Get the '80s preppy look by throwing a sweater over your shoulders and fluffing up your bangs.
Fashion in the 1980s was wild and wonderful in many ways. Looking back we may ask, "What were we thinking?" but at the time some outrageous clothing styles were all the rage. The clothing styles of the '80s show how people were trying to assert their individuality in a new way -- men had long hair and wore makeup and women had short hair and wore boxy blazers. Men's styles in this decade varied greatly but there are a few main categories that most of us who lived through the '80s will remember -- the punk, the prep, the hair band wanna-be and the hip-hop, Michael Jackson fanatic.
Punk
This hard-edge style was often followed by children of 1960s hippies rebelling from their parents by creating a new style of music and clothing -- punk. This wild clothing style was inspired by the loud, heavy music by the same name. Punks had mohawks, piercings, leather jackets, tight ripped jeans and overall, lots and lots of black. Punk was the anti-fashion fashion, following the idea of anarchy and rebelling from all authority.
Preppy
Picture high school letterman's jackets, polo shirts with the collars turned up and penny loafers. That was the standard uniform for many preps of the '80s. The all-American preppy look included short hair, possibly with a little height in the front, and tailored, name-brand clothing. Preppy guys sometimes let the back of their hair grow out into the now-dreaded mullet hair style - business in the front and party in the back. For a great example of the dichotomy of the punk and preppy clothing styles, check out the movie "Pretty in Pink," an '80s classic.
Hair Bands
Rock bands in the '80s went through an interesting fashion renaissance, wearing long, fluffy teased hair, makeup (heavy on the eyeliner), tighter-than-tight leather pants, scarves, gold jewelry and leather jackets -- usually with no shirt underneath. These are the male rockers, not the females. Young men all across American emulated this style, although it was often toned down. Long, flowing hair that was teased out in the front and tight jeans with leather boots would be more of the average Joe's version of the '80s hair band clothing style. He might throw on a tight, heavy-metal T-shirt with the sleeves ripped off and a few gold chains to enhance this rockin' style too.
Hip-Hop
Michael Jackson spearheaded this '80s clothing trend with his unique style. His leather jacket from the "Thriller" video became iconic for men's style, along with his slick, curled hairdo and one sequined glove. Other hip-hop clothing trends of the '80s included parachute pants, Adidas sneakers, huge clock necklaces and heavy gold jewelry. In the early '80s, bright-colored track suits and bucket or fishing hats were popular. The styles of MC Hammer, LL Cool J and Run DMC had a major influence on '80s hip-hop clothing trends.
Tags: clothing style, clothing styles, clothing trends, gold jewelry, hair band
