1980s Men's jeans

[whitewall66]

When men stopped wearing flared jeans at the start of the 1980s, a lot of them wore stretch jeans that were mostly fashionable from around 1980 to 1986.

I used to think that Shakin' Stevens was probably the most famous person to wear them, and as I can see from the ITV 3 repeats of Coronation Street, Kevin Webster, and sometimes Curly Watts wore them as well. They were everywhere, male characters from series like the Dukes of Hazard and even Prisoner: Cell Block H was seen with them on. I still think of them as "cool", and it's a pity that you could probably buy a pair of flares from the years before in these retro fashion shops that I sometimes see, but not 1980s jeans like that, probably because they don't look ironic enough a flares did.

The Wrangler and Levis adverts from the early to mid 1980s looked "sexier" than jeans adverts did later on that decade. I think that ended when we saw Nick Kamen go in the bath while wearing his, the tune to Sam Cooke's Wonderful World, or the launderette one, as parodied by Carling Black Label, straining to the tune of Marvin Gaye's big 1969 hit.

I suppose that now we see skinny jeans (and I even have a couple of pairs myself), probably because of the Vamps and One Direction, men's fashion has almost come full-circle in the past 35 years.

I am hoping that they might come back into fashion, considering that skinny jeans have done so. I remember trying to get a pair for a photo shoot I was doing a few years ago, but no luck. Water under the bridge fashion-wise, methinks.

Mate nobody wore flares after 1977 when punk came in certainly not young people and I don't think Shakin Stevens is someone to be mentioned when it comes to fashion. You might see someone like Dennis Waterman wearing flared jeans in Minder but he was in his 30's when it started. What a lot of young people wore back then in the early 80's when the casual scene came in where Lois Cords and in the late 70's Farah slacks. Flares did come back in the late 80's when the baggy Madchester scene started with groups like the Happy Mondays and the Stone Roses.

[Richard1978]

Some people did stick with flares into the 1980s but were passe by 1982.

Drainpipe trousers were popular with the post punk & 60s revisal crowd.

[whitewall66]

Some people did stick with flares into the 1980s but were passe by 1982.

Drainpipe trousers were popular with the post punk & 60s revisal crowd.

No they didn't mate if you wore flares after 1977 you'd get the **** taken out of you mercilessly. Watching old episodes of Corrie and mentioning Curly Watts and fashion is hilarious. Here's the sort of fashions you had between 77 and 82. Punks, Teds, Soulboys, Skins, Rude Boys, Rastas, Rockabillies, Casuals, Mods, New Romantics, Goths maybe slightly later than 82 there's probably more I've missed out but the one thing they had in common was none of them wore flares. Edit : it was George 78 who mentioned Curly Watts and fashion !

[HG]

No they didn't mate if you wore flares after 1977 you'd get the **** taken out of you mercilessly.

You're not wrong, I had loose jeans in about 81 and even though they weren't flares I still got ripped.

[Richard1978]

I remember someone saying that Rainbow seemed to get stuck in a Heath era timewarp after the mid 1970s, with Geoffrey still wearing flares into the 1980s along with a haircut that was last stylish in 1978.

[George 1978]

Mate nobody wore flares after 1977 when punk came in certainly not young people and I don't think Shakin Stevens is someone to be mentioned when it comes to fashion. You might see someone like Dennis Waterman wearing flared jeans in Minder but he was in his 30's when it started. What a lot of young people wore back then in the early 80's when the casual scene came in where Lois Cords and in the late 70's Farah slacks. Flares did come back in the late 80's when the baggy Madchester scene started with groups like the Happy Mondays and the Stone Roses.

Shaky was a pop star rather than a fashion model, but he was just as much known for his denim as Tommy Cooper was for his fez.

Looking at old newspaper archives (the Daily Mirror, I think), flares (or flared trousers) were referred to in mid 1979 as being "dead", although a Foster menswear advert from just before Christmas that year offered a "straight or flared" option for some corduroy trousers that some celebrity male model was wearing in the advert.

[George 1978]

I remember someone saying that Rainbow seemed to get stuck in a Heath era timewarp after the mid 1970s, with Geoffrey still wearing flares into the 1980s along with a haircut that was last stylish in 1978.

That was probably because older episodes were repeated many years later - Geoffrey had a "pudding bowl" haircut at one point, and its strange how Hayes changed slightly between series but Bungle, George and Zippy obviously remained the same for many years, apart from their voice raising an octave or two between series, a la Malcolm Lord taking over from Stanley Bates in the brown bear outfit.

Episodes of Rainbow were also shown in New Zealand, although the David Cook episodes were still being shown over there as late as 1976-1977.

[George 1978]

You're not wrong, I had loose jeans in about 81 and even though they weren't flares I still got ripped.

I have mentioned this before: Tucker wore flared trousers in the 1980 series of GH, but two later, Roland was ridiculed for wearing flares by Zammo and Jonah.

[whitewall66]

Shaky was a pop star rather than a fashion model, but he was just as much known for his denim as Tommy Cooper was for his fez.

Looking at old newspaper archives (the Daily Mirror, I think), flares (or flared trousers) were referred to in mid 1979 as being "dead", although a Foster menswear advert from just before Christmas that year offered a "straight or flared" option for some corduroy trousers that some celebrity male model was wearing in the advert.

You're the one who mentioned Shaky and fashion it's off the scale laughable double denim might have been worn in the mid 70's but no one had that look and he was 33 in 1981. And only middle aged people would buy their clothes from Fosters it was the sort of place bankers got their casual weekend clobber. As I said no one wore flares after 1977 certainly not in London might have done elsewhere but I doubt it. Brotherhood of Man and other cheesy pop groups might have worn flares after 1977 but no one young listened to them or Shakin Stevens.

[George 1978]

You're the one who mentioned Shaky and fashion it's off the scale laughable double denim might have been worn in the mid 70's but no one had that look and he was 33 in 1981. And only middle aged people would buy their clothes from Fosters it was the sort of place bankers got their casual weekend clobber. As I said no one wore flares after 1977 certainly not in London might have done elsewhere but I doubt it. Brotherhood of Man and other cheesy pop groups might have worn flares after 1977 but no one young listened to them or Shakin Stevens.

Shaky did dress younger than he did back in the early 1980s - it's remarkable that he's in his 70s now! He's in the same stable as Cliff Richard in many ways.

[Richard1978]

I don't remember my parents wearing flares when I was young, but by Dad was wearing cords into the 21st century.

[Georgesoros33]

In the 1980s, men's jeans tended to be more relaxed and loose-fitting compared to the slim-fit styles that are popular today. Acid-washed denim was also very popular during this era, and many jeans had a faded, worn-in look. Here are some common styles of men's jeans from the 1980s:

1. Straight-leg jeans: These jeans had a straight cut from the waist down to the ankle, with no tapering or narrowing. They were often made from a medium-weight denim and were a popular choice for everyday wear.
2. Baggy jeans: Baggy jeans were loose-fitting and had a relaxed, comfortable feel. They often had a wider leg opening and a high waistline. This style was especially popular in hip-hop culture.
3. Acid-washed jeans: Acid-washed denim had a distinctive, mottled appearance that was achieved by using chemicals to bleach the fabric. This style was very popular in the 1980s and was often paired with bright, neon colors.
4. High-waisted jeans: High-waisted jeans were a popular style for men in the 1980s, with the waistband sitting above the hips. They often had a loose, tapered fit and were made from a lightweight denim.
5. Stone-washed jeans: Stone-washed denim was achieved by washing the jeans with pumice stones to give them a worn, faded look. This style was very popular in the 1980s and was often paired with a denim jacket or vest.

[George 1978]

Great to have another George on here! Welcome, and thanks for your post.

Looking at old TV programmes, and adverts (in particular those advertising jeans in the early 1980s), lots of men's jeans seem to look similar, and I believe that the variations that you listed were around in the latter half of that decade; the late Nick Kamen seem to be the figurehead for jeans advertising circa 1986 - the Levi's launderette and bath adverts. And strange to say, jeans adverts circa 1980-1983 seem to focus on people's bums when they wore them, both men and women - Wrangler certainly did that. By the latter half of the decade, they were advertised quite differently.

[perec4stor]

Nothing better than a white shirt, light blue jean with durable fabric from 80's or 90's, a messenger bag and nice leather shoes!
If anyone is a photographer, i highly recommend to buy a leather messenger bag for the vintage messenger bag look !

[George 1978]

Speaking of our favourite denim trousers, I just couldn't stop laughing at the news that Alan Titchmarsh's jeans (referred to as "trousers" in order to make one even more curious), were banned in North Korea because denims are "seen as a symbol of western imperialism in the secretive state", blurring out Mr Titchmarch's crotch area, but not the legs. One could understand it if Linford Christie's "crown jewels" been given that same treatment (even though he doesn't really wear jeans on the athletics track), but poor Alan Titchmarsh - what has he done to deserve that, then?

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-68664644

I take it then that Shakin' Stevens' This Ole House (or at least the pop video) never made it to North Korea back in 1981? They might not be suitable for office work, but they look good on people. Wear your jeans with pride!