80s costume – ideas for 80s theme party outfits suitable for Halloween

costume for 80s theme party 80s outfits rock band

The 80s offer an inspiring treasure trove of films, musicians, characters and fashion as ideas for an 80s costume. However, if there isn’t an 80s party on the horizon, Halloween can also be the ideal occasion. Whether you have a refined, a creepy or a funny taste like Cyndi Lauper, you will find suitable ideas here. We have examples that you can either make as a DIY 80s costume or use as inspiration for your next purchase. So get ready for these awesome 80s outfits that are sure to attract attention.

Costume for 80s theme party

the prince of zamunda costume with leopard fur and gold chain

Even if you didn’t grow up in this decade, there is a lot to be appreciated – especially the fashion that makes for great 80s Halloween costume ideas. It was a drastic time when the popular styles of the time favored luscious hair, accessories, and loads of neon color. The music scene was just as robust: pop icons like Madonna and Prince made for an optimistic, dance-worthy sound. Through films we got to know hits like Beetlejuice and Ghostbusters, which are now popular with children, teenagers and adults alike.

cindy lauper make her own costume with a lush hairstyle, hair color and colorful chains, earrings and bracelets

In honor of the hair-raising decade, we’ve put together for you our favorite ’80s costumes that will help you send them back and stand out from the crowd this Halloween. You will find characters from some of your favorite TV shows and movies that you can use old clothes from your closet for. There are also 80s costume couples as an idea for Halloween. Whatever you choose, you can’t go wrong. Whether you prefer an 80s sweat suit costume or an 80s athlete costume, you will find great options here.

Tom Cruise Top Gun 1986

family with child in top gun costume with overalls in military green colors

Even though Top Gun is now over 30 years old, it is still a cult film and still a very popular choice for an 80s costume. This is especially true for young men who want to mimic the classic Goose and Maverick look with inspirational aviation. So if you are planning to wear such a men’s 80s costume, then this is the right idea for you.

top gun 80s costume men, women with flight jackets and aviator goggles

A flight suit, for example, contains everything you need to enter the Top Gun flight school. This can consist of a jumpsuit decorated with realistic pilot badges. You can round off the classic look with aviator glasses. In this fantastic 80s costume you will fly sky high at the next party.

Ghostbusters costume

ghostbusters costume with beige protective suit and combat boots as well as backpack and gadgets

Get your group of ghost hunters going with creative group costume ideas. Use dungarees or protective suits and transform yourself into the famous heroes from the creepy comedy of the 80s for Halloween. If you’re comfortable hunting ghosts, you can put on a homemade proton backpack and beige jumpsuit to look even more authentic.

Madonna costume 80s

Madonna wearing 80s costume with lots of bracelets and neon colors

You can pay tribute to the iconic “Lucky Star” era of Madonna with an 80s costume. The singer was a pioneer, fashion designer and cross-border commuter from the start. That she’s still there, unlike other 80s pop stars who go out with parachute pants, proves her instinctive understanding of pop culture and people’s desires. For this reason, as a pop icon, she is the ideal model for your party costume of the 80s. For such an outfit, you can combine aspects of the Madonna look with that of the “Like a Virgin” era. Use pictures from their albums and music videos for inspiration.

Elements for 80s costume ladies in the style of Madonna

make madonna costume yourself with black net and leather gloves in 80s style

Heavy eye makeup
Wavy, wild hair (or wig)
Pointed, fingerless gloves
Lots of bracelets
Earrings (hearts and crosses were her favorites)
Bustier type top (black armor could also work)
skirt
Gaiters
Black ankle boots

Cindy Lauper costume 80s

combine purple blazer for cyndi lauper costume with waistband dress and headband

She was also a mainstay of the 80s, which at the time was also considered a pioneer of both music and the style of the decade. Her outrageous and funny personality accordingly added to her outrageous and funny looks – Madonna might have been the sexy bad girl, but Cyndi was the one you would have loved to have a slumber party with, with pillow fights, dance parties, and prank calls. Her 1983 debut album “She’s So Unusual” brought her to the superstar scene with a number of hits such as “Time After Time”, “She Bop”, “All Through the Night” and her anthem “Girls Just Want to Have Fun”.

80s costume ladies with two skirts, colorful upper part, tights and boots

Corsets, crinolines, fishnet stockings, colorful makeup, and wild hair all created this unusual style. You can easily recreate Cyndi’s signature look. You can find everything you need on a trip to the thrift store and a fun accessories store. Most of the guests at the Halloween party will surely admire your outfit. Your makeup can also be egregious. Think of orange and blue, for example, from the bottom of your eyelids to the top of your browbones. You can paint the lips glossy and red to achieve the curled up, unique pouty style of the singer.

Beetlejuice costume

beetlejuice costume for women with striped suit in black and white and green hair with make up

Tim Burton’s imaginative horror comedy from 1988 shows Michael Keaton as a grotesque, obnoxious and very funny ghost posing as a bio-exorcist to rid haunted houses of their living residents. So the house in question is the home of Adam and Barbara Maitland (Alec Baldwin and Geena Davis), a happy, adorable couple who happened to be dead.

80s costume couples like beetlejuice and bride in red dress with roses

For the look, just try a striped dress or trousers, which you can combine with a striped blazer or alternatively with black or white jeans. However, detailed hair and makeup is also a must in this case if you want to get the outfit on point.

80s John Rambo costume for men

rambo costume man and woman with military clothing and red headbands cargo pants and rifle

Sylvester Stallone was one of the kings of cinema in the 80s. His talent as a writer, director and star of Rocky won us over and cemented his legendary status by bringing the character of John Rambo to life. “Rambo: First Blood Part II” gave us the definitive war hero look that is relatively easy to emulate even if you don’t have the muscles of the Italian stallion (although that would certainly help). As a man, you can use the following for this:

man and two women costumed as john rambo with bows and cartridges

Headband (preferably a long, red, sweat-soaked strip of fabric)
A tiny green jade Buddha pendant on an incredibly tight choker
Black or dark olive green cargo pants
Combat boots
Giant plastic knife would be a safe choice
Machine gun and bow with arrows from a prop would be optional items

Indiana Jones costume men

indiana jones costume with original elements like pants leather jacket whip leather boots and hat

Indiana Jones is a pretty simple ’80s costume that you can wear. All you need is a brown leather jacket, fedora, and khaki chinos, which you can buy at your local thrift store or find yourself in your closet at home. Otherwise, you can save yourself a trip to the store and have the outfit delivered to your door.

woman in black like lara croft dressed next to man in indiana jones costume

Let’s face it: when you see someone wearing the classic Indiana Jones hat and bomber jacket, the themed music is bound to pop into your head. So if you choose this look, your friends will definitely envy the outfit at the next costume party. The right whip will round off the whole thing.

80s couples costume like Blues Brothers

Blues Brothers costume worn by two elegant looking men with sunglasses in black

Blues Brothers costumes are a lot of fun for men and women who dress up for any occasion. The classic look of Jake and Elwood is pretty easy to achieve with items you might have around the house. The Blues Brothers are a great choice for a DIY 80s costume because it’s so easy to find all of the basic pieces by yourself. As you may recall, both Jake and Elwood wear black suits and long-sleeved white shirts with skinny black ties. The two also wear characteristic sunglasses, white socks, black shoes and black fedoras.

80s sweat suit costume couples american style man and woman

While both men and women can dress up as Blues Brothers, there are other fun parts from the film that could inspire costumes. A great costume for a woman would be the role of Aretha Franklin in the film Mrs. Murphy: All she needs is a pink fitness outfit, a red vest and a pair of fuzzy slip-on pink slippers. For group costumes, consider members of the country band, the Good ol ‘Boys who torment the brothers, or the cops who eventually chase them down.

80s sportsman costume for halloween or carnival with cassette player

Truly almost any character from this decade and the music industry of that era would make a fun 80s costume. Get together with a group of friends and your best bet is to watch old music videos or movies. Then decide which characters each person could play. In fact, these would be a great motif for a costume party since such great music was being made at that time. You could also get people to dress up like this, listen to various soundtracks or watch movies, and have a great time with family and friends at Carnival or Halloween.