Going Out Looks Through

A Blast from the Past!

by BRITNEY KIRWAN graphics by JULIA THACK

You’d be lying if you said you’ve never wanted to dance under a disco ball wearing bell-bottoms or go on a date to a drive-in movie wearing a pink poodle skirt. Each decade from the past comes with its own iconic set of trends that we still reminisce about to this day. Here’s a little blast from the past of some of our favorite going-out

1950’s

Ahh, the 50’s. What a celebrated time for fashion. With icons such as Audrey Hepburn, Marylin Monroe, and Elizabeth Taylor, there’s so much from this decade that could be written about. For starters, The classic 1950’s “pin up style”, seen all over magazines, was all about sex appeal and became the trend for women to copy. They aimed to have an hourglass silhouette which is why dresses with a cinched waist were widely popular for going out. They were usually knee length (Ooo risky!) and were worn in a variety of playful colors and prints. Hair was worn in many diverse styles as it was a time for experimentation and breaking away from many social “norms”. The typical makeup look consisted of creamy foundation, pastel pink blush, soft eyeshadows, mascara, and the infamous red lip to top it off. These looks really had people cruisin’ for a bruisin’!

Time to put on your go go boots and get your groove on because we’re headed into the 60’s. A time full of color (Did I mention this was when tie dye was invented?!), bold florals, and psychedelic prints. Shift dresses were all the rage and were worn with some funky colored tights in order to make the outfit look more eccentric. For hair, it was all about “the Beehive”. It consisted of a combination of backcombing and teasing and probably required at least one bottle of hairspray to keep the look from falling apart (The more hairspray, the better!). The makeup looks of the 60’s are probably my favorite compared to any other decade. The goal was to have big eyes by applying a thick winged liner, eyeshadows in cool tones, a cold cut crease and spidery eyelashes. Complexions were usually matte and lips were kept pale. I definitely dig it!

1960’s

1970’s

Now, the 70’s was a decade I wish I had lived through. It was a decade full of excess. Disco music, loud and vibrant clothing, and big feathered hair are just a few things that made the 70’s legendary. The party looks had more of a casual chic vibe to them (Definitely nothing wrong with that!). Women typically wore mini skirts and/or bell bottom jeans going out and wore a flowy blouse for the top. No other shoe besides platforms could be worn for dancing under a disco ball (...and it shouldn’t have been any other way!). Softer makeup looks were usually worn out with some shimmery eyeshadows, black eyeliner, and mascara. The looks of a “Dancing Queen”!

The electric eighties were all about bold styles and silhouettes. It was known for being an eclectic decade in all things fashion. Women wore spanning ripped neon tights, oversized blazers, and poof skirts. Hair was permed like there was no tomorrow and makeup looks were anything but simple. The totally tubular makeup looks of the 80’s included bottle heavy foundation, pressed powder, colorful eyeshadows, heavy mascara, and bright lipsticks that were made to complete the look.

1980’s

90’s

Everything about the 90’s just screams nostalgic and was defined by a return to minimalist fashion. The style was definitely on the grungier side and included pieces that we still love today. A lot of the going out looks could either be dressed up or more dressed down. Slip dresses were commonly worn out, however, just a simple babydoll dress over biker shorts would easily suffice. Shoes like Doc Martens and platform sneakers would be worn with almost any outfit (Definitely not mad about that trend!). Hair was sometimes half crimped, half straight (Yeah, I don’t know how I feel about that one, though...), in a high ponytail with an oversized scrunchie, or styled straight with butterfly clips. The makeup looks included a matte face, pencil thin eyebrows, over lined lips, and cool-toned eyeshadows. A.K.A the Kate Moss makeup look!

There has definitely been a resurgence of early 2000’s trends in today’s going out looks (I really hope Y2k never goes out of style!). Everything from baby tees to low rise flare jeans, and baguette bags. I don’t think you understand, but I’m obsessed. This was the only time period you could ever get away with wearing a dress over jeans without anyone questioning it. There’s so much variety to this decade of fashion that I could honestly go on and on. Some of my favorite going out looks would have to be a halter top with some lace-up jeans or a cut-out dress with platform boots. The most iconic hair look of the early 2000’s would definitely have to be choppy layered hair with wispy bangs. To top it off, makeup looks were normally worn with heavy pink blush, ultra thin eyebrow arches, and high contrasted lip-liner.

2000s

The fluid nature of fashion has allowed iconic trends to shape decades and culture, dictating style discourse and relevance among consumers and the industry itself. From poodle skirts to leather pants, fashion continues to have a massive impact on how people express themselves through what they wear.