The rise and fall of shoulder pads, and their unlikely link to feminism

They are one of the most divisive looks in fashion, but they are also closely linked to female power

The pop singer Lady Gaga sports extreme shoulder pads.

Shoulder pads are one of fashion's more controversial styles – and yet they have been spotted on some spring / summer 2019 runways. They may have been the style to dominate the 1980s, but their bulky silhouettes had been around long before then. They were reserved as a way to protect sporty types from injury and were first used as such by Princeton football player LP Smock in 1877. It would be about half a century later that the fashion shoulder pad was born, in 1931.

Marcel Rochas and Elsa Schiaparelli were the first designers to feature padded, quilted shoulder styles, while Joan Crawford popularised extravagant shoulders, thanks to her famously flamboyant dress in the film Letty Lynton.

However, it was during the late 1930s and early 1940s – the war years – that women really embraced an exaggerated shoulder. As more women began landing jobs traditionally dominated by men, they switched their style to appear more utilitarian. Wearing shoulder pads became the defining look for a new feminist movement and a way to help establish women as a powerful force professionally.

With the end of the Second World War came the demise of the shoulder pad's first stint in the spotlight, with women wanting to rid themselves of the militaresque look and embrace a more feminine, fun style. Luckily for them, Christian Dior was ready and waiting with his "New Look", which reintroduced slinky silhouettes, fluid fabrics and sweeping skirts. "We were emerging from the period of war, of uniforms, of women-soldiers built like boxers," he once wrote.

When shoulder pads reared their boxy head again, it was the 1980s, and this time they were coming for everything in sight. From the power suits that became the staple look of Britain's first female prime minister, Iron Lady Margaret Thatcher, to the dresses and blouses that dominated the catwalks, nothing was safe from the firm grip of padded shoulders.

American-Lebanese designer Norma Kamali, who created the pink two-piece that Taylor Swift and Priyanka Chopra were seen sporting last week, is credited with helping the trend to reach the dizzying heights it did. The designer championed power dressing, and says her styles were a reflection of the general feeling of women in the 1980s – bold, defiant and disruptive. Like Thatcher, women adopted a dress-for-success mantra, making strides and climbing ladders in some of the world's biggest companies. The new power suit was their uniform of choice.

1989: Founding President Sheikh Zayed with Princess Diana, who was wearing a blazer with padded shoulders. Courtesy Al Ittihad

But despite being a loyal companion to women throughout that progressive decade, shoulder pads soon suffered an epic fall from grace. The cool kids of the 1990s vowed to stay as far away from them as physically possible, opting instead for spaghetti straps and bandeau tops, freeing their shoulders from the previous decade's puffy constraints.

Over the three decades that followed, the style made a few fleeting comebacks. In 2014, many celebrities, including Victoria Beckham and Kim Kardashian, were spotted sporting bodycon dresses and jackets with embellished, padded shoulders, while Lady Gaga really went to town on shoulders in her early years. Her blingy, poke-your-eye-out designs were a short-lived reincarnation, though, with shoulders soon returning to flatter, rounder styles.  

A model on the Zadig and Voltaire spring/summer 2019 runway during Paris Fashion Week. Photo: Pixelformula / SIPA / Shutterstock

This year it seems shoulder pads are back. The style featured heavily on the autumn / winter 2018 runways and, naturally, has carried through into spring / summer. Spotted on the catwalk for Tom Ford and Zadig & Voltaire, could their return coincide with another bout of important progress for women? Here's hoping.