Early 1980s through early 1990s; ongoing menswear revival

Yuppie

1980s young urban professional uniform of pinstripe power suits, suspenders, slick hair, leather briefcases, and white-on-white tennis sneakers.

Palette: charcoal navy white burgundy bottle green tan
Signature garments: pinstripe two-piece suit white French-cuff shirt silk paisley braces club tie leather Filofax Brooks Brothers polo
Canonical brands: Brooks Brothers Polo Ralph Lauren Hermes Filofax Burberry Mont Blanc

About

Yuppie is the 1980s shorthand for 'young urban professional' — the Reagan-era generation of upwardly-mobile finance, law, and corporate-ladder twentysomethings whose conspicuous consumption became a defining symbol of the decade. The visual is corporate aspiration without restraint: pinstripe wool power suits with high-rise pleated trousers, white shirts with contrast collars and gold cufflinks, paisley silk braces (suspenders), club ties, leather Filofax planners, monogrammed leather briefcases, and a slicked-back hairstyle. Off-duty: Lacoste polos, pleated khakis, white tennis sneakers, and a Volvo or BMW in the driveway. The aesthetic was canonised through 'American Psycho' (Patrick Bateman as the apotheosis), 'Wall Street' (Gordon Gekko), and a thousand magazine spreads. Yuppie codes have come back in waves through the 2010s 'Mad Men' menswear revival, the 2024 'Office Siren' moment, and the broader Quiet Luxury and Old Money trends of the early 2020s.

Not Old Money — Yuppie is the specifically 1980s Reagan-era new-money corporate aesthetic of conspicuous achievement; Old Money signals inherited generational wealth and quieter codes.

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