If you could time travel back in time, to which era would you return? Once they had discovered that the Victorian era was full of sickness and diseases, most time travellers would ultimately opt for the times in which they were young, footloose and fancy-free. For me that would have been the 1980s, working on major accounts in big international ad agencies in central London. Without a hint of rose-tinted spectacles, the 70s and 80s truly were the golden days of British advertising. Advertising budgets were lavish, clients listened to the creatives, ad campaigns were timed in weeks, not days. Creative departments had snooker tables and dart boards. Lunches weren’t for wimps, but for whole glorious afternoons stretching into boozy early evenings. There were no mobiles, no text messages, no emails. Out of the office meant out of touch. The money was good too, which gave young creative people the chance to show off their wardrobe and accessories, which of course in those days, did not include a smart phone, so there was more budget for clothing.
Lois Jumbo Cords
Nothing fitted as well as these beautifully comfortable and velvety Lois jumbo cords. Smarter than jeans, and yet with the same practical cut, these cords could look good with anything. Girls in bars would like to rub your thighs in these jeans. Lois jumbo cords were so cool it’s hardly surprising to discover that they’re back. But while Lois celebrates its 50th anniversary, a man in his 50s prancing about in these sheath likes jeans is going to look nothing if not a total fool, so sadly, for me, they will have to remain on the shelf. Other acceptable options back in the day were evergreen cool Levi’s 501s, Lee Jeans and the now defunct Falmers.
Puma Suede Classic Trainers in Navy/Yellow
Definitely the most legendary and popular Puma style of all time, this classic trainer has a place in history. Launched in 1968, the Puma Suede Trainer is widely regarded as the original B-Boy shoe as made famous by early break dancing crews.
This version of the Puma Suede Trainer features an all-suede upper in indigo navy with a mustard coloured puma stripe, gold Puma suede brand and a white sole to finish the shoe off. This trainer brand was the one with which to jump on and on off the London tube, or leap into cabs enroute to Wardour Street recording studios to meet with commercials directors and producers, eager to quote on your latest script.
Then as now, your choice in trainers said a lot about you, and at the time, Puma or Adidas, or anti-cool Dunlop Green Flash plimsolls were the only acceptable brands. By the late 80s all that had changed, but then sadly, so had advertising.
Fila Terrinda Settanta Borg Mk3 French
The Fila Blue Terrinda was easily the most requested top since the Fila revival kicked off and this has been the best selling colour. It was worn by Borg in his last days with Fila and was seen both on Borg and on George Michael in his WHAM! heyday. This, and the Fila Wimbledon Settanta Borg Jacket,were the jackets to be seen in in the early to mid 80s. Guys would talk of having seen the most ‘crucial’ jacket just begging to be bought, and let’s not forget, a Borg Fila jacket at its peak of popularity cost pretty much the same as they do now, and in the early 80s, £70 was a lot of cash for a jacket. Other acceptable brands were Ellesse and Sergio Tacchini.
Gucci Red/Green Dial Watch
If you weren’t into trainers, you could acceptably be seen in Gucci loafers. Gucci was a huge 80s brand. It was more than ok to be seen wearing a Gucci watch in the familiar Gucci colours. As soon as copy watches became an epidemic in the early 80s, this was one of the first watches to be copied. It was a long time before the days of AAA copies where you would struggle to tell the difference. The copies were cheap and lousy, so you really had to dig deep to own the real thing or be rightfully laughed out of the creative department. The movement was of course quartz because at the time the entire Swiss watch industry was belatedly and reluctantly leaping on the quartz bandwagon. Today, these quartz retro Gucci models are cheaper than they were in the 1980s.
