I picked 1982 as the second-worst year in surf fashion, only because of the photo you see above. This is the Offshore surf team—heavy-hitters one and all. Starting from the left, that’s two-time Pipe Masters champ Larry Blair, US pro tour champ Mike Benavidez, North Shore legend Michael Ho, and Pipe Masters finalist Chris Barela, presenting Offshore’s new Metalite trunks and making the event as joyous as having VIP seats for the premiere of 

. Did anybody, anywhere, ever see a pair of these shiny baubles in the wild? I was friends with Chris and Mike, we all lived in South Bay, and while I usually surfed Manhattan and they usually surfed Hermosa, I would have noticed, even from a mile away, had either one paddled out in Metalite trunks.

My guess is that, without ever bringing it up, we all chose to not speak of this.

The rest of my 1982 examples, below, can only, and very literally, pale in comparison.

From top to bottom: Laird and Billy Hamilton for Sunbreaker; California T-Shirts; Ken Bradshaw for Sundek.

WHEN SURF FASHION GOES WRONG: 1982

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