With the recent release of The Shards, a series based on Bret Easton Ellis’s chilling horror novel, we can’t help but find ourselves reminiscing about ’80s style, an era of fashion that, these days, tends to receive more scorn than nostalgic reminiscences. Much comes to mind when someone mentions the Decade of Decadence: neon workout sets, acid-wash denim, and gravity-defying hair. Yet, our interest remains thoroughly focused on the shoulder—or, more accurately, a few inches above, where the iconic power shoulder resides.
The attention-grabbing power shoulder has long been the rage. The original iteration was pioneered by designers such as Coco Chanel and Elsa Schiaparelli in the ’30s. In the ’80s, the structured shoulder overwhelmed the market, serving as a critical component of the larger power dressing movement that allowed women to de-sexualize their look and assert themselves in a workforce characterized by male bravado.
But the power shoulder shan’t be confined to 9-5 dressing! French designer Claude Montana—dubbed “King of the Shoulder Pad”—and Demna, during his reign at Balenciaga, featured the concept on the runway in a slew of patterns, textures, and silhouettes that were certainly not ready-to-work. The exaggerated shoulder seems to have found its way back into the fashion conversation, shedding its political skin and growing into an experimental one. Here, some of our favorite power shoulders—padded, sculpted, draped, extended—seen out on the streets.
Paris, spring 2024 ready-to-wear
Photographed by Phil Oh
Paris, spring 2023 couture
Photographed by Phil Oh
