Clothes of the Eighties, Clothes Beginning with C

The eighties saw a wider variety and quicker change in clothing styles than currently. That's why I thought this list would be fun for others to read and add to, so feel free to send me any suggestions. Years are approximated, since some fashions tended to last longer in some regions opposed to other regions.

This page currently edited by: Dagwood. Past editor: Banasy

Clothes beginning with: [Index] [A] [B] [C] [D] [E] [F] [G] [H] [I] [J] [K] [L] [M] [N] [O] [P] [Q] [R] [S] [T] [U] [V] [W] [X] [Y] [Z] [misc]
 
Name Sex What When Description
CB Jackets Female/ Male Ski Jackets 1986-1989 Verrry popular in the late 80s...came in lots of different colors.
Camisole Female Clothing 1984-1993 This was the dressy top that made so many women look beautiful. Similar to the tube top and tank top, but dressier because of its slender straps - inch-wide flat straps to super-thin spaghetti straps - it could be worn matched or separate under suit jackets, denim jackets, shorts and skorts, with dressy suits, skirts and trousers, or with glittery, formal, glamorous eveningwear. It even cane in maternity styles! It came in all dark, bright, light or shocking colors. All fabrics - silks, satins, velvets, laces. It was embroidered, patterned, pleated, ribbed, solid-colored, striped, printed or pastel. Whatever it came in - it made a difference and opened fashions options for women wordwide.
Camp Beverly Hills Female Clothing 1987-88 Big pastel colored sweatshirts with Camp Beverly Hills logo on the tummy area in pastel writing. Very big at the roller rink !
Candies Female Shoes 198? ?
Candies Shoes Female Shoes 1981 High heeled "wooden" slide, with leather part over toe. Silver "studs" held leather piece onto sides of shoe.
Candy Necklaces Female Accessories 198? Necklaces made with little pieces of candy with an elestaic string through them, mostly a children's thing.
Cane Both Style 80's Some guys used to walk with a cane and drag a leg. I think it came from Bell, Biv, Devoe. One of the guys in that band used to carry a cane in one of their videos.
Capezio's Female Shoes 198? After they were broken in they tended to look like used marshmellows on your feet!
Carrera Sunglasses/White frame glasses Both Accessories 84/85 Carrera sunglasses had removable lenses. You could put mirror lenses or colored lenses. The logo on the upper bridge came off to take lenses out.
Carwash Female T-shirts 80s T-shirt hem is cut into 1' strips from the bottom up. Slide a bead on each end and knot the bottom.
Catchit Shirts Male Clothing 1986-1987 I had one back I high school...Came in regular colors.. Had an exclamation point with shapes inscribed on it on the left breast.. On the back was animated.. A guy surfing or something related to surfing..The one I had was a guy thinking "9 to 5 or surf"..
Chaio bags female These were pencil bags with a lable on the side that said chaio "chow". They came in all sorts of colors and I believe they made purses also.
Chamois shirts Female ? ?
Champion Sweatshirts Both Clothes 1988- Usually pastel colored, worn over matching turtlenecks
Chams Male Shirts Early 80's Chams were shirts that had snaps at the shoulders, and the arm to the shirts, which were a different color than the body of the shirt, came off, in order to show those manly arms.
Charm Necklaces Both Accessories 198? Necklaces that you could add little charms to, usually little symbols of things the wearer liked.
Charms female plastic letters early 80's They were these little plastic letters with loops that used to pop into plastic things/toys that younger kids used. We were teens and used to put them on our shoelaces (the flat part that ran across the top of your foot)usually our name on one shoe and our guys name on the other.
Checkerboard Vans Shoes Both Shoes 1982 Checker-Board Vans beame extremely popular after the release of the cult classic teen film "Fast Time At Ridgemont High." You can see Sean Penns' character wearing a pair in the film surfer style.
Checkerboard clothing Both Clothing 198? Popular with the early Ska crowds.
Chemedefer jeans female jeans, pants 70's and 80's Chemendifer(sp?) pants that displayed a tiny red tag with a train on it. I am told Chemendifer means train in French.
Chemin De Fer Both Jeans 70's and 80's I remember a few guys wearing these especially the sailor jeans. Quite the statement back then. I still have a pair. Hopefully they'll make a come back.
Chemin de Fer Female Jeans Early 80's Lace-ups, etc. ALWAYS super tight. If you had a pair of Rag-City-Blues, you had a pair of these first.
Cherokee of California Wedge shoes Female Platform Shoes 1980-1985 Platform shoes with a 4" rubber wedge heel and leather straps that were very popular in the late 70's and early 80's.
China Flats Female Shoes 1981-83 Black cloth "Mary Jane" style shoes, with a useless silver buckle on the side and dark orange rubber soles - also called "China Man" flats.
Chinos female Dress Pants 1984?? Who could forget Chinos pants? They are what we would call Dockers "now a days". Popular girls wore them usually with a Long Sleeve Oxford shirt and "Deck" shoes, "Bass" brand shoes were popular!!!
Choose Life T-shirt both Oversize T-shirt with Choose Life in block lette Late 80's? Being the naive person I was I didn't make the connection that George Micheal and Andrew Ridgley were lovers (even though they were looking oh so cute dancing around in these shirts with tiny dolphin shorts and shiny tans). The "Choose Life" shirts must have been some kind of Aids statement in reaction to Frankies "Relax"
Chuck Taylors Male Shoe Color Now The colors are navy blue and white, baby pink and white, also black and gold.
Chuck Tylors Converse Both Shoes 85-87 It was normal for guys and girls to have numurous pairs of Chuck in their closet--all of them three different colors. The fad was to pull out a right foot and a left foot and wear them, regaurdless of whether or not they matched.
Cinch Belts Female Accessories Mid eighties Tight stretchy belt, usually black, with lace-up, zipper or snap front, worn over any shirt to cinch waist and give the sgirt that "blousy" effect
Clam Diggers Female Clothes 1982 Clam diggers were calf-length pants.
Class Roster T-shirts Both Clothes 1984-present T-shirts, and sometimes sweat shirts, that had the names of all of the students of a grammar or high school's graduating class of that particular year. First seen in 1984, when "We are the World" came out--which was the recessional anthem of just about every grammar school graduating class that year.
Clip-on Braided Hair Male Accessories 1984-5 A long, thin piece of clip-on braided hair, usually in a different color than the person's natural hair. Added for effect, usually right near the ear.
Clock Purse female purse 87-? a plastic neon colored purse with a huge clock in on one side clock really worked
Clogs Female Shoes early 1980's Shoes carved from wood that made a "clip clop" sound when you walked. Everybody had clogs when I was in school 1981-1985
Cloisonne earrings Female Earrings 1986 Most of these earrings were shaped like oriental fans, upside down.
Clothing Females Sweater Dresses 198? A huge baggy sweater down to the knees, with a belt around the waist and leggings underneath.
Co-Ed Naked shirts femaile clothing 1986-1989 These shirts were very popular particularly amongst high school and college athletes. They simply said "Co-Ed Naked ____", and filled in the blank with any given sport, along with a cutesy punch line associated with that sport. However, apparently the line was either running out of sports or wanted to attract non-athletes as well, because they became quite liberal as to what qualified as a sport, one of the later styles of this T-shirt being "Co-Ed Naked Barhopping".
Co-ed Naked Both Clothes 1987-1990 Those t-shirts everyone sported with the logo co-ed naked lacross or other such sports or hobbies.
Coca Cola Jeans both? Jeans 1987 My coca cola brand jeans were the coolest jeans at the roller rink. Unfortunately, because I was showing off, they also met their demise at the roller rink when I tore a big hole in the knee. My mom wasn't cool enough to let me capitalize on the torn jeans trend.
Coca-Cola Brand Clothing Both Clothes 1985 Red "Coke is it!" t-shirts
Coca-Cola Rugby Shirts F Rugby Shirts Late 80's Who can forget the multiple colors of Rugby shirts (mostly long-sleeved) with Coca-cola's trademark title printed across the front mid section.
Coca-Cola brand clothing Both Clothes 1985-7 The Coca-Cola shirts were the most popular item. They were red and off-white, long-sleeved, collared, heavy cotton jerseys that were slightly longer in the back. "Coca Cola" was written in off-white/white on the front, on top of a wide, red stripe. They were similar to the Benetton shirts.
Code Bleu Both Clothes and Accessories 1985-87 Code Bleu had great clothes. Not the standard colors; they are a little chalkier. Also, on the back of some of the shirts (which were slightly cropped), there was a square of text that said, 2 Bleu 2 Live 2 Bleu 2 Die. The clothes were good and held up pretty well...
Color change lipsticks Female Lipstick Lipsticks that looked one color and when you put them on and rubbed your lips together they would turn pink. The more you rubbed the pinker they got. The one I had was green and it turned very hot pink.
Colored mousse Female Hair 1985 Foam-in temprary hair color. You could choose from about 10 different shades, but unless you were blonde, only the darker ones made a noticable difference in your hair color. Washed out in one shampoo, but was permanent everywhere else(hands, towels, shower curtain, clothing,pillow case etc...)
Colorful Belts Female Accessories Late 80s Many belts wrapped loose around the hips
Comb in the Back Pocket Both Accessory 1984-ish The small comb with a handle that we all kept in the back pocket of our corduroy pants. Different color every day was the coolest. Mostly we had them just for looks. Once in a while, we would use them on our feathered hair.
Combat boots both real Gov't Issue Army boots esp early-mid 80's Along with Converse high-tops, (Chuck Taylor's) these were the basic uniform for punk kids, often worn with "pegged" jeans - fold over the excess, and roll up from the bottom, or make narrow with safety pins.
Concert Shirts Both Clothes 1978-85 A tight t-shirt, usually for heavy metal or glam rock bands. They were usually white, witha darker coloured sleeve which was sewn on a diagonal angle. For some reason most of them seem to be maroon or black. Trim around neck matches sleeve.
Concho Belts Female accessories 1980's Silver color metal belt worn with Praire skirt or big shirt. Sometimes with a dress
Converse All-Stars Female Shoes The 1980's And Beyond Converse All-Stars are old-fashioned, canvas, high-top, lace-up, basketball shoes with white rubber toes. In the 80's they came in every color but white.
Converse Chuck Taylors Both Shoes 1986 Funky colors like pink and teal. You could even buy the super high top ones that came up to your calf and then you folded them over.
Converse Hi-Tops(Chucks) Both Shoes all through eighties Hightop black seakers white toecap white laces ya know what they are!!
Cooper-Alls Male Clothes 1982-1986 Long hockey pants.
Cord Belt Female Belt 1985 This belt looked like a telephone cord and came in every color. It hooked with a dog leash type clasp.
Cork Shoes Female Cork Shoes 80's Cork bottoms very high with straps over feet
Corniche Female Clothes mid-late eighties Tapered jeans in all colors
Corona Beach Club T-Shirts and Tank Tops Both Clothes Late 80s Corona Beach Club shirts were all the rage in the late 80's. They feature the Corona Extra beer label slightly altered to say "Beach Club" and came in all colors. Kids and adults alike adorned the shirts - they were ubiquitous. Often accessorized with a pair of Converse All-Stars that matched the color of the shirt.
Corona T-Shirts Both T-Shirt 1986-87 These were pastel (yellow, pink, blue) t-shirts with the Corona beer logo on back, and surf or beach scenes on front. I think they said "Cerveza Mas Fina" also. They were "controversial" because many high schools banned them due to their liquor-related content.
Cotton pants Both Clothing 1982 No fly, drawstring at waist, three *bold* stripes down the sides, and two side-seam pockets
Cougar winter boots Male Shoes 198? (Tan-colored leather with red lining)
Coulats Female 80's I looked but could not find...Koolats!! (spelling unsure) These were baggy pants/shorts that ended just below the knee, worn by older women. Thank god they have not made a come back yet!
Cowboy Hats and Bboots Male Shoes 1980-1983 The hats had highly decorative bands, usually made with feathers and roach clips with matching feathers from the back. The boots had to be by Dingo, the fancier the better. Inspired by "Urban Cowbay."
Crayons male & Female Clear plastic sole and heel shoes early 80s Clear plastic sole and heel lace-up shoes (with Capezio like tops). They came in many colors (thus Crayons) with also varied color soles. They were the rage at the Merry-Go-Round.
Creepers both Shoes Mid to late 80's Ultra pointy toe lace up shoes with a thick rubber sole.
Crimped Hair Female Hair Late 80's (86-87) Crimped hair was not curly. The look was acheived by using a crimping iron that had a zig-zag pattern that transferred to the hair. The look was completed with big hairsprayed bangs and maybe a ponytail held in place with a banana clip.
Crimped Hair Female Hair 198? There is a special curling iron for this style. It has two flat plates, with a wave design(like corrugated cardboard) that fit together like teeth. It pressed your hair into a horizontal rippled pattern. You could do your whole head, or only part (like a ponytail). These are still available at Sears.
Crinoline Over Capri Pants Female Clothes 1985-88 Another part of the madonna look; crinolines, which were originally worn under skirts to make them puff out, were worn on their own over top of tight (possibly spandex) pants that came just below the knee. Crinolines are made of netting and could be super-short to knee length.
Croackies Both Accessories 198? Brightly colored string to hold your glasses to your head.
Cross Colors Both Clothing Cross Collors were from the 90 To correct earlier posts from others. Actually Cross Colors did not come out until the early 1990s. The 80's hip hop clothing in the early to mid 80's was jeans, brand spanking new sneakers and a gold chain. In the late 1980's is when hip hoppers started wearing more suits, and harem pants (MC Hammer genie pants). In the very late 80's and to mid 1990's was when baggier jeans came into play.
Cross Colors Bright and baggy, hip hop style clothing. Most of the Cross Colors t-shirts had sayings of unity and peace with in the races. Mens and womens clothing but more popular with the guys! It usually was a vibrant color like red, orange, yellow or purple jeans, and they had all kinds of shirts.
Cross Necklaces Female Accessories Mid 80s Inspired by Madonna in "Desperately Seeking Susan"
Crosscolors Both Clothes 80s Made for african american culture bright colors, mainly red, green, black and yellow big and baggy had cross colors emblem on the outside and back of clothes
Curtain Dress Women Clothing early 1980s This is a dress that looks like those fomal curtains your aunt had in the living room where no body ever got to acutally sit. Its main seam and center of gravity ran right down the middle of your body, with tight pleats moving away from the middle of the dress to the sides. It usually came in day-glow pinks and greens, and was not something that you could wear if you had an ounce of body fat. The first one I can remember seeing was worn by Jamie Lee Curtis in "Trading Places" (1983), but this dress also appeared variously throughout the 80's in Miami Vice episodes and Pebbles videos.
Cut T-Shirts Both Cut T-shirts Mid 80s You would take a tshirt and cut it so that it would hang off the shoulder.


Clothes beginning with: [Index] [A] [B] [C] [D] [E] [F] [G] [H] [I] [J] [K] [L] [M] [N] [O] [P] [Q] [R] [S] [T] [U] [V] [W] [X] [Y] [Z] [misc]

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