How to Dress Retro : Retro Trends for Men

The ’80s and ’90s were some of the best decades when it comes to style and fashion. There was no Instagram but still, people dressed like studs. Those decades remind us of logos, oversized jackets, light wash denim, Nike Cortez, etc. Some of the best style pieces we wear today are altered versions from the ’80s and ’90s.

If there’s a photograph of a family member that was clicked in the ’90s, you could notice that their style was different from ours. People in the ’90s wore big baggy jackets all the time. The quality of the clothes was better back then but now fast fashion dominates the industry and most of these brands make cheap bad quality clothes.

Designs and logos on clothes

The moto-inspired clothes were popular and people wore clothes that had motorsport logos and designs. Other big company’s signs and logos(like Coca Cola and Honda) were also represented in clothing. Layering was an important part of the 90s style and most of the outerwear was very colorful and had these patterns and logos on them. There were solid tees and also t-shirts with big brand logos on them. Polo shirts were bright, colorful, and had stripes on some of them.

As vintage streetwear is trending now, we cannot forget the chunky shoes and Timberland’s and some other classic silhouettes from the ’80s and ’90s. Most of the shoe styles we wear and see today are inspired by the vintage era footwear. They had some amazing shoe styles back then but now people like shoes that are made by big-name brands and cost hundreds and thousands of dollars.

Because of this vintage fashion trend going on, there are a lot of brands bringing us new retro-inspired clothing. To name a few, Reebok, Fila, and Skechers are making some amazing some shoes that have retro vibes to them. Brands like Adidas, Puma, Champion, and Tommy Hilfiger are also adding retro oversized sweatshirts to their collection.

What clothing pieces you need for retro-inspired outfits?

For wearing retro and vintage-inspired outfits, there are some brands to know about. Some of the popular menswear brands in the 80s and 90s were –

Reebok

Fila

Tommy Hilfiger

Adidas

Champion

Timberland

Levi

Lacoste

These are a few names but there were a ton of popular and stylish brands back then.
Some good retro pieces to add to your outfits would be Jackets, Sweatshirts, Light wash denim, and Chunky sneakers.

1. Jackets

Oversized and baggy jackets were very popular during the ’90s. It was not a trend but an essential part of ’90s fashion and every guy owned at least one of these jackets. The best styles in oversized jackets were – Windcheater, Bomber and Varsity jackets.

As winter is approaching, you can get a good vintage looking jacket. There are a lot of brands where you can get these retro-inspired jackets like Reebok, Tommy Hilfiger, Puma, Fila, etc. If not the oversized jackets, you can get a light wash denim jacket that have mild distressing or a black leather jacket.

2. Shoes

Retro-inspired sneakers are everywhere. From old Puma’s to Reebok’s, they have made a solid comeback. Chunky sneakers are some of the most popular shoe styles from the ’80s and ’90s era. There also are some classics shoes that are keeping the ’80s and ’90s alive.

If you want to get a couple of stylish retro sneakers, some good options would be the Reebok leather CL, a shoe from the 1980s and the Nike Cortez. There are a ton of other styles to choose from like the Timberland boots.

Retro T-shirts and Polos

Most of the t-shirts made back in the retro era were very good quality unlike now. The popular full sleeve polos were colorful and thick. The T-shirts were full of logos and polos had stripes. Some famous brands for t-shirts and polos were Ed Hardy, Tommy Hilfiger, Abercrombie and Fitch.

Pants

Before the skinny jeans became everybody’s go-to pants, the regular and straight fit denim was everybody’s favorite in the ’90s. Black and the light wash denim were two of the popular colors that still are considered stylish today.
Corduroy pant is also an amazing option to consider that first became popular in the ’70s. It is stylish and will also make you stand out when paired with a shirt and a v-neck sweater over it.

Sweatshirts

Brands in the ’90s made some of the most stylish and vibrant sweatshirts. Most of them were colorful and has color-blocked designs. Sweatshirts also had logos as logos and designs on clothing was very common.

As vintage and retro wear is a huge trend, a number of brands are coming up with these retro-inspired sweatshirts with bright colors and old logos on them. You can find some good retro-style sweatshirts and hoodies at Ralph Lauren, Champion, Tommy Hilfiger, etc and some affordable options include Puma, Reebok, Levis, and Adidas.

Flannel Shirt

Flannels shirts were a stylish clothing piece that was super popular in the ’90s. It has now become timeless and wardrobe essential. These checked shirts look masculine on guys but flannels in the ’90s were very big and oversized. Flannel shirts are an important piece of lumberjack style and every man should own at least one.
Flannel shirts come in a lot of colors.

They are versatile and can be worn in many different ways. You can get the thick two pocket flannel shirts in colors like green, red, yellow, and brown and multi-color.

Accessories

You can definitely add some vintage-looking accessories to your outfits to make them look more appealing.

Sunglasses – Some cool and stylish sunglasses to pair with your retro-inspired outfits would be the black Ray-Ban wayfarer and the yellow aviator.

Hats – You can get a cool baseball cap with logos on it.

Watch – If you want to get some good vintage-looking watches, the brands you should check are Timex, Casio, Seiko, and Fossil.

If you have the above mentioned retro-inspired pieces, you can create a lot of vintage outfits out of them. You don’t always have to go retro head to tow but try different combinations that might include one or two retro pieces added your regular outfit.
You can also layer a logo t-shirt with a flannel and then a varsity jacket over it. In such ways, you can create various other stylish outfits.