1980 : Diana, the Princess Of Wales set a trend for lower footwear during this decade. Ankle boots were designed for short skirts. Dr Martens boots became the fashion of the young. Sportshoe technology became "the thing" as did designer labels for yuppies.The Classic Chanel two tone was popular throughout the 80s. Moccasins found a comeback during this era. Highcut, laceupboots made a comeback. The recession, which ended in 1982, left the United States with relatively high interest rates, spending far more than it was collecting in taxes, and as a result, borrowing heavily from other nations. In the mid-eighties, big business ruled the ideals. Materialism hit its peak, and yuppies (the young, upwardly mobile set) were living it up by night and getting fit by day.

For business, styles were conservative and classic. The oxford, brogue, and loafer were all popular and usually appeared in standard colours such as black and browns and two tones. Slip on styles based on the Norwegian moccasins and desert boots were popular for leisurewear. Brand names were the all important style feature in this decade. Tennis shoes had to be the right brand at the right time and young people often had more than a dozen pairs in the closet to meet the trend. Young rappers wore tennis shoes not only for street wear, but for dance as well. It was not the shoe, but the name on it that made it a hot item. Trends continued to be hard to follow because of the different groups that continued from the seventies. Yuppies, punks and rappers each made fashion trends of their own by adding their different personal touches. The Doc Martens that were the anti-fashion uniform of the punk scene in the seventies were, in 1986, acceptable as street wear for a wider more respectable, yet fashion conscious, youth.

The business and dress shoes for women were styled with classic lines and construction. The classic sling back court shoe was popular amongst professional woman of the eighties, Chanel offered seven different variations of this shoe each season. Toes again became pointed and the heels were slender throughout the decade. Loafers and man-styled oxford pumps were approved with tailored power suits. Designers began to blur boundaries between one type of footwear and another with beautifully sculpted heels on boots and pumps that reached the ankle. The athletic shoe craze was not restricted to men, in 1980, a New York City transit strike prompted thousands of women to put on their running shoes and walk to work with their high-heeled pumps in hand. This phenomenon out-lasted the strike and, for most of the decade, one could see a woman in a perfectly tailored power suit wearing a pair of Reebok running shoes.