Many look back at the 80s and laugh at what they looked like but there are also many cherished memories from those days and this means that 80s fancy dress is big business. The general rule of thumb for 80s fancy dress costumes is that they should be bad taste and 80s to the extreme as even this does not always do the fashion of the time justice.

Ra-ra skirts, roller discos and lycra are just some of the things to consider when putting together your 80s costume with a variety of bright colours in combination. Gold was a big favourite of the times and in a metallic appearance it fits the decade even better but to be honest anything metallic will go down a treat at an 80s party.

One of the things that people remember best from 80s fashion was the variety of bold and iconic hairstyles and while it is not always possible to recreate these with your own hair it is possible to get very realistic wigs from that particular era. Mullets were huge and we recommend this for the guys while for the ladies blonde is best, with pigtails or perms topping the style lists.

Another option for your 80s fancy dress costumes is to style yourself after one of the icons of the day. Madonna, Rod Stewart, Axl Rose, Freddie Mercury and a young Michael Jackson are all good choices as they are all very recognisable. Alternatively go for one of the fictional characters of the day such as Mr T, Danger Mouse, Penfold, Tony Montana, Bananaman, a Ghostbuster or even one of the teenage mutant ninja turtles.

The 80s was a decade of fun, memorable hair, pop music, rock stars and animal prints and despite some embarrassment there is a great fondness for times gone by.