Scarface (1983)

This 1983 film was great for showcasing the shiny disco fashions of the early eighties and what better mannequin for the gorgeous clothes than the rake thin Michelle Pfeiffer.

Patricia Norris, the costume designer for the film, was extremely successful in portraying Pfeiffer as a desirable, independent woman with 1980s power suits featuring low cut necks and tall shoulder pads. Her teal backless dress with a slit to her thigh is an iconic piece women still dream of owning, and her bejewelled revealing gowns show a thin line between glamour and tackiness, which is what her character embodies.

The men also don a mixture of the classic debonair gangster and gaudiness. The pin stripe light coloured three piece suits are based on those of original 1930s gangsters while mixed with brightly coloured shirts or Hawaiian style t-shirts. This was typical of the South American Gangster criminals in the late seventies and early eighties, and is still mirrored in catwalk shows of today, albeit with a certain classiness these stereotypes never had.