‘To have broad shoulders’ is a quite common idiom, meaning ‘to be able to cope with difficult situations’. As it often happens, the metaphorical meaning of the sentence is directly linked to the image it evokes; and fashion, with its ability to act on the shape of the body, has proved to have much to do with the construction of this visual metaphor.

Dress designed by Elsa Schiaparelli, 1946, Courtesy Galleria del Costume di Palazzo Pitti, All Rights Reserved

Although it is difficult to pin down the period in which pads for shoulders came into use – padding was something that has been quite often used in costume, for any part of the body – the shoulder pads we are familiar with are quite recent. They were in fact popularised in the 1930s, by designers such as Elsa Schiaparelli and costume designer Adrian, who dressed Joan Crawford in her iconic movie Letty Lynton. The silhouette of the 1930s reminded of a triangle with the basis on top: so, in very simple visualisation, wide shoulder line e very narrow pencil skirts.

In terms of materiality, shoulder pads were originally semicircular pieces of cloth stuffed with different materials, from cotton to wool or sawdust.  With the outburst of the war in 1939, feminine fashion followed a period of ‘militarisation’: jackets had to represent severity and solidity, and the shoulder, constructed by bulky pads supporting their ‘hard’ shape, seem to metaphorically bear the burned of those hard times. Even though after the war the shape of the silhouette in vogue changed completely, shoulder pads were still in use, though in smaller size, to graciously perfect the line of dresses and jackets.

Ensemble designed by Gianni Versace for his Winter Collection 1983-1984, Courtesy Victoria and Albert Museum CC BY

A decade that saw the revival of shoulder pads is that of 1980. Shoulder pads were used by designers reflecting on the link between women and power, and used them in the definition of what is now commonly known as ‘power dressing’: a sort of uniform for the up-and-coming, hard-working women that in those years were battling for equal opportunities within the working environment. Maybe because they remind an armour, big shoulders still recall a sort of strength and are associated with self confidence and power.

Ensemble designed by Kansai Yamamoto, 1980s, Courtesy Modemuseum Hasselt, All Rights Reserved

Interestingly, shoulder pads became also a feature of attires used in performances by musicians and artists, who also tended to wear jackets with heavy decorations on the shoulders so flashy to caught attention, often becoming the epicentre of the entire look. This is true for the 1980s, but also today: many ‘big-shoulders’ look are considered statement, above all when worn by female performers whose feminist activism lays primarily in their costume choices.