that the humble Plimsoll shoe is currently considered an item of fashion, in the UK at least. Apparently David Beckham himself is a big fan of them! Not bad for a shoe normally worn by primary school children that was originally designed as an item of footwear for wearing on the beach – one step up from a flip flop, another item of footwear which also seems to enjoy a strange popularity.
The 1980’s spawned a number of dubious fashions, with the usual suspects of big hair and shoulder pads normally being mentioned first. However, during my teenage years the fashion it was cool to be seen sporting was the simple Terry Towelling sock.
Darth Vader may be an evil villain from Englands West Country (Dave Prowse is from Bristol) but I bet most kids wanted to pretend to be the Sith Lord whenever they played Light Sabre battles in the school playground. Of course, it wasn’t the same without the rasping breathing and cool black costume, but it was still fun.
