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1980s Fashion Print by Marnie Fogg

Front cover of the book 1980s Fashion Print

For today's post, I'm going to take a look at a paperback book I recently discovered on Amazon. It's been in print since around 2009, and now in 2021, I have finally managed to get around to reviewing it!

1980s Fashion Print by Marnie Fogg is a sourcebook which features a wide array of prints from the 80s, a decade that refuses to go away in the fashion world, at least.

The book includes hundreds of illustrations and artworks, many of which are exclusive and original, making this an ideal source for students and designers. But it's also an essential read, too, which I'll come to in a moment.

Five chapters are inluded;

1. Glamazon - a look at the bold and vibrant patterning associated with big hair.

2. Neon Blitz - ostentatious, dazzling colour and the influence of graffiti.

3. Urban Jungle - the urban take on floral prints using colourful, exotic images.

4. Catch The Wave - surfing and skateboarding trends which influenced high voltage motifs and a new take on the Hawaiian shirt.

5. Radical Classical - a look at how the 80s appropriated classical statues and archetectural detail.

Marnie Fogg is a full-time author of best-selling books on fashion and textiles. This particular work is packed with delicious imagery, and upon reading it, it soon becomes very apparent that the Nottinghamshire writer has a deep knowledge of her subject. She writes with ease and in a style that keeps you engrossed.

As Marnie states in her introduction, "the fashion prints of the 1980s were not for the faint-hearted". Indeed, anyone who remembers the the flamboyant extravagance of the new romantic style will certainly know this, and the 1980s didn't do subtle! 

The introduction alone is a full chapter in itself, and discusses how the conservatism of Margaret Thatcher's Britain helped to greatly influence the YUPPIE fashion style. Vivienne Westwood and the new wave of trendy magazines such as The Face and Blitz are also discussed.

For anyone who wants a high quality source of fashion information combined with a generous array of mouth-watering imagery of original 80s fashion prints by top fashion designers, this book will not dissapoint. It's a truly original insight into the subject (whether to learn about or gain inspiration from it), and this paperback is most defintely an essential buy, and it''l look great on the coffee table, too!

This is a pretty comprehensive and absorbing read, and for the asking price (see below) it's excellent value. If you weren't already obsessed with 80s fashion, then you will definitely become just that after reading this - you have been warned!

Publisher: Batsford

Number of pages: 192

The latest price is listed below...

1980s Home Renovation and Design Ideas For a Nostalgic Makeover


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