Who doesn't love the whole 80s vibe? The 80s are reminiscent of fun times and fun clothing. Now your little girl can dress like she's in the 80s, even decades later. These outfit ideas, complete with places to shop, let you find cute, comfortable styles perfect for any little girl. Like, totally gnarly!
Cute 80s Outfit Ideas for Girls
For 80s inspired girls outfits, you will want to make sure that you keep a young and playful approach. Luckily, this is easy, because 80s kids didn't dress too seriously. Here are some cute outfit ideas for you and your child to bond over:
The Essential Poof Skirt and Zebra Print Top
During the 80s every girl was seen wearing a poofy tutu-esque skirt. This craze became popular due to the celebrity presence wearing them. Who doesn't want to look like Madonna in the 80s? Fortunately, little girls can pull off cute and playful looks like these.
The key points to this outfit are the black and pink tutu and the zebra top. You can buy these pieces individually for your little girl to mix and match with other things, or buy a dress (like this La Petite Ballerina look from Discount Dance Supply, about $25 in sizes XS through L) that combines the two pieces.
- Next, she will need a pair of fitted stretchy black pants or black leggings to wear underneath. Most girls will already have these in their closet, but comfy ones like these black microfiber leggings are available at most department stores as well.
- Style her outfit with a bright long sleeved pink cardigan (such as this Sophie Cardigan from Land's End, just under $30 in girls' sizes 7 through 16) over her zebra print top.
- Top off the outfit with a pair of coordinating sneakers, like these pink and black Nike velcro sneakers (about $55, sizes 11 to 3). If you don't want to buy your little one new sneakers, just get some hot pink laces and replace the white ones in any of her shoes or sneakers.
Jean Overalls and Baggy Top
Denim overalls were popular during the 80s, and it was also common to wear something baggy underneath them. To get this look, a girl will need denim overalls or an overall dress, a fun baggy top (bright or neon colors work perfectly for an 80s vibe), and a pair of sneakers.
- Forever 21 has an adorable retro-look jean overall dress for just under $20, available in sizes 5/6 to 13/14. It is available in both light and dark denim, so you can let your little one decide which one she likes best.
- With this look in the 80s, baggy was better. My Little Pony was also trending during this time, so this pink My Little Pony tee (about $15 in sizes 5/6 to 13/14) couldn't be more perfect to pair under the denim overalls or dress.
- Adidas and their 'Superstar' sneaker were super popular in the 80s, and the company decided to revive that collection and make it available in kid's sizes. It is about $70 at Nordstrom and comes in kids' sizes 3.5 to 6. Use a pair of sneakers like this to pull together the overall look.
Velour Galore
Velour was extremely popular in the 80s, and what was even more popular were the velour tracksuits that kids were sporting. These suits were normally a brighter color, and they were almost always paired with a thick, white, chunky sneaker.
- You can find velour separates at many department stores and Amazon, but Juicy Couture is the master maker of the velour tracksuit. It's so popular, they make it in kids sizing. Juicy makes a zip-up purple velour jacket in sizes 4 to 14 for about $70, and a matching cuffed velour pant (in purple as well as several other colors for just under $60, sizes 7 to 14). Everyone's sweats had cuffed bottoms in the 80s, and Juicy keeps the trend going.
- Finish off this sporty look with all-white chunky sneakers, like this classic leather style by Reebok. Simple and versatile, they come in kids sizes 3.5 to 7 for about $55.
A velour tracksuit makes a super comfortable outfit, so your little one will really enjoy wearing it! It is perfect for playing in or for when she needs something both cute and comfortable.
Pretty In Pink
Besides the 1986 Molly Ringwald hit movie, Pretty in Pink, girls all over were adorning themselves with pink and sequins. Pair a cute pink dress with some extra embellishments to help channel an 80s look for your little girl. In an era where over-the-top accessories and embellishing were celebrated, you can have some fun creating the ultimate girly look for your little one.
- First a girl will need a pink dress. One with 80s inspired elements like this cute sequin and tulle dress available from Kohl's is perfect. It's complete with pink bow at the waist, for just over $40.
- Want to go with more than just a pink bow at the waist? If you and your little girl want to elaborate on this look, get some flower embellishments from a craft store and sew them onto the dress.
- The final touch is a big hair accessory, like a floral or ribbon bow headband.
A look like this is fun for a party, dress up, or when a girl just wants to have fun.
Denim and Polka Dots
You already know that denim was big in the 80s. It was so big, in fact, that it was often paired on top of more denim. Even today you can see denim-on-denim making a comeback - and no one's complaining. Durable and versatile, denim makes the perfect fabric for young girls.
To get this look, you will need a matching denim set consisting of a denim jacket and denim mini skirt, along with polka dot tights and a bright tee shirt. Don't worry if you can't find the same brand matching top and bottom. As long as both pieces are the same type of jean material and the same color, you will be fine.
- To get this look, colorful polka dot tights are ideal for wearing underneath a girl's skirt to let her move and play with ease. These couldn't be any more perfect for that 80s vibe.
- Don't forget a bright colored tee shirt. A cute style is available at Justice in neon pink, purple and bright blue for about $11 in girls regular and plus sizes. This looks great under the jean jacket.
- Tiara time! This little girl is wearing a pink tiara to match her pink tee. This pink rhinestone tiara is the finishing touch if your little girl wants to add an extra special accessory to this fun and playful look.
This type of outfit is also perfect or days when you are not sure what the temperatures will be since it is layered and a girl can easily take the denim jacket off or on to keep comfortable.
Accessories Make the Outfit
Accessories were major in the 80s and bright and bold accessories were considered the best looks. From oversize errings and big headbands to lace-accented socks, there are many ways a girl can incorporate an 80s feel into any outfit.
- To fully tie together any outfit noted above, your child could add larger sized earrings to accentuate her look. (These zebra clip on earrings look best with the first look we mentioned: the zebra top and tutu look.)
- Madonna often wore star sunglasses in the 80s, and these glow in the dark kids star sunglasses are only about $6 for a pack of 12. With this 12-pack, your child can give some to her friends and start the trend all over again!
- Also trending on kids in the 80s were headbands with really big bows attached to them. This Ooh! La,La! Couture Flower Headband comes in many different colors for about $5 each. Pair a headband with any look for a totally tubular 80s look.
- In terms of kicks, Keds were extremely popular in the 80s and kids were wearing them primarily in white leather. These can easily pair with a variety of outfits.
- In addition to Keds, socks were considered an important accessory in the 80s. Get your little girl socks with lace accents like these from H&M (find a 6-pack for about $13), or something chunky and scrunchy like these socks from Socks4Life priced at about $3 per pair.
- Speaking of scrunchie, scrunchie hair ties were all the rage. It was common for girls to wear their hair in a high pony tail, preferably on the side, complete with a bulky scrunchie to tie it all together. This metallic two pack from ASOS is the epitome of an 80s hair tie. Priced at about $10 this set includes a metallic ombre green color and a glimmering silver color.
Shopping for 80s Girls Fashions
It can be difficult to find clothing stores solely dedicated to selling 80s inspired clothing, let alone kids clothing inspired by this decade. Yet, here are some stores who cater to mostly 80s girl's clothing:
DancewearSolutions.com
Besides denim, tutus, and bright colors, 80s clothes were heavily inspired by dancewear. Hence, it makes sense to shop at a dancer's store if you want to deck your child out in this very excessive aerobics trend. Dancewear Solutions focuses on kid's clothing that is very 80s inspired. Highlights include:
- All that glitters is gold and this gold sequin top doesn't disappoint for about $23. It comes in medium and large for girls.
- This high waisted ballerina skirt can be paired with the above-mentioned gold sequin top. It retails for $35 and comes in four girl's sizes.
- They also sell matching gold sequin fingerless gloves for about $7 will complete the whole 80s look. These gloves are one size fits all for little girls, and they also come in a whopping 8 different colors.
Levi's
Levi's has always had a very retro feel to their styles, and on their online store, virtually everything for girl's sizes 4-6X could look totally 80s. Check out these scrunchie socks, their bright colored retro graphic tees, and this ruffle Alessandra Scooter pink denim mini skirt. From Levi's you can get your little girl a completely 80s style outfit.
Levi's has girl's sizes 7-16 with other items that could be used for an 80s style outfit. These light denim shorts would look cool with chunky white leather sneakers, royal blue tights, and a black lace headband.
JUNK FOOD
Junk Food is a brand that carries only retro style tops. They are currently taking a break from the internet with their own online website, but thankfully you can still find their little girl's tees and tops online.
- This white sweatshirt (below), for example, is totally 80s and is available in girl's sizes XXS-2XL for about $12. With its neon colors and funky feel, this sweatshirt will go perfectly with leggings and big earrings.
- This fun graphic popsicle top, available in sizes M-XXL, will look adorable with a mesh tutu-style skirt and sneakers.
Junk Food Good Vibes Pullover Sweater
Betsey Johnson
Betsey Johnson is known for her wild and crazy designs, and she extends her eccentric vibe to young girl's clothing. SaksOff5th carries a lot of girl's Betsey Johnson clothing, and many styles, like this denim jumpsuit (about $15) with silly patches and a neon pink undershirt, couldn't better reflect the 80s girl.
This sequin tutu dress combines many 80s elements and is available for under $20. Lastly, this graphic print aqua set (about $13) is so sweet and so fun, your little one can play for hours in it. All of these Betsey outfits come in sizes 2-4.
Keeping Things Playful
The 80s were a bright and playful decade, so there's no doubt you would like to see your child in some 80s inspired pieces. Children often like to dress in crazy colors as it is, and kids in this decade definitely liked mixing their colors and patterns. In all this color, chunk, and flounce, your child will surely have a blast!
