Glo Back: Celebrating February 1987

Nicknamed The Body, Elle Macpherson showed off her lean, athletic shape on the February cover of Sports Illustrated. Rather than wearing a bikini, the 6-foot-tall model sported a one-piece, a nod to the active, get fit mentality of the late '80s.

In 1987, Hollywood released some of the greatest classics in chick-flick history, including Dirty Dancing and The Princess Bride. Lesser known—but no less important—was Some Kind of Wonderful, a classic tale of high school love on the wrong side of the tracks, written by the iconic John Hughes and starring Mary Stuart Masterson, Eric Stoltz and Lea Thompson.

Another cult favorite, Mannequin, premiered on Feb. 13. Starring Andrew McCarthy as a mannequin-maker and Kim Cattrall as the mannequin, the film was silly and sweet in a way that only '80s movies could be. While it was mostly overlooked by the Academy (the horror!), it did receive a Best Original Song Oscar nomination for Nothing's Gonna Stop Us Now.

On the Paris runways, the fashion was bold and bright, with geometric cuts and over-sized everything—collars, ruffles, belts and more. Waists were cinched, but skirts were voluminous—and short.

In February 1987, Inès de la Fressange was the physical embodiment of Chanel, serving as its haute couture model, as well as a constant muse for chief designer Karl Lagerfeld. Appearing both in advertisements and on the runway, Fressange often felt as if she was in a gilded cage, despite the privileges afforded by the role. By 1989, her relationship with Lagerfeld had ended, not to be resuscitated until 2010, when she walked in Chanel's Spring 2011 show in Paris, at the age of 53.

In homes across the country, Thursday evenings were spent on the couch, tuning in to America's No. 1 show. Attracting over 30 million viewers an episode, The Cosby Show broke racial stereotypes, revived the American sitcom and made the Huxtables feel like family.

With the rise of hair metal rock, 1987 would become year of the mega-perm, as well as the gender-neutral shag (think then-couple Heather Locklear and Tommy Lee). By the second week of February, Bon Jovi's Livin' on a Prayer replaced Madonna's Open Your Heart as the No. 1 hit single.