Fashion Week: Shoulder pads bring in '80s style

Fashion Week: Shoulder pads bring in '80s style

May be the designers at New York Fashion Week won't let you forget. Try these links for the latest sets of photos for the Fashion Week:

Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Fall 2009 - Diane Von Furstenberg - Runway

Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Fall 2009 - Celebrity Sightings in Bryant Park - Day 2

Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Fall 2009 - Y-3 Autumn/Winter 2009-2010 Fashion Show - Front Row

Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Fall 2009 - Heart Truth's Red Dress Collection Fashion Show - Backstage at the Public Library

Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Fall 2009 - Charlotte Ronson - Runway

Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Fall 2009 - Nicole Miller - Runway

Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Fall 2009 - Heart Truth's Red Dress Collection Fashion Show - Runway

Remember the '80s, when big hair and even bigger shoulders were the height of chic?

The shoulder pad is back.

Add that to power suits, Robert Palmer-style second-skin dresses, dark lipstick and even, at Miss Sixty, acid-wash jeans.

It's probably safe to say that there were more shoulder pads at Goodwill drop-off bins than at fashion boutiques in recent years. But big shoulders edged onto the runways of Marc Jacobs , Donna Karan, Alexander Wang, Diane von Furstenberg and others as Fashion Week ended its fourth day of fall previews Monday.

"Shoulder pads scare people but remember, runway is a fairy tale," said Gloria Baume, fashion director at Teen Vogue. "Now we have to figure out how to make it real."

Done right, though, sharp shoulders can give a new confidence to women left weary by the economy, said Stephanie Solomon, Bloomingdale's fashion director. "Toughness is confidence. It's a way of saying, 'You can't bring me down.'"

Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week runs through Friday.