The Oversized Denim Jacket

The denim jacket had been around for most of the twentieth century as workwear and then casual wear, but the 1980s gave it a new shape and a new personality. The 1980s denim jacket was big - boxy, oversized, with dropped shoulders and a loose fit - and it became one of the most common garments of the decade's street style.

The size was part of a broader trend. 1980s casual clothes were often worn oversized, from sweatshirts to sweaters, and a big denim jacket fitted over bulky layers and balanced big hair and chunky accessories. Sleeves were often pushed or rolled up to the elbow, and the jacket was worn open, over a T-shirt, sweater, or off-the-shoulder sweatshirt. The finish mattered, too. Plain dark indigo was out; acid-washed and stonewashed denim, with their faded, mottled look, were in, and many people wore jacket and jeans in matching washes.

Above all, the denim jacket was personal. People customised them heavily with enamel pin badges, sew-on patches, band logos, studs, safety pins, paint, and writing. Different groups had their own versions. Pop fans covered theirs in badges of their favourite bands. Heavy metal fans cut the sleeves off and wore them as "battle jackets" covered in patches. Hip-hop fans had them custom-painted with graffiti-style art. And Madonna and the downtown New York set wore them with lace, crucifixes, and layered jewellery, which inspired countless teenage copies.

I love the 1980s denim jacket as a kind of personal notice board. It was cheap, easy to find, and tough, and you could make it completely your own - which fits the decade's thrift-store, mix-and-match side, a world away from designer logos and power suits. The jackets themselves often survive with all their customisation intact, and they make wonderful social history objects: a single jacket can tell you exactly what music someone loved in 1986.