Slacks, shoulder pads and suspenders: A deep dive into the iconic costumes of 1980s Bonkbusters
The final lecture in the five-part Bonkbusters series, curated by Jo Parsons.
The lavish mini-series and films based on bestselling fiction by the likes of Jackie Collins, and Shirley Conran explored themes of sex and money in a style that typified the 1980s: glossy, gaudy, and greedy. These Bonkbusters provided audiences with a glimpse into the lifestyles of the rich, famous, and horny, their grand accommodations, opulent leisure pursuits, and perhaps, more than anything else, their taste in clothing – and underclothing.Joan and Jackie Collins: https://x.com/Joancollinsdbe/status/819631064431742976/photo/1
From power dressing in tailored suits to event wear with sparkles and shoulder pads, the clutch bag and stiletto were ubiquitous accessories: these were stories where glamour reigned supreme. Stockings and suspenders, thought to be banished forever by the advent of the mini skirt, returned, along with false eyelashes, long painted nails, and enormous hair.
In a period of accelerating consumer culture, Bonkbusters presented aspirational audiences with icons of success that could be – and were – widely copied. Even today, when you consider purchasing that vintage calf length coat in faux arctic fox, the seductively superior spirit of Joan Collins is included in the price.
In this talk, costume historian Julie Ripley explores the heady mix of synthetic fabric and sharp silhouettes that brought to life badly behaved characters who shopped, ‘bonked’, and entertained a public hungry for excess.
Bio:
Dr Julie Ripley is a course leader for Costume Design for Film & TV at Falmouth University. She has presented widely on dress history, clothing cultures and screen costume. She is interested in costumes where audience pleasures in the genre are not straightforward, such as 1970s slasher movies, contemporary ‘eat the rich’ storylines, or sleazy 1980s erotica.
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Join us as we enter the glamourous and ruthless world of the Bonkbuster, a phenomenon in mid-late 20th century popular women’s writing, which showed us that sex and excess really does sell, and taught women they could come out on top in both bedroom and boardroom.
