another era. Karl Lagerfeld, a Paris designer, used a
variety of historical sources for his 1980’s designs
and was especially influenced by clothes portrayed
in the paintings of Antoine Watteau. Norma Kamali,
once considered a revolutionary designer, changed
her style from modernism in the 1970’s to histori-
cism in the 1980’s, an appropriate reflection of the
past in the context of contemporary design.
President Ronald Reagan, who was elected in
1980, and his wife, Nancy, were important fashion in-
fluences. They wore tasteful, expensive clothes and
held lavish parties at the White House, making it
fashionable to be elegant again. Ball gowns and
sophisticated styles for women came into fashion, in-
cluding stylish clothes that could be worn to work.
Brand names became increasingly important. Mid-
dle-class people could afford to buy clothes by high-
fashion designers such as Ralph Lauren and Calvin
Klein, who obliged their clientele by offering lines of
casual clothes.
The “preppy” look was also inspired by the
Reagans. The word “preppy” had been around for a
long time and was used to describe a person who had
attended a private preparatory school. The style and
manner associated with the wealthy, old-money stu-
dents who attended such schools were both com-
mon and recognizable enough by 1980 to inspire a
best-selling satire.The Official Preppy Handbook(1980),
edited by Lisa Birnbach, purported to explain the
lifestyles and illustrate the fashions of preppies, in-
cluding their polo shirts, white bucks, A-line skirts,
and cardigans. As the decade progressed, these styles
entered the American mainstream: Izod polo shirts,
sporting a distinctive alligator, were one of the most
popular clothing items of the decade. Although
muted colors were fashionable for most of the de-
cade, bright red, called “Reagan red,” made a splash,
and exercise clothes, which boomed during the
1980’s, were popular in bright, primary colors.Men’s Fashions Pinstriped business suits for men
came back in fashion for the first time since the
1930’s and 1940’s, although the pinstripes of the
1980’s were narrower than those of previous de-
cades. Jacket lapels and neckties were also narrower,
with the total effect being a slimmer, more tailored
silhouette. Button-down collars made a return, a no-
table example of the preppy style. Although pastel
colors dominated fashion in the early 1980’s, by
1984 there was a return to conservative colors in
men’s clothes. The exception was Hawaiian shirts
with colorful flower prints, which became fashion-
able for men as the decade wore on. There were
other influences, however, and the popularity of the
Miami Vicetelevision show encouraged young men
to wear T-shirts under expensive suit jackets.
Athletic shoes became acceptable for casual dress-
ing, with Air Jordan basketball shoes making their
debut in 1985. Although athletic shoes had been
worn casually before, they became high-priced, high--
fashion items in the 1980’s. Other manufacturers
introduced expensive athletic shoes, and Adidas
sneakers soared in popularity among young men.
Nike also had a hefty share of the market, driven byThe Eighties in America Fashions and clothing 359
Youth fashions were among the most distinctive of the 1980’s.
(Hulton Archive/Getty Images)