The 1980s was a time of more is more. Down on Wall Street, that took form in an insatiable greed-is-good approach to money-making, and up on fashionable Seventh Avenue it was all about amplification—the bigger the shoulders, the bolder the brows, the better to be seen in!
In France, designer Claude Montana was busy transmogrifying the shoulder pad into football-player proportions, while in London the club kids were dressing like pirates under the guise of New Romanticism, and in New York Donna Karan was shattering glass ceilings and crafting sportswear for Women, capital W.
More hallmarks of the era included sequins all over à la James Galanos, neon brights in spandex, and a the-limit-does-not-exist approach to accessorizing (see: Madonna in Desperately Seeking Susan.) Angel-hair-thin necklaces and dainty earring would only get lost in the look of the ’80s. No, this era was a time for the big and the bold— golf-ball-sized earrings, bicycle-chain-like gold necklaces inspired by the burgeoning hip-hop scene, and a bear-hug embrace of costume jewelry. Pearls were huge but these were not your granny’s pearls; Christian Dior, Chanel, Ungaro, Kenneth Jay Lane, and more were churning out faux-pearl jewelry so oversized and gaudy it had no intention of passing as genuine. And the Day-Glo trend took hold in fantastic plastic. But of all the categories of jewelry, the one that is most emblematic of the era is the earring—statement, can’t-miss-me pearls, hoops, and more. Below we revisit some of our favorite earringed moments of the 1980s, plus how to get the look.
The Pearl
The Geometric
The Button
The Neon
The Evening
The Floral
