Fashion in the 1980s tended towards the functional and the formal. The typical 'power dressed' woman of the period wore her shoulders wide, her skirts short and her heels high, while the colourful and relaxed men's fashions of the 1970s gave way to more conventional dressing.

The year-by-year format allows these changes to be shown in fascinating detail. Day Wear, Evening War, Sports and Leisure Wear, Accessories, Underwear and Wedding Wear are included, and complete descriptions of each garment accompany the drawings, itemizing colour, cut, necklines, lapels, sleeves, pockets, fastenings, buttons, belts, etc. The reference section includes a chart summarizing at a glance the evolution of fashion and garment-shapes, as well as biographies of outstanding 1970s designers and a bibliography.