33 Wintry Eighties Brands You Don't Know Yet
From real estate-themed cardigans to $5 Meg Ryan sweaters to Southwestern Snow Bunny show pieces, here are dozens of rabbit holes to fall down all season.
Hey! I simply couldn’t get the When Harry Met Sally moment out of my mind after the other week’s post—I don’t know what it is about winter that makes the ‘80s feel more wearable. Maybe it’s the heavy knits, maybe it’s the deeply unserious commitment to drama, maybe it’s just that cold weather demands clothes with a point of view, lest your outfit devolve into a sheer survival measure and lose all sense of passion and humor. This post is stacked with winter fashion finds from in and around the 1980s, ranging from kitschy sweaters to smarmy ski suits to jackets that look like they could’ve been pulled from a Nancy Meyers set and/or the closet of a divorced magician. We’re talking realtor-themed cardigans, Turkish John Hughes movie costumes, Coogi dupes, and much, much more. Find all 33 of your new favorite online shopping brand keywords below.
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Sellout Segment
Before we begin the main event, I have decided that I’m going to try and include a few items every week that I either genuinely want or recently purchased with my own $$ in an effort to be more consistent with my affiliate links without being a total monster and compromising the quality of my blog, most of which is, as you know, centered around more abstract content and secondhand or DIY buys. I will always provide rationale for my recs and they will never be behind a paywall—even just clicking them helps me in my efforts to start getting free stuff from companies I’ve been giving free PR to for going on 5 years now, so your attention is much appreciated (and the stuff I’m including is actually cool and/or useful—no $890 fuckass jelly flats here, thanks)!
As someone who frequently works in service and has a bad ankle that never healed from tissue damage nearly ten years ago, I notice a huge difference when I’m wearing a bandage or compression socks to work versus when I get lazy and don’t. I wish there were a more affordable option that wasn’t absolute crap quality and actually, y’know, compressed your feet and legs, but I’ve tried the A*azon options and come to the realization that the Bombas are the only ones under $50 I’ve seen that actually do what they purport to in a comfortable fashion.
My favorite scent from the brand Scents of Wood is Mycelium in Chestnut, which I’m sad to report seems to be phasing out, but I’m so interested in smelling these diffuser collars with Pura—I’ve been burning candles nonstop lately (just got this one from Snif, will report back once I’ve thoroughly experienced it), and I have a feeling all that burning in an enclosed space can’t be great for me somehow (science side of Substack, tell me I’m wrong and set me free!), so I’m open to exploring the world of diffusers, but only ones that come from brands already making thoughtful, moving scents, no cloying therapist’s bathroom vase-of-reeds shit.
I have never paid this much for a single makeup item before or since in my life (and I’m still 100% enamored with the Elf cheek and lip tint, which I’ve tried in both the cherry and orange colorways and loved, if you’re looking for a more affordable product), but I bought the above blush months ago when I saw the below photo of Hunter Schafer and found out she was using it:
It really is that good, believe me. For people with paler and cooler skin tones that can look muddied or dull when using makeup in the brown color family but who still want to experiment with a ruddier complexion, I cannot tell you how perfectly this blush will complement your cheeks. It applies really easily—I’ve either used a $3 drugstore brush or my fingers—and it settles into a devil-may-care glow that I’ll be relying on to keep me feeling sunny all winter. It’s lasted me six months with barely a dent after wearing minimum 3x/week, so the investment is not completely outsized IMO.
Ok, time for the main event! Hold onto your hats, this one’s a longie:
Canvasbacks
You have to look at all of this brand’s wares to understand how wacky it is—the carefully but chaotically pieces look 1/1 but I don’t think they are, they’re just designed so oddly [complementary] that they all seem like the output of a frenzied grandmother in the weeks before Christmas gifting begins. The two jackets below are by far the most wearable options I found, but check out this black-and-red number or this Joseph Had a Little Overcoat-ass vest, then continue your search to delve into even weirder options.
Wool Blend Jacket - $65 
Black Velvet Jacket - $62 (Sale) Carlo Colucci
Carlo Colucci’s biggest draw were his violently patterned sweaters, which can be compared to the ‘90s Coogi numbers that can now go for over a grand. Here’s a particularly good comp for about $700 less than that. Colucci also made tons of wares based on visual gags, like the below sweater with a sweater knit into it as a graphic. Besides knits, Colucci made surprisingly subtle, elegant, smart womenswear in freaky colors and demure-but-sexy silhouettes.
Novelty Sweater - $73.58 (Sale) 
Sleeveless Maxi Dress - $79.56 Winlit
Winlit is the best leather wares brand from around the ‘80s I encountered in my research, full stop. Its designs range from fringed to cinched to patchwork to oversize but all look completely appropriate for contemporary wear. The designs range from casual and cozy to could-pass-as-formal, and the prices are amazing right now, with most of the jackets online ringing up well under $100.
Brown and Tan Jacket - $50 Carducci
A Kenzo-meets-Moschino-esque sensibility without Kenzo-meets-Moschino-level prices, Carducci offers dizzyingly delightful patterned sweaters, cheesy and delightful graphic knits (the novelty faux bag design below seems to have been an ‘80s staple, as I found it multiple times across different brands, e.g. this one by CHAUS), and more shots of color to pep up your winter wardrobe.
Multi Jumper - $65 
Purse Sweater - $63.75 (Sale) Pringle
For a more restrained sweater look, Pringle of Scotland is where it’s at—tons of kitschy golf graphics, yes, but also lots of simple, well-made basic knits in both mens’ and womens’ lines and tons of sizes for great prices.
Golfer Sweater - $47 (Sale) 
Elbow Patch Sweater - $60 (Sale) Linda Allard for Ellen Tracy
The people who wore this line would have died for Maryam Nassir Zadeh and Paloma Wool back in the day—restrained colors, perverse but alluring cuts, and subversive but subtle details make this one of the most 2025-friendly brands on the list.
Hook-front Top - $68 
Pink Jacket - $29.99 Maggie Lawrence
For straightforward winter wear with a feminine edge in gorgeous jewel tones, Maggie Lawrence has you covered for as little as $5.
Blue Trench Coat - $100.80 
Green Sweater - $5.25 (Sale) Laura Winston
I could imagine Fran Fine wearing Laura Winston—the ‘80s bleed into the ‘90s with foxy business-meets-pleasure wear and kitschy (but not frumpy) festive knits that help beat the “Ugly Christmas Sweater Party” at its own game—no one can say the below doesn’t fit the bill, yet with a miniskirt and a long coat, it still looks ineffably attractive.
Navy Skirt Suit - $12 
Peppermint Sweater - $51.23 Sasson
Sasson’s restrained outerwear shows the last gasps of the ‘80s funkiness as it melted into ‘90s self-consciousness, but that transition proved fruitful for its gorgeously-cut jackets and lush faux-fur coats.
Faux Fur Coat - $42 Katharine Hamnett
One of the more experimental designers on the list, known to this day for her "political” T-shirts:
The cast of Glee would have ate in these Both the weirdest and sexiest garments in this post can be credited to Hamnett—a pair of pleated jeans with funneled legs and a velvet party dress with the most expansive neckline I ever did see (both would MURDER at a holiday party):
Velvet Dress - $244.74 Rifat Ozbek
Turkish designer Rifat Ozbek made garments inspired by the textiles and silhouettes of Istanbul, but the influence of western fashion makes itself clear in delightfully ‘80s designs such as the below bomber jacket which could have easily been the MacGuffin in a Turkish adaptation of a John Hughes movie.
Silk Pink And Brown Striped Unlined Shirt Jacket - $122.50 (Sale) 
Bomber Jacket - $299.99 Sharon Young
Peak crazy auntie garb! I cannot tell you how obsessed I am with the baseball skirt suit and wonder when novelty dressing will come back around—probably when (if) the economy ever recovers from the disaster it’s in right now, I suppose, and people can afford to have a sense of humor about their wardrobes again.
Sportswear Skirt Suit - $99.99 The Eagle’s Eye
Speaking of a sense of humor, The Eagle’s Eye is your one-stop shop for THE kitschiest, most esoteric knitwear of all time. WHY does this realtor-themed cardigan exist??? I’m re-disappointed in the fact that I’ll never get to buy a house just because that means I’ll never have the chance to get keys handed to me by a woman with a touch of lipstick on her teeth decked out in this glorious number:
Realtor Cardigan - $60 
Black and Red Gilet - $32.30 (Sale) Susan Bristol
If The Eagle’s Eye is urban kitsch, Susan Bristol is suburban, with gorgeous, obviously-quality knits sporting unexpected details like the odd funnel neck below and depicting idyllic scenes of mountainous villages and sailboats on serene seas.
Wool Cardigan - $60.32 (Sale) 
Sailor Vest - $25 (Sale) IB Diffusion
RIP Mona, the woman that Cher’s dad cheats on Olympia Dukakis with in Moonstruck, you woulda loved IB Diffusion’s ‘80s-slutty (read: off-the-shoulder) silhouettes, dangly beaded details, shocking colorways, and comfy knit sets perfect for lounging in between clandestine dates where the guy talks about copper pipes for two hours and never asks you a single question.
Off-Shoulder Sweater - $48 
Sweater Set - $99 New York Studio Silk
The Ren Fairest among us would do well to invest in New York Studio Silk stocks while they’re still low, scoring romantic, ruffly blouses in premium silk for under $40 a pop. There are other designs this brand made, of course, but this one seems most primed for a resurgence soon (and would look incredible under a winter coat). Don’t forget that since silk is a natural fiber, it’s actually quite insulating and wears just as well on cold days as it does on hot ones!
Teal Ruffle Blouse - $36 
Butter Ruffle Blouse - $24 Investments Fine Cashmere
Save your ducats from Gigi Hadid and source your cashmere basics from Investments Fine Cashmere—you can find neon orange crew necks as easily as striped 3/4 sleeves and neutral V-necks, almost all under $50. What’s more, all have stood the rest of time to be here today, so you can be assured they won’t unravel at a glance!
3/4 Sleeve Jumper - $34.99 
Cream Jumper - $20 Bogner
Bogner is THE “Snow Bunny” brand, its ski wear adorned with patterns and color choices that feel distinctly southwestern (sun motifs, turquoise buttons, etc). I included a ludicrously expensive option just to show you how valuable these things are, but many more are available online for reasonable prices, ready to flex their technical excellence on or off the slopes.
Ski Jacket - $80 
One-Piece Ski Suit - $800 All That Jazz
For lovers of Beaufille and the like, All That Jazz was the original quirked-up-socialite brand, offering vampy satin jumpsuits and prim buttoned vests in equal measure. Extremely classic NYC vibes.
Black Gilet - $25 Robert Scott Ltd
More unique knits are available via Robert Scott, who made a ton of versions of the below double-breasted cardigan, which I have never seen anywhere else—the unique shape adds a ton of intrigue and energy to what would otherwise just be a simple sweater.
Double-breasted Sweater - $65.18 
Lambswool/Angora Sweater - $48 Tudor Court
Tudor Court is for simple, single-shade, no-nonsense basics that can take a beating and will last for winters upon winters to come.
Button-up Windbreaker - $29.99 
Cardigan Bomber - $10 Edelweiss
Edelweiss makes ski jackets that range from crunchy, earthy tie-dyes to zippy, red-white-n-blue numbers, both of which represent different facets of that Southwestern (USA, that is) Snow Bunny aesthetic I mentioned re: Bogner above, though with even friendlier price points.
Ski Jacket - $25 
Ski Jacket - $15 (Sale) Couloir
Now this ski wear is much more northeast-coded, with tech-y constructions and tons of primary colors. I can’t legally tell you what I would do to own this ski suit if it fit me:
Ski Suit - $65 (Sale) 
Ski Jacket - $75 Lavon Nautical
A quintessential ‘80s staple, the windbreaker, is done nice and nautical by Lavon—somehow it doesn’t feel too naval or Americana, even with all its stars and stripes, probably due to the downright weird color choices that I think make these more wearable than jackets with more straightforward colorways. I also LOVE the detail of the ship’s wheel as a zipper pull.
White and Blue Windbreaker - $29.99 
Red and Black Windbreaker - $10.10 (Sale) Marc O’Polo
A line best looked through for its accessories (and funny name), Marc O’Polo has some truly excellent glasses silhouettes and the first Chelsea boots I’ve ever seen that don’t look like a Christian Youth Leader’s to me—maybe it’s the disconcertingly high shaft plus the thick lug soles?
Eyeglasses - $155 
Chelsea Boots - $85.87 Ashley Brooke
Very Sex and the City winter togs here (i.e. the cold doesn’t matter when fashion is on the line): sleek perforated suede coats, strappy fuck-me pumps, and more pervade the offerings online.
Suede Coat - $82.19 
Leather Pumps - $75 Donnkenny
Plenty of sub-$50 chunky knits are available online from Donkenny, and each looks completely handmade (I’ll bet they’re not, but they have that rustic, deliberate quality!).
Ski Sweater - $38 
Turtleneck Jumper - $25 Dennis Basso
Outerwear king Dennis Basso offers an array of coats that kind of look like if David Lynch (RIP) had done a collaboration with H&M, but in a good way, impossibly.
Blue Coat - $30 
Faux Fur Coat - $150 Evan-Picone
Another one of the more contemporary-coded ‘80s brands among the lot, Evan-Picone serves up everything from boxy argyle sweater vests to strappy silk shoes. Those chumps shilling for Khaite and The Row would go red in the face at the prices below.
Red Shoes - $45 
Sweater Vest - $15 Saint Germain Paris
I honestly don’t really know what I’m looking at on the shoulders of the denim blazer below, but I know that Saint Germain Paris has something going on that will certainly situate any wearers in a class of their own, and that’s a good thing.
Denim Blazer - $25 
Black Jumpsuit - $78 Van Heusen
For posh, Ivy League knits, none of this kitschy stuff, Van Heusen has sturdy, straightforward offerings that don’t completely veer off into boring territory.
V-Neck Sweater - $29.95 
Multi Jumper - $11.99 Alfred Dunner
Hide Alfred Dunner from the softboys among us, the chenille sweaters and embroidered button-ups will make the he/theys too powerful…
Multi Jumper - $18 (Sale)
Amalfi
Finally, Amalfi makes shoes seemingly inspired by everything from Western wear to Art Deco architecture, super sexy without feeling too trendy as do some of the shoes on offer at, say, Tory Burch today.
Leather Pumps - $30 
Leather Pumps- $55
Wow, that was a monolith! I hope you enjoyed clicking through it as much as I enjoyed making it.
<3 ESK
Em Seely-Katz you are doing the LORD'S WORK here... what a breath of fresh air (am I mixing my metaphors?). Thrilled to see these weirdo gems standing out amidst all the vanilla Everlane ads in my inbox.
I can also attest that those Bombas socks are amazing.
What an incredible list!!