The 1980s. A time of big shoulders & jackets that puffed out. However, this wasn’t a brand-new idea, as designers had played around with shoulder padding decades earlier. But something about the eighties made the look explode. Let’s find out more about the 1980s obsession with shoulder pads.
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Key takeaways
Here’s what we’ll cover:
- Where the whole padded shoulder idea started
- How designers in the ’80s ran with it
- How TV shows made it a signature look
1930s experiments
Long before power suits & soap operas, fashion houses were already tinkering with shoulder shapes. In the 1930s, Elsa Schiaparelli put padding into jackets & gowns, creating that slightly boxy outline that stood out next to the slinky bias-cut dresses popular at the time.
She liked playing with structure. Her silhouettes looked stronger & almost athletic, compared to the decade’s softer styles. Eventually, the idea caught on slowly. It was mostly in upscale fashion circles, but the seed had been planted.
1940s shoulders
Then came the ’40s. Suddenly, everyone’s shoulders became a little broader, mostly because of fabric rationing during the war. Clothes had sharper lines & simpler cuts, and padding became a quick way to give outfits some shape without using extra material.
Military uniforms influenced everything, including coats & day dresses. In fact, even blouses started getting squared-off shoulders. It was quite practical. But it also made people look put-together, which mattered when times were uncertain.
The late-’70s reboot
Fashion went more bohemian shapes during the 1970s, until designers started craving structure again. Runway looks leaned toward stronger tailoring. As such, those slim, drapey shoulders of the early ’70s gave way to more assertive shapes, leading to padding coming back in.
Early ’80s fashion shows featured jackets with defined shoulder lines. It was clear that some of the boldest looks in fashion were just around the corner.
Who put the big shoulder on the runway
Two names popped up again & again in 1980s fashion magazines. These were Thierry Mugler & Claude Montana.
Mugler loved sculpting dramatic silhouettes with jackets that looked like they belonged in a sci-fi movie. How did he do this? Through sharp angles and sometimes plastic reinforcement. But Montana took a slightly different approach. He exaggerated the natural shoulder line to make the whole figure look powerful & commanding.
Later, other designers joined in, yet it was those two who really set the tone. Their shows made strong shoulders feel truly glamorous in a way that had never been seen in the decades before.
In the office
Meanwhile, office fashion caught on fast, with women’s suits beginning to feature thick padding that transformed simple blazers. By the mid-eighties, it was normal to walk into a boardroom & see jackets with wide, squared shoulders paired with pencil skirts or tailored trousers. Men’s suits also became bulkier.
Best of all, you didn’t need to be in high fashion to get the look because department stores carried plenty of versions for everyday workwear.
TV costuming
Television probably did more for shoulder pads than any single runway. Shows like Dynasty built entire wardrobes around padded jackets, and costume designer Nolan Miller leaned into the trend. He made the characters’ outfits look expensive & commanding on screen.
Then there was Working Girl, the movie that perfectly captures the late ’80s office look. You know the kind. Big hair & padded jackets, as well as a sense that clothing could fill a room before the person even spoke.
How the pads were built into clothes
Sure, shoulder pads weren’t complicated. But they were surprisingly varied. Some were made of foam & some were layers of wadding. A few were simply thick fabric folded into a curved shape, and manufacturers usually attached them inside the shoulder seam. Sometimes, they’d add a sleeve head to keep the upper sleeve looking smooth. Plus, home sewers could buy pads separately & stitch them in too.
Where you saw them
Padded shoulders had escaped the runway & were everywhere in the mid-eighties. Workwear had them. Party dresses had them. Evening looks got especially theatrical, thanks to sequined dresses that had wing-like shoulders. You could wear them to the office during the day, then head to a nightclub that night without changing outfits. And you’d still fit in.
A quick timeline
This is how the padded shoulder evolved over time:
- 1930s: Schiaparelli experiments with padding to change silhouettes.
- 1940s: Wartime cuts normalize structured shoulders.
- Late 1970s: Designers move towards sharp tailoring.
- Early 1980s: Runways bring back big shoulders.
- Mid–late 1980s: Media & everyday fashion turn it into a craze.
How shops sold the look
Stores made it ridiculously easy to buy into the trend. Jackets & dresses often came with the pads already sewn in, so you didn’t have to do anything, and for those who wanted flexibility, you could have that. Some pieces had little Velcro tabs that allowed you to remove the pads for washing, or swap them out for thicker ones. Sewing patterns also came with shoulder pad guides printed on the instruction sheets.
It was mass-market fashion at its most practical.
Sources: Please see here for a complete listing of all sources that were consulted in the preparation of this article.
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