The eighties were full of choice for men’s fashion, whether you liked the preppy look, the jock style, or the experimental groupie image.
80s Men’s Fashion
Hate it or love it eighties fashions were big! People experimented and let their social groups be defined by what they wore.
There were some mistakes that should never come back like the fanny pack! But the eighties also saw some trends that have lasted the test of time and keep making a comeback, for instance skinny ties and converse sneakers.
80s Men’s Fashion Trends
A key look for men in the yuppie set was to wear neatly tailored pants, a button down shirt with the top few buttons open, and a blazer with the sleeves rolled up.
Short shorts were also a key item to have during the warmer months, and if you belonged to the jock set it often got paired with a cropped tee.
Young men look towards popular TV shows at the time for fashion inspiration and one top rated show was Miami Vice. The lead characters were often seen in designer suits worn with tee shirts, and shoes without socks. The look started a trend amongst the yuppie set. For the more casual middle class crowd the Hawaiian shirts worn by characters also started a trend, often worn with white shorts or khakis.
Michael Jackson was the biggest selling musician of the decade and fans looked to him for setting trends. Leather studded jackets in black and red sold out, oversized tops became popular with young fans, and who could forget the one hand glove look!
On the other side of the musical stage were rock bands such as Poison and Metallica. Many fans would copy their worn tee shirt and ripped jeans look as well as wear bandanas as headbands.
For the younger generation trends during the eighties included a rise in popularity of converse All-Star sneakers, Ray-Ban sunglasses, and skinny acid washed jeans.
80s Men’s Hairstyles
Popular culture played a large role in setting trends for men’s hairstyles during the eighties.
Big hair worn by groups such as Jon Bon Jovi made the working class set decide to poof up their roots and wear their hair big! Hair products at the time were big business as hairspray and mousses sold like never before to the men’s market.
For the older generation the mullet was a big trend; the idea was to have short hair in the front and on the sides while the back grew long. Teenagers experimented with the style but added in the ponytail.
Just as fans copied Michael Jackson’s fashion, they also copied his hairstyle and in particular the Jheri Curl style. The look called for a lot of gel and time to get the perfect curl!
The preppy look of the eighties was completed with the wet look hairstyle. This meant that even when dry men’s hair looked wet due to so much gel being used. The style was slicked back and extremely neat.
The eighties saw men dress like never before, as individuals who defined who they were and what they believed through their fashion style.
It was a time of fun and color.
