ALL OUT '80S
Flamboyant fashion and Memphis design are all the rage as eighties becomes the lastest nostalgic trend
26 July 2021
August 2021: After a spring of seventies inspired fashion and interiors, the 2021 trend for all things nostalgic has finally set its sights on the extravagant eighties.
Balloon sleeves, big shoulder pads and oversized collars have been gaining momentum since Emma Corrin's award-winning Princess Diana performance in The Crown, and with socialising now back in full swing, these bold, eye-catching styles are finally being shown off. Not confined to fashion, Apple TV's recent Physical TV series set in the peak 1980s puts a spotlight on the joyous and desirable designs of eighties home interiors, celebrating clashing prints, lacquered furniture and neon room sets.
Online marketplace and destination for design lovers, 1stDibs has seen a rise in demand for '80s fashion and interiors as excited shoppers emerging from lockdown seek out mood-boosting colours and joy-inducing shapes to reinvigorate homes and wardrobes:
- Searches for 1980s fashion are up +65% in 2021
- An iconic accessory from the eighties, searches for clip-on earrings are up +12%
- Memphis design is seeing the biggest resurgence across interiors with searches up +317%. It's resonating most with Millenials as the age bracket snapping up this postmodern style is 35-44
- Lacquered furniture designs synonymous with the era have also seen more interest with searches up +12%
- The most expensive 1980s furniture sold in 2021 is a colourful Set of 14 Queen Anne Chairs by Robert Venturi for Knoll
Anthony Barzilay Freund, 1stDibs Editorial Director, comments:
“As design lovers continue their intrepid march through the 20th century, they’ve now landed happily in the 1980s and are seeking out pieces that exemplify that decade’s confident exuberance, regardless of whether those designs were celebrated or shunned in their day. After more than a year of lockdowns and social distancing, people are attracted to bold, extroverted furniture and fashion characterised by a bright palette, a distinctive silhouette and a wry, knowing or slightly subversive upending of expectations.”
1. Faux Red Tortoiseshell Ceramic Italian Lamp, £595
2. Vladimir Kagan Cloud Sofa for Directional, £8,835.97
3. Henry Dunay Sabi Yellow Gold Clip-On Earrings, £3,236.78
4. Raffaella Curiel Demi Couture Ruched 1980s Party Dress, £600
5. Baykal Flower Vase, by Marco Zanini from Memphis Milano, £991.24
6. Westside Lounge Chair by Ettore Sottsass for Knoll, 1983, £5,043.87
7. A Jean Louis Scherrer French Couture Blouse Circa 1985, £429.36
8. Super Lamp by Martine Bedin for Memphis Milano, Italy, 1981, First Edition, £2,015.78
9. Memphis Style Constructivism Aluminium Desk Clock by Nicolai Canetti, £625.88
11. 1980s Chanel Gold Toned Quilted Cuff Bangle, £1,394.02
10. Tahiti Table Lamp by Ettore Sottsass from Memphis, Milano, £904.47
12. Post Modern Opposing Club Chairs with Tubular Chrome Bases by Westnof, £2,945.32