The jumpsuit was a fashion statement of the 80s

If there ever was a fashion that idolised or stood out in the 80s, then it was the jumpsuit. Originally referred to the one piece garments used by parachuters and skydivers, the one piece somehow was adopted as a common item of clothing back in the 80s.

The history of them went back to as far as the 60s believe it or not, and I guess they became popular for the general population after musicians started wearing them onstage. Examples being Devo, Freddie Mercury and The Spice Girls to name but a few.

The signature of a jumpsuit (apart from the fact it was a one piece garment), was the looseness of the clothing – think MC Hammer and his jump pants and you see what I mean. Being so loose, one size pretty much fit all.

The fashion changed somewhatover the years. First off they were bland in colour and the types of material was fairly limited. But women discovered that these jumpsuits made them look skinnier than they actually were. Wow, what a great way to hide ‘excess’ weight or flab. And then the types of jumpsuits started to increase in range.

Legs then became more in a flair style (aka the 70s) with more and more wacky, or loud colouring. The more loud the better, and even though today it may seem that people had no taste, during the 80s it was a statement. Because of only one piece, the jumpsuit was easy to accesorise with – whether it would be belts, throwovers or really loud clunky earings, nothing really did not match.

And they had their sexy era too. Low cut backs or necks were a feature in ‘formal’ wear. And the traditional one fit all stood aside for the huge number of different styles that, as a result, came on the market.

The rest they say, is history. Will they make a comeback to be as popular as 20 years ago? Not sure, but I certainly wouldn’t be surprised.

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