Fashion Designers from the 80's

The preppy style of clothing evolved in the 1980s and the designer Ralph Lauren played a big part in this. Conservative teens that wanted to stay on trend and purchase classic items of clothing went to his clothing brand Polo Ralph Lauren as their first choice. Polo shirts, chinos and jackets with large logos to promote the brand were the most popular and the clothing from his brand was all fairly expensive. In 1981, Ralph Lauren became the first American designer that had a European boutique and this caused the brand to go global. The business had expanded to selling home accessories as well as fashion like pillows, bedding and throws by 1983.

I found this quote whilst researching the designer online and found it inspiring because he is saying that people were curious as to how someone from his hometown could design the worldwide trend that he took part in. He is telling people that his work has nothing to do with the family that he is from or how wealthy he is, he succeeded because he had a dream and believed that he could make it come true.



Christian Lacroix is a French designer that created a wave of new haute couture designs in the 1980s. In the late 80's he started his own brand where he combined bold colours of magenta, orange, yellow, green and bright pink. His designs were embellished with big bows, intricate beading and prominent jewellery pieces. His inspiration were artists who used modernistic colours in the 1980's and he was also inspired by the opera and the theatre which was reflected in many of his collections.

This quote is one that I found whilst I was researching the designer online and I think it reflects his attitude towards the haute couture designs that he made in the 1980's. It shows how he wanted the clothes to be modern and different from anything else that people were wearing at the time. Saying that it should be 'fun' and 'foolish' could mean that he didn't follow any current trends but just created the deigns through what he was inspired by.

This is the runway video that showcases the 1988 Christian Lacroix Haute Couture Spring-Summer Fashion collection.

     

 

Calvin Klein was one of the most successful fashion designers of the 1980s. He launched his career in the late 60s, and by the early 1980s he was a global brand-maker. His sportswear ranged from high-end prices to more affordable lines. He then expanded the business to make household furniture and kitchenware. Klein designed for men and women, and his most popular clothing were jeans and underwear in this era. High-profile celebrities, like Brooke Shields, were used for his jeans advertising campaign and Michael J. Fox popularised CK lilac briefs when he wore them in the film "Back to the Future."

Here are some Calvin Klein advertisements from 1980:

I think this quote describes the Calvin Klein brand in the 80's well because underwear was one of his best sellers. The image that he is describing in the quote has been used for advertisements to promote the brand with women modelling oversized shirts or tops over their underwear.