The knock at the dressing room door couldn’t have come at a better time. I was standing with my back to the mirror, my head impossibly twisted so I could see how the shirt fit from the back.

It definitely was not covering my derriere. Not good.

"Can I get you anything in a different size, Miss?" the salesperson asked.

"Yes, I’ll take the red blouse in size large, and the gold in extra-large. Thanks." The woman paused, and I could almost hear her wondering what a petite girl like me wanted with such big sizes. She probably opened her mouth to protest, but realizing that she wouldn’t win over a stubborn, fashion-sensitive teen, she hurried off to get me the sizes I had requested.

Moments later, I pulled on the gold blouse, buttoning it up halfway. Over that, I put on the red blouse, making sure that plenty of the gold blouse was peeking out from underneath. With my black ribbed tank showing at the neckline, the outfit had pizazz. I dug through my own discarded pile of 80s clothing and popped my black felt fedora onto my head and then wrapped my three-inch belt around my waist, fastening it just at my hipline.

Finally, I turned again to check my rear end. The bottom hem of the gold blouse came to the bottom of my bottom. Perfect. I was an 80s fashion icon.

80s Fashion was Top-Heavy

The 80s fashion silhouette was top-heavy. T-shirts, blouses, sweaters, and sweatshirts had to be three sizes too big so they would hang loose and low. They were often cinched with fat belts or doubled wrap-around belts, emphasizing the hips and lower waist.

And if that didn’t make our torso grand enough, we were also shoulder-pad happy. Almost all 80s clothing had shoulder pads sewn in, and if you were unlucky enough to fall in love with a top that was missing this essential 80s fashion staple, you could always buy a pair and sew them in yourself. Those shoulder pads made your upper half even heftier.

For emphasis, you wore the tightest pants you could find, making your bottom half appear skinny while your top half was enormous, swimming in yards of fabric. Oh, and it all had to be layered.

80s Clothing Supersized

It’s amazing that years later, we were buying the tiniest shirts we could find and doing everything under the sun to make sure our midriffs were on display. Throughout most of the 80s, you really covered up as much as possible.

Once Madonna made a splash in 80s fashion, the hemlines on our tops started moving up, drastically altering the trendiest styles in 80s clothing. But that didn’t mean the shirts had to be tight-fitting. We still wore them loose. Oh yes, you could still by an extra-large tee and simply hack off the bottom half with a pair of scissors.

T-shirts had to cover your buns, blouses grazed your thighs, and sweatshirts draped around your knees. Oversized shirts were an 80s fashion staple, essential pieces for a worthwhile, stylish wardrobe packed with big and bold 80s clothing.