What with the Great Recession’s litigious fallout and the public’s lingering mistrust of our great nation’s financial system, it’s no secret that Wall Street of today is somewhat of a flaccid version of itself in the 80s. But that doesn’t mean we can’t appreciate the style. While I didn’t live it, 80s deregulation begot a sort of swashbuckling bravado that was heavily reflected in the clothing of the day. The Street was rife with bold colors and patterns, contrast collars, suspenders, peak lapels, and chalk stripe suits. You don’t see these as often anymore but every now and then to keep things interesting I like to put together modern looks inspired by 80s Wall Street.
Let’s explore Nouveau Wall Street Style by comparing and contrasting a look from the Wolf of Wall Street with a more modern version of a similar look that I put together.
Quintessential 80s Wall Street style perfectly demonstrated by the (no longer) Oscarless Great himself (JK LOVE YOU LEO!!)
Love the chalk stripe peak lapels and red polka dot tie which are SO 80s Wall Street bold. But stuffing a big knot under a narrow point collar and rocking hefty shoulder pads are 21st century no-nos.
The pinstripes, polka dots, and lapels are 80s Wall Street while the spread collar, slim-ish tie, and lightly padded shoulders make this look 21st century-ready
We can borrow the overall pieces and pattern mixing of stripes and polka dots, but in keeping with modern proportions, I opted for a semi-spread collar with sufficient room for a modestly proportioned 3-inch wide tie to breathe. I chose a crisp white shirt instead of a colored and/or patterned one because I really like how the rich red hue of the tie pops against the stark white canvas.
When it comes to the structure of the suit itself, I kept the mighty peak lapels but lost the boxy shape and excess padding. We want just enough padding on the shoulders to make for a strong, suave, and masculine look that’s more David Beckham and less Ndamukong Suh.
Nope.
Yep.
Finally, we can temper the look’s overall boldness by accenting it with a clean white pocket square instead of adding another intense pattern. This final touch cements the smart and professional nature of the look.
Oh and it's not a Times Square shoot unless you bring the homies Cookie Monster and Elmo along for the ride.
And if they steal your copy of the Journal just roll with it.
ADIEU. And many thanks for reading!
(Big shout out to CK for taking all these photos)