1980's New Romantic Fashion 

• HISTORY OF NEW ROMANTICS

Fashion was based on varied looks based on romantic themes, including frilly fop shirts in the style of the English Romantic period, Russian constructivism, Bonny Prince Charlie, French Incroyables and 1930s Cabaret, Hollywood starlets, Puritans and clowns, with any look being possible if it was adapted o be unusual and striking. Common hairstyles included quiffs, mullets and wedges. Soon after they began to gain mainstream attention, however, many New Romantic bands dropped the eclectic clothes and makeup in favour of sharp suits.

Romanticism (also the Romantic era or the Romantic period) was an artisitc, literacy, and intellectual movement that originated in Europe towards the end of the 18th century and in the most areas was at its peak in the approximate period from 1800 to 1850. It was partly a reaction to the Industrial Revolution, the aristocratic social and political norms of the Age of Enlightenment, and scientific rationalisation of nature. It was embodied most strongly in the visual arts, music and literature, but has a significant and complex effect on politics, and while for much of the Romantic period it was associated with liberalism and radicalism, its long-term effect on the growth of nationalism was perhaps more significant.

The movement emphasised intense emotion as an authentic source of aesthetic experience, placing new emphasis on such emotions as apprehension, horror and terror, and awe-especially that which is experienced in confronting the new aesthetic categories of the sublimity and beauty of nature. It considered folk art and ancient custom to be noble statuses, but also valued spontaneity, as in the musical impromptu, In contrast to the rational and Classicist ideal models, Romanticism revived medievalism and elements of art and narrative perceived to be to be authentically medieval in an attempt to escape population growth, urban sprawl, and industrialism.

The Period

The period typically called Romantic varies greatly between different countries and different artistic media or areas of thought. Margaret Drabble described it in the literature as taking place ‘roughly between 1770 and 1848’, and few dates mush earlier than some other critics. In other fields and other countries the period denominated as Romantic can be considerably different; musical Romanticism, for example, is generally regarded as only having ceased as a major artistic force as late as 1910, but in an extreme extension the Four Last Songs of Richard Strauss are described stylistically as ‘Late Romantic’ and were composed in 1946-8. However in most fields the Romantic Period is said to be over by about 1850, or earlier.

The early period of the Romantic Era was a time of war, with the French Revolution (1789-1799) followed by Napoleonic Wars until 1815. These wars, along with the political and social turmoil that went along with them, served as the background for Romanticism. The key generation of French Romantics born between 1795-1805 had, in thw words of one of their number, Alfred de Vigny, been ‘conceived between battles attended school to the rolling of drums’.

 Adam Ant a new romantic pop star who epitomised the more beautiful aspects of New Romantiscm. 

• Clubs

London night clubs started to change their format from Friday and Saturday nights as being the only important music nights. The club 'Gossips' in Soho began to do Bowie nights on Tuesdays and then more one night specials for niche tastes. That set the scene for special one night club evenings throughout London. Narrow tastes could be catered for.  

The former punk posers had taken to glamour and romance in clothing and the club venues offered them a chance to show off that glamour at dedicated evenings. Theatrical ensembles were worn to selected clubs in London such as Blitz and St. Moritz. These were the recognised venues where the romantic movement started. 

• Designers of New Romantic Clothing

The early designers of the romantic look were Vivienne Westwood, Colin Swift, Stevie Stewart and David Holah. Westwood began her romantic ideas with adaptations of dandified Regency designs which later she developed into a Pirate look. She designed especially for Adam and The Ants.

 A Vivienne Westwood pirate design.

The first fashion collection 

Vivienne Westwood

• New Romantic Pop Groups

The look rapidly dubbed New Romantics by the media, moved quickly into mainstream fashion and was reinforced by hot chart topping pop groups of the time such as Adam And The Ants, Spandau Ballet,Duran Duran and Visage. David Bowie, Bryan Ferry and Boy George were all influential singers of the era.

Duran Duran

Visage band 

 David Bowie

• The Swashbuckling Pirate Look

Typical romantic glamour had the swashbuckling style of pirates and buccaneers. Full sleeved frilled pirate shirts were made from luxury fabrics. Theatrical brocade or hussar style jackets of velvet or silk complete with braiding were copied and appeared on many jackets.

The New Romantic look was intended to be individual, unlike punk which tended to have uniformity. New Romantics longed for the fantasy of the nineteen thirties and fifties glamour of Hollywood. Right - The Pirate Look.

• Make Up

The make-up was streaky and bold and used by future music artists including Duran Duran. The notoriously outlandish designer/club host Leigh Bowery, known for his exuberant designs, became a muse for artists such as Boy George and had grown a huge status in the early 1980s underground club scene.

Boy George 

(Leigh Bowery New Romantic Fashion)

• Princess of Wales Opts for Romantic Glamour

Romantic dressing put a stamp on early 80's clothing especially for occasion wear. The die was cast for the mainstream of mass fashion in the culmination of the wedding clothes of Diana, Princess Of Wales with Charles, Prince of Wales.

 Photographs of her romantic evening dresses and her wedding dress set the romantic style for full ball gowns for almost a decade.  Left - The flamboyant romantic wedding gown of The Princess of Wales Diana - 1981.