the early 1980s – il nuovo romanticismo

The 1970s disco fashion moved into night clubs in the 1980s and became more romantic and elaborate. The make-up was quite heavy and audacious. One of the designer who got fame in those years was Vivienne Westwood who developed the pirate look: large and frilled shirts made of precious fabrics (tessuti). And high- waisted trousers (pantaloni a vita alta). A trend still popular nowadays is the popped collar:  short shirt collars worn unfolded against the neck with the top or two bottoms unfastened (colletti bassi portati aperti vicino al collo, con uno o due bottoni sbottonati). Another trend was the hussar – like clothing: jackets with gold rims (bordi dorati), shirts and baggy trousers (pataloni larghi) narrowed at the ankle (stretti sulle caviglie).
The new icons of this style were Boy George and the Duran Duran (images) inspired by the famous Leigh Bowery – Australian artist, club promoter, actor, pop star, model and fashion designer.