Photos: 1980s NYC Street Fashion Was Amazing

Tomorrow night photographer Jamel Shabazz will lead a discussion at the Tenement Museum, complete with a slideshow of his best shots from 1980s New York City. Street fashion, hip-hop, and graffiti, oh my! Click through for a little preview, and there are many more photos right here. If you're left wanting more than a slideshow, pick up a boombox, some legwarmers, and Shabazz's book, Back In The Days (the 10th anniversary edition will be released on June 21st).

Below, a video we first posted in 2008, documenting the documenter:

Contact the author of this article or email tips@gothamist.com with further questions, comments or tips.

By Jen Carlson in Arts and Events on June 2, 2011 6:05 PM

Comments [rss]

canofpeas

All the fat ugly people with money were still living in the 'burbs.

Inkognita

Graffiti was ubiquitous. And those were the days when riding the subway also meant having your eardrums constantly assaulted by humongous ghetto blasters as you passively inhaled the cigarette smoke of your fellow passengers. Subway delays were frequent due to track fires since smokers thought the littered subway tracks were ashtrays. Oh, yeah, crime was also rampant. Who cared what people were wearing.

dogbertt

What's amazing about that display of sloppiness? "Mad Men" -era New York was far better stylewise.

karate

Actually, the event was LAST night (sad face).
The good news is that the event was DOPE (happy face).

Jamel is The Man - super-inspirational and really an amazing teacher, mentor
and person. If you get the chance to hear him speak it will change your
outlook - that Brother is deep!

Here's another chance to see Jamel - Charlie Ahearn, the Writer & Director of seminal Hip-Hop movie 'Wild
Style', recently completed a documentary on Jamel and it will be premiering in BKLYN at BAM on June 26th.

Here's the deets:
http://www.bam.org/p3253

Jamel will be at the screening - don't miss him!

robingee

Buggin' Out!

Jamie_McDonald

Is this in earnest or is it supposed to be patronizing? These people don't look "awesome," they look tacky and stupid.

Smith Corona

We have always been a tacky people.

pendejito

Soooooo Urban Outfitters. Don't forget to pick up your very own copy of "Back in the Days" and the retro boombox, with the IPod dock, all under one roof.

Daniel

Doen't change the fact that it was for real back then just because everyone is faking it now.

pendejito

Doesn't change the fact that his book is old news and its simply a 10 year anniversary of its release. No new pictures to speak of, just more publicity. Old news, new money.

Daniel

Successful works get repackaged all the time to capitalize on anniversaries. Special editions of films, remastered album catalogues and anniversary editions of landmark albums to name a few things.
I think the real issue is that this book revolves around something that doesn't reflect yourself in it.

seattlesnow

yall haven't been to Williamsburg in a while

Guest

I miss having a bad-ass boom box but I don't miss hearing other people's.

drew_o

Before obesity became the norm.

Raymundo Az-Tek Valentin

Looks so much better than European homo hair with ultra skinny jeans that I see every day on Bedford with the dirty white tee....

hc792

Homo hair? I don't speak Neanderthal.

And I can't believe ANYONE is trying to defend 1980s fashion.

Guest

I can't believe anyone gives a fuck about men's fashion.

luke_1

I dunno a lot of this looks the same except the kids on Bedford are white and copying these kids. Not enough pants in these photos to judge below the belt.

Ain't nothing European about the hair on Bedford, either. We're at the center of the trend.