Indisputable Evidence That the Eighties Was the Greatest Era for Oscars Style

The Oscars red carpet is historically strait-laced. Sure, we’ve seen A-listers like Mahershala Ali, Jason Momoa and Spike Lee break away from the conveyor belt of penguin suits in recent years, and Billy Porter made waves with his Christian Siriano gown in 2019, but the traditional tux reigns supreme. It has done for nearly a century.

Still, it wasn’t always quite so, well, tame. Back in the Eighties, celebrities knew how to elevate classic tailoring to incredible, and often inadvisable, new heights. Tinted aviators, bolo ties and turtlenecks, feathered locks and impeccable facial hair; we’d go as far as to say it’s the best-dressed decade in Oscars history. At the very least, it’s the most interesting.

To prove it, we’ve picked out our favourite looks from that hallowed period of power dressing.