Men's Lifestyle in 1990

Mens Lifestyle in 1990

The apparel men wore in 1990 was a sure giveaway to the kind of lifestyle they occupied. This in part, has much to do with the economic, political, and social aspects of the time. Because of the prosperous economy and extremely low unemployment rate, most men whether lower class or upper class, seemed to all live "comfortable" lives. This sparked the movement from business appropriate to the casual dress trend.

"The movement of population to the suburbs after World War II and the concurrent growth of casual sportswear had contributed to an increase in informality in daily life and dress in the United States...By 1990... sales of men's casual wear increased... Sales of men's shirts, sweaters, and knit tops increased by 31 percent, while khakis, casual dress slacks, jeans, and golf pants were up 36 percent" (Tortora & Eubank, Survey of Historic Costume pg 521).

The spark of casual dress was evident in all the categories of socioeconomic classes. Common apparel once seen on working class laborers before 1990, was now seen on high class/ business executives; in 1990 it would not be uncommon to see a CEO of a major corporation dressed down in jeans and a jean jacket rather than "business attire" in every day wear. The trickle-up theory in part pertains to this movement, where the leisure attitude and dress of once a lower middle class citizen has now trickled-up to the higher class.

Typical 1990 men's apparel:

• Loosely fitted blazers
• Linen jackets made in light or bright colors
• Blue jeans
• Tailored slacks
• Sport shirts; T-shirts and polos
• Sweatshirts decorated with "messages", cartoon characters, or sports logos
• Summer wear; tank tops (wife-beaters)
• Fall/Winter wear; turtlenecks, velour pullovers and shirts, jacquard-patterned knitted sweaters, etc.

The central factor that influenced this movement is the robust state of the economy during 1990. The idea of relaxed, carefree casual living portrayed in 1990's men's apparel gives off the presumption that when the economy flourishes, men subconsciously feel that traditional dress is unnecessary and that casual wear is more fitting because they can afford to be worry-free. According to David Wolfe of The Doneger Group, "as an economy weakens...casual dress for business seems to decline... and that top managers in Fortune 500 companies, major law firms, and financial institutions start to dress in a more traditional manner" (18, Workforce 2003).