The second season of Stranger Things has begun and if there is something that has conquered the public, in addition to the plot that surrounds each chapter, it is the nostalgic effect that has awakened in many.

The idea that any past era was better takes its greatest exponent in Netflix's own production series when it recalls, with a simple glance at some of its sequences, the best moments of the eighties. In this new installment specifically to 1984. The cinema, putting Spielberg's best times on the front page, the music with Madonna vindicating her role as queen of pop and, in the midst of all this with a faithful reflection of a change of era, the fashion, which marked a before and after in history.

If there is something certain, it is that it was the decade of excesses in many ways. The conventions of past times, especially in the case of Spain where a dictatorship had been going on for almost 40 years, lost all their inhibition in the way of thinking, dressing, singing and expressing themselves. Fashion was simply a way of expressing a rebellion that had been contained for years and, in a traditional way, associating itself with one or another urban tribe. The curious thing, furthermore, was the mixture of styles that congregated in the streets of the big cities: from the most radical Punk, to the convinced Rocker, passing through the posh eighties classic.

In the case of Stranger Things, the entire plot takes place in a middle or lower class town in the American Midwest; the great trends of international fashion had not yet been reflected in the life of the average worker in the country. That is why, according to Kimberly Adams, wardrobe manager for the first episodes of the series in an interview with GQ, "the biggest challenge was to recreate normal clothes, the ones that normal parents and children of the time in the American Midwest could wear. ". The anti-fashion designs of Yohji Yamamoto and Rei Kawakubo on the Paris catwalks, Armani's reinvention of femininity and denim, and Mugler's innate madness were a far cry from basketball shoes, heritage denim, from Brooks Brothers, and the orange and brown colors (faded and muted) that children and adolescents used back then. Or, at least, the protagonist group of Stranger Things.

thank you madonna

Madonna's Like a Virgin was released in 1984, one of the greatest successes of the American singer who, in addition to being the queen of pop, became a fashion muse at the time. Not only because of her dressing habits, which would have scandalized more than one in previous decades, but because of the message of liberalization of women that she transmitted with each transgression that she made fashionable.

If on one side of the scale we have the defenders of androgynous fashion based on sweaters that hid the woman's figure - Winona Ryder's outfits in the series are proof of this - on the other we can find those who took underwear as a garment to show to the public. If years before showing the bra strap was a symbol of social affront, in 1984 Madonna commissioned this garment to come to the forefront. Since she appeared in her first outfit, nicknamed street urchin or street urchin, which basically consisted of mixing a series of accessories that would not fit at any other time: short skirts over leggings, necklaces, rubber bracelets, fishnet gloves, long beaded necklaces, disheveled and badly dyed with lace ribbons in her hair. Everything unimaginable on top of a single person (both in patterns and textures) who, in addition, wore a bra or lingerie adorned with crucifixes, as the main claiming element of her attire. So much so with the t-shirts with controversial or humorous messages of the moment. In short, everything large and in full color.

Perhaps, something that 1984 and nearby years should regret is the unconditional use of the fanny pack. Synthetic fabric and fluor colors that made American Apparel millions. And lycra in all its colors and representations.

Despite everything, the 1980s have made a deep impression on current fashion, which, among other things, is characterized by collecting the best of previous times. The Ray-Ban, still in force, had Madonna herself, Tom Cruise, Michael Jackson and Debbie Harry as their greatest ambassadors to the world. So much so with the Reebok Classics or the Dance for both men and women. A fact that, by the way, is important: the 80s were characterized precisely by the unisex nature of fashion: jackets, pants, sneakers or hair trends (bouffant or mullet) were enjoyed by both men and women.

Shoulder pads and the working woman

In this case, the credit for the task went to Dynasty and Dallas. The famous series set in Texas in the 80s positioned women as a strong element that wanted to emulate men in the world's spheres of influence. The cinema, with Working Girls and television used fashion to position women, until then housewives, in a new place; lurid plots aside.

The best way they found was to emulate men's fashion by making powerful ladies with a wide figure. This was achieved, much to the chagrin of the women of the world, with wide shoulder pads and sleeves. A bigger shoulder pad gives more confidence and power. Over time, even men adopted this fashion, drawing a slightly androgynous business world with broad shoulders and narrow waists. And, without a doubt, the most prominent power figure of the moment was Margaret Thatcher and her suit jacket and monochrome skirt. Light years away from the urban fashion imposed by Madonna.