The Evolution of Style Decades that Defined Us

"Style is a man's calling card. Before you ever open your mouth, people have already decided who you are." - Kevin Samuels

Style isn't just about clothes. It's history, culture, attitude—a reflection of where the world was at the time.

If you look at it decade by decade, you see the blueprint.

70s: bold colors, wide collars, and flare. It was rebellion and disco at once. People wore confidence as loud as their fits. Think bell bottoms, silk shirts, afros. Pulled from funk, disco clubs, and the rise of counterculture. James Brown, Studio 54, and Soul Train shaped how people moved and dressed.

80s: flash and flex. Bright colors, tracksuits, gold chains, oversized everything. It was hip hop's birth wardrobe. Pulled from early hip hop, Run DMC, LL Cool J, breakdancing, and MTV glam rock. Style was loud because culture was loud.

90s: the baggy era—Timberlands, jerseys, hoodies, Starter jackets. Streetwear took over mainstream, pulled straight from hip hop crews, basketball courts, and brands like FUBU and Tommy Hilfiger. Tupac, Biggie, and Allen Iverson influenced more fits than fashion houses did.

2000s: flashy denim, tall tees, fitted caps, bling culture. Confidence was in being big, loud, and unapologetic. Think mixtape era BET/TRL rap moguls like 50 Cent, Jay-Z, and Dipset.

2010s: slim fits, designer logos, and high-low mixing. Streetwear became luxury; Kanye, Virgil, and collabs shifted the game. Pharrell and the wave of streetwear x high fashion collabs (Supreme x Louis Vuitton, Yeezy). The streets finally sat front row at Paris Fashion Week.

2020s: minimalism meets statement. One day it's neutral tones, the next day it's Y2K revival. The internet made everything accessible, but personal taste is what separates you now. TikTok, Instagram influencers, and archive digging. Vintage + luxury + personal taste mashed together.

Style is less about trends now and more about how you curate what's already out there.

Why this matters: Trends come and go, but style is a personal legacy. Looking back shows you two things:

What to pull forward

What to leave in the archives

Style doesn't appear out of thin air. Every decade pulls inspiration from culture, music, movies, movements, and the streets. When you trace it, you see the blueprint.

Want to dig deeper into how style has shifted decade by decade? Here are some bookshelf essentials:

Dressing the Man by Alan Flusser - The ultimate guide for timeless men's tailoring, fabrics, and suits.

Women in Clothes by Sheila Heti, Heidi Julavits, and Leanne Shapton - A creative exploration of how women express identity through fashion across decades.

The Fashion Book by Phaidon Editors - A visual encyclopedia of designers, icons, and styles that shaped the 20th and 21st centuries.

Decades of Fashion by Harriet Worsley - A clean breakdown of each era's defining silhouettes, from 1900s corsetry to 1990s minimalism.

Icons of Men's Style by Josh Sims - A spotlight on wardrobe staples (the trench coat, the Oxford shoe, the leather jacket) and their history.

Vogue: The Covers by Dodie Kazanjian - A coffee table classic that visually shows decade-to-decade shifts in culture and style.

Fashion: The Definitive History of Costume and Style by DK - A full sweep from ancient to modern, rich in visuals for timeline-based posts.