Buy 80’s Clothes - Men and Women 80’s Fashion

Buy 80's Men's Shorts

Short Shorts Were a Favorite of Most Men During The 80s

Shorts were definitely a hot fashion item for men who wanted to look good during the 80s. This was a time for self-expression and guys were able to follow the whims and fashion dictates of the designer, clothing label or team of their choice. Gone were the days of using one pair of shorts for every purpose. The 80s was a time of extravagance and now modern men could select shorts that were created for every activity.

If you look at many of the sports and magazine photos from the earliest part of the 80s, you will be struck by the amazingly short length of men’s shorts. During these years basketball, tennis and swim shorts had a very abbreviated design. They were made to only hang an inch or two beneath the buttocks. If you compare the basketball shorts of the mid 80s to the knee length ones of today the difference seems shocking.

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Slazenger, Ocean Drive, Nike, and Adidas were just a few makers of men’s shorts that were competing in the marketplace.  The one thing that these shorts all had in common was the short leg length. There were shorts for skate boarding that did incorporate a little more legroom and length that hit the market later in the 80s. These were usually made with elastic waists and graffiti designs and the entire look was exuberant and fun.

Tennis shorts stayed pretty traditional to their roots and were available in either black or white.  A few choices in blues and greens were also being sold by the largest tennis wear manufacturers. Powder blue and navy blue were choices that men also liked to choose when they were looking for shorts to wear on the courts. Even the “more proper” tennis shorts were beginning to advertise the makers name or logo in a prominent position. This was free advertising after all, and worth a mint to the companies selling the clothing.

Swimwear was a different story and this is where guys got to indulge their wild and crazy side. Swim shorts were being made in bright day-glo colors that included shade names like hot pink, grinning green, screaming yellow, and outrageous orange. Having the designer label visible to the public was an additional badge of honor.

Even the walking shorts and golfing shorts were of mid thigh length and above. You can tell if you have a pair of 80s era shorts because they are made with very slim designs that were very different from the “baggy” look of today. Denim walking shorts were now becoming more fashionable and you could even find casual shorts for men that were made of leather.

The cut off look with its raveled legs was far off the radar and the very popular pastime of creating your own shorts from old jeans at home was certain to doom the wearer to looks of pity and outright laughter. The 80s were the year to buy brand new shorts, not recycle your own worn out long pants.

Sprinter style shorts by Adidas and other manufacturers were seen in more places than just on the track. These could be distinguished easily by the side stripes and itty-bitty design that ended almost at the curve of the hip. These were made of thin nylon materials that gave them a lightweight effect. You can find many pictures of 80s men in these tiny shorts, tennis shoes and way cool knee high striped athletic socks.