80s gay fashion

Gay in the 80s

For as long as I can remember &#; and long before I even thought of myself as gay &#; I&#;ve heard tales about how people signal their sexual preferences. In my &#;pre-gay&#; being these were very mild; for example, wearing an earring in your left ear or a dial on your little finger meant you were gay.

But then as I entered the scene I began to learn about &#;the hanky code&#;. I really can&#;t remember too many details of what each one meant: my self-esteem was already so subdued I didn&#;t want to reduce my chances of getting laid even further by specifying what type of sex I preferred! Having said that, I did wear a shelter pin from pretty prior on to signal that I was into sound sex. Indeed, at one point I had a six inch long red safety pin stuck through a button hole in my denim jacket!

Anyway, I recently came across this explanation of the various sexual signals, courtesy of the Pleasure Chest in West Hollywood. For someone who only got as far as &#;Right means passive and Left means active&#; this is some extraordinary menu. For example, who would have kno

80s Men&#;s Fashion &#; Clothing for Guys

Young men’s cotton pants, denim jeans and leather with layered shirts and jackets. Not to bring up the totally wonderful 80s hair!

While men’s fashion didn’t modify as dramatically throughout the 20th century as women’s fashion,  s men’s fashion trends and styles developed new looks alongside a resurgence of older styles.

For the most part, s fashion for mature men settled back down from the flamboyant fashion of the ‘70s and closely resembled men’s classic styles of the ss. Pastel sportswear, conservative suiting, and even Hawaiian shirts were back in style.  

–>Skip the history and shop for ’80s inspired men’s clothing and men’s 80s s costumes:

 Shirts | Sweaters | Pants | Shoes | Jackets | Costumes | More

Young men’s fashion, on the other hand, was bold, colorful, and athletic. ’80s guys wore layers of denim, baggy jackets, leather goods, workout clothes, and sneakers.

Most teens and college kids adopted one of several key l

80s Gay Men's Fashion?
June 11, AM   Subscribe

I need to buy a costume to fit a character who is a young gay gentleman living in the early 80s. Looking for ideas or reference images. More details inside.


To add more detail on what I'm looking for, my ethics is:
- Gay man
- Young, probably more effeminate in look
- Lives in Novel York
- Male model, so strange-but-fashionable would be good
- Hangs out in Studio 54 so nightclub clothes would be great
- Relevant years
- I need several outfits so lay on whatever you think

I would like:
- Ideas on what to buy
- Reference Images from the period would be useful
- Hair and makeup (?) consultation also useful

I'm aware there's a bunch of 80s clothing questions but I'd like more specific suggestions to hit the right look and to escape anything too gimmicky.

posted by Erberus to Clothing, Beauty, & Fashion (14 answers total) 1 user marked this as a favorite

 































The 80s can teach us more than how to wear spandex

My daughter was recently getting ready for a “s” themed party at university. For Gen Zs, this is the decade of their teenagehood, clearly distinct from the years either side. (She wore skinny jeans, by the way, and there were lots of plaid shirts.) I realised I’d have trouble distinguishing between the first two decades of the current century – the memories of my early years are, of course, imprinted much more deeply than the blur of post-parental adulthood. But it also got me thinking about how the past is telescoped down into a several images.

My own teenage years are having a “moment” right now, with an overlapping run of 80s themed art exhibitions. Two were inspired by act artist and wild dresser Leigh Bowery. While Outlaws: Fashion Renegades of 80s London at the Fashion and Textile Museum centred on his legendary nightclub Taboo, Leigh Bowery! at Tate Modern is a larger celebration of his boundary-breaking life and career. A third exhibition, The Face: Culture Shift at the National Portrait Gallery, is dedicate