In the 1980s, the investment bankers saw themselves as the rulers of the world – not just Wall Street. Driven by greed and power they loved to flaunt what they had. But what were the symbols of megalomania?
Oliver Stone’s 1987 film ‘Wall Street’ paints a precise and yet frighteningly realistic picture of a New York investment banker, Gordon Gekko. He wears tailored shirts in strong colours with white, Winchester collars and cuffs – and brightly coloured braces as a further contrast. The ‘uniform’ of 1980s Wall Street was made by Brooks Brothers or Alan Flusser, while a solid gold watch from Cartier or Vacheron Constantin would be worn on the wrist.
True to the motto 'time is money'
To escape the New York traffic chaos, the stock market kings would head to the airport or the beach house in The Hamptons by way of a Sikorsky S-76 helicopter – true to the motto that ‘time is money’. On the way, you could continue to deal in commodity futures or conclude a hostile takeover on your mobile phone. Those who really wanted to impress had the new Motorola DynaTAC 8000X; or, if you needed more talk time, you might buy a Nokia Mobira Talkman with its hefty accompanying kit. And it would all be paid for on the Diners Club or Amex Platinum card, of course.
Work hard. Play hard.
In their spare time, the wolves of Wall Street staged wild parties where cocaine was served in volumes comparable to the sand on the beach in front of their villas, and women were served as decorative objects. In every sense, life was lived with the philosophy of ‘work hard, play hard’ – even if, today, we can't decide whether we find Gekko and Co. fascinating... or just ridiculous.
Photos: Getty Images, Nokia, 20th Century Fox
