The 80s were a time of bold moments in hair history--big volume, mullets, Jheri curls, and hairspray, hairspray, hairspray! Here at Found Item Clothing, we love to remember the iconic shirts spotted in our favorite 1980s films... but we also love the wild and wacky hairstyles that dazzled us through the decade. Read on to see if you remember any of these legendary looks!
1) Darryl Jenks in Coming to America (1988)
Nothing says "Hi, it's the 80s" quite like a Jheri Curl mullet! Eriq La Salle plays Darryl Jenks, the layabout heir to the Soul Glo fortune--the very product responsible for these legendary curls. (Who could forget the late 80s chic of the Soul Glo TV commercial, featuring Clyde R. Jones and Paulette Banoza, and its oh-so-catchy jingle??)
2) Alexandra, Jane, and Sukie in The Witches of Eastwick (1987)
The higher the hair, the closer to...Jack Nicholson? Isn't that how the old saying goes? The three witches of Eastwick, played by Cher, Susan Sarandon, and Michelle Pfeiffer, may have stumbled upon their witchy powers, but these voluminous locks were 100% intentional. It could be magic--but it could also be a cauldron's worth of mousse.
3) Jareth in The Labyrinth (1986)
Never before and never again have we seen the likes of David Bowie's choppy mullet. From its gravity-defying spikes, to its wispy lengths, this look is a true stunner. Paired with some triangular eyebrows, and you've got yourself a look fit for a king... a goblin king, that is.
4) Tess & Cynthia in Working Girl (1988)
"I've got a head for business, and a hairstyle for...even more business!" Melanie Griffith and Joan Cusack really made a splash with their mile-high, mile-wide mall bangs, hairsprayed to the gods. Although Griffith's Tess McGill foregoes her permed fe-mullet for a more toned down look mid-film, we'll never forget the heights (and widths) of this quintessential late-80s look.
5) Derek Smalls, Nigel Tufnel, and David St. Hubbins in This is Spinal Tap (1984)
Spinal Tap, (played by Harry Shearer, Christopher Guest, and Michael McKean) treated us to to some truly glorious mullets--each bringing a little something different to the table. Smalls paired long raven locks with an extra chunky fu manchu. St. Hubbins rocked a wavy blonde cut, with face framing, nay, face-enclosing layers.
The true star of the mullet show, however, is Tufnel's. The sheer number of layers is truly dazzling, and the shape is unparalleled. Want to look like Nigel? We can get you halfway there with a Green Skeleton Shirt, but we'll leave the mullet up to you and a trusted barber.
6) Tracy Turnblad, Edna Turnblad, and Velma Von Tussle in Hairspray (1988)
With a name like Hairspray, and a director like John Waters, you know the looks are gonna be extra! Set in the 1960s, and filmed in the 1980s, this comedy combines the wildest sensibilities of both decades, in an Aqua Net-induced fever dream.
Ricki Lake's flicked up bob exhibits lowlights so extreme they could be seen from space. Legendary drag queen Divine goes from mousy, greasy, bedraggled locks, to a bouffant stacked with Coke-can curls. And Debbie Harry's Von Tussle sports a transformation from a voluminous, asymmetrical, comma-shaped shwoop, to an ornate, Marie Antoinette-worthy tower.
7) All the Vampires in The Lost Boys (1987)
Yet another mullet-based ensemble piece, these young vampires (played by Brooke McCarter, Kiefer Sutherland, Billy Wirth, and Alex Winter) sport a smorgasbord of parties-in-the-back. Sutherland's mullet, a white-blonde spiky mullet, reminiscent of Billy Idol, is especially memorable.
Rumor has it, a re-boot of The Lost Boys is currently in the works... we're wondering if these mullets will be re-booted as well...?!
8) Madison in Splash (1984)
Daryl Hannah plays a mermaid whose tail disappears on land--but her hair retains its long, flowing, crimped mermaid-y waves whether in New York City or underwater. Though it didn't originate "crimped" hair, it definitely continued to popularize the trend... as well as the name "Madison!"
Incidentally, this film came out the same year as David St. Hubbins' similarly- colored and textured mullet... there must have been something in the water...
9) Betelgeuse in Beetlejuice (1988)
Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice, Beetlej--well, you know the rest! Who could forget this utterly frazzled hairstyle, speckled with green mold? It's actually considered quite a professional look for a bio-exorcist. (An Honorable Mention goes to this shrunken head's jaunty, afterlife-ready high pony!)
10) Zula in Conan the Destroyer (1984)
Grace Jones rocks her signature flat top, with a few fantastic embellishments, as a warrior with rock star charisma. Embellished with arched cut-outs over her ears, painted red stripes, and sharply diagonal eyebrows, this is an 80s fade perfect for the prehistoric past.
11) The Kid in Purple Rain (1984)
Prince plays a role developed to showcase his style and talent in Purple Rain, a film that helped launch him into super-stardom, and canonize this iconic look. This softly curled, dandy of a mullet, served as the perfect complement his long, brooding, gazing-into-the-distance moments (of which there were many). The look was complete with pencil-thin sideburns, a flirtatiously sparse mustache, and just the ghost of a soul patch.
12) Princess Leia in Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back (1980)
Last, but certainly not least, Carrie Fisher's glossy brown tresses continue to impress in braided up-dos. Although not as iconic as her twin, over-ear cinnamon buns from 1977's A New Hope, these braided looks signify a practical yet feminine look, perfect for kicking ass in cloud cities and an ice planets alike, as the original trilogy descends into its darkest chapter.