The 80s offer an inspiring treasure trove of films, musicians, characters and fashion as ideas for an 80s costume. However, if there's no 80s party on the horizon, Halloween can also be the ideal occasion. Whether you have sophisticated taste, spooky taste, or fun taste like Cyndi Lauper, you'll find ideas to suit here. We have examples that you can either make as a DIY 80s costume or use as inspiration for your next purchase. So get ready for these amazing 80s outfits that will surely attract attention.
Even if you didn't grow up in the decade, there's a lot to appreciate - especially the fashion, which makes for great '80s Halloween costume ideas. It was a drastic time where the popular styles of the time favored lush hair, accessories and lots of neon color. The music scene was equally robust, with pop icons like Madonna and Prince providing an upbeat, dance-worthy sound. Through films we learned about hits like Beetlejuice and Ghostbusters, which are now popular with children, teenagers and adults alike.
In honor of the hair-raising decade, we've rounded up our favorite '80s costumes that will help you send it back and stand out from the crowd this Halloween. You'll find characters from some of your favorite TV shows and movies that you can use old clothes from your closet for. There are also costume couples as an idea for Halloween. Whatever you choose, you can't go wrong. Whether you prefer a jogging suit costume or an 80s athlete costume, you'll find great options here.
Tom Cruise Top Gun 1986
Even though Top Gun is now over 30 years old, it is still a cult film and remains a very popular choice for an 80s costume. This is especially true for young men who want to emulate the classic look of Goose and Maverick with the inspirational aviation. So if you are planning to wear such an 80s costume for men, then this is exactly the right idea for you.
A flight suit, for example, contains everything you need to get started at Top Gun flying school. This can consist of a jumpsuit decorated with realistic pilot badges. Complete the classic look with aviator sunglasses. In this fantastic 80s costume you will fly sky high at the next party.
Ghostbusters Kostüm
Get your group of ghost hunters going with creative group costume ideas. Use dungarees or protective suits and transform yourself into the famous heroes from the spooky comedy of the 80s for Halloween. If you feel comfortable hunting ghosts, you can wear a homemade proton backpack and beige overalls to look even more authentic.
Madonna Costume 80er
You can pay tribute to Madonna's iconic "Lucky Star" era with an '80s costume. From the very beginning, the singer was a trailblazer, fashion designer and cross-border crosser. That she's still around, unlike other '80s pop stars who went out in parachute pants, is a testament to her instinctive understanding of pop culture and what people want. For this reason, as a pop icon, she is the ideal model for your 80s party costume. For such an outfit you can combine aspects of the Madonna look with that of the “Like a Virgin” era. Use images from their albums and music videos as inspiration.
Elements for women's costume in the style of Madonna
- Heavy eye makeup
- Wavy, wild hair (or wig)
- Lace, fingerless gloves
- Lots of bracelets
- Earrings (hearts and crosses were her favorites)
- Bustier type top (black tank could work too)
- Rock
- Gaiters
- Black ankle boots
Cindy Lauper costume 80s
She was also a mainstay of the '80s, also considered a pioneer of both the music and style of the decade at the time. Her outrageous and fun personality matched her outrageous and fun looks - Madonna may have been the sexy bad girl, but Cyndi was the one you'd want to have a slumber party with, complete with pillow fights, dance parties and prank calls. Her 1983 debut album "She's So Unusual" launched her into superstardom with a string of hits such as "Time After Time," "She Bop," "All Through the Night" and her anthem "Girls Just Want to Have Fun."
Corsets, crinolines, fishnet stockings, colorful makeup andwild hairhave created this unusual style. You can easily recreate Cyndi's signature look. A trip to the thrift store and fun accessories store will help you find everything you need. Most of the guests at the Halloween party will definitely admire your outfit. Her makeup can also be outrageous. Think orange and blue, for example, from the bottom of your eyelids to the top of your brows. For the lips, you can make them shiny and red to achieve the singer's curled, unique pout style.
Beetlejuice Costume
Tim Burton's imaginative 1988 horror comedy stars Michael Keaton as a grotesque, disgusting and very funny ghost who poses as a bio-exorcist to rid haunted houses of their living inhabitants. So the house in question is the home of Adam and Barbara Maitland (Alec Baldwin and Geena Davis), a happy, adorable couple who happen to be dead.
For the look, simply try out a striped dress or trousers, which you can combine with a striped blazer or alternatively with black or white jeans. However, detailed hair and makeup is also a must in this case if you want to nail the outfit.
80s John Rambo costume for men
Sylvester Stallone was one of the kings of 80s cinema. His talent as writer, director and star of Rocky won us over and cemented his legendary status by bringing the character of John Rambo to life. “Rambo: First Blood Part II” gave us the definitive look of the war hero, one that's relatively easy to emulate even if you don't have the Italian Stallion's muscles (although that would certainly help). As a man, you can use the following for this:
- Headband (preferably a long, red, sweat-soaked strip of fabric)
- A tiny green jade Buddha pendant on an incredibly tight choker
- Black or dark olive cargo pants
- Combat boots
- Giant plastic knife would be a safe choice
- Machine gun and bow with arrows from a prop would be optional items
Indiana Jones costume men
Indiana Jones is a pretty easy 80s costume that you can wear. All you need is a brown leather jacket, fedora, and khaki chinos that you can purchase at your local thrift store or find in your closet at home. Otherwise, you can save yourself a trip to the store and have the outfit delivered to your door.
Let's be honest: When you see someone wearing the classic Indiana Jones hat and bomber jacket, the theme music is bound to pop into your head. So if you choose this look, your friends will definitely envy the outfit at the next costume party. The matching whip will complete the whole thing.
Couple costume like Blues Brothers
Blues Brothers costumes are a lot of fun for men and women dressing up for any occasion. Jake and Elwood's classic look is pretty easy to achieve with items you may have around the house. The Blues Brothers are a great choice for a DIY '80s costume because it's so easy to find all the basic pieces yourself. As you may recall, both Jake and Elwood wear black suits and long-sleeved white shirts with skinny black ties. The two also wear signature sunglasses, white socks, black shoes and black fedoras.
While both men and women can dress as Blues Brothers, there are other fun bits from the film that could inspire costumes. A great costume for a woman would be, for example, the role of Aretha Franklin in the film Mrs. Murphy: all she needs is a pink fitness outfit, a red vest and a pair of fuzzy slip-on pink loafers. For group costumes, consider members of the country band, the good ol' boys who torment the brothers, or the cops who eventually hunt them down.
Really almost any character from that decade and the music industry of that era would make a fun 80s costume. Get together with a group of friends and watch old music videos or films. Then decide which characters each person could play. In fact, these would make a great theme for a costume party since such great music was made during this time. They could also encourage people to dress up, listen to various soundtracks or watch movies, and have a great time together with family and friends on Carnival or Halloween.
