Bret Easton Ellis’s Obsession with ‘80s Excess Returns with ‘The Shards’

Bret Easton Ellis’s debut novel, Less Than Zero, released in 1987, introduced a generation to the decadent world of 1980s Los Angeles. The film adaptation, though controversial, remains a potent time capsule of the era’s style.

A Focus on Consumerism and Appearance

Ellis consistently explores the “money-hungry Designer Industrial Complex” in his work, capturing the importance of consumerism and appearances in American life. Descriptions of brands like Polo Ralph Lauren, Armani, and Calvin Klein are presented almost casually, reflecting the era’s expectations of wealth.

The 1987 film, starring Andrew McCarthy, Jami Gertz, and Robert Downey Jr. (with a young Brad Pitt as a background extra), was costumed by Richard Hornung, known for his work on Patty Hearst and Natural Born Killers. Hornung aimed to depict a lived-in sense of privilege through the characters’ clothing.

In 1987, a New York Times review described the novel’s focus on shopping and appearances as “a truly astonishing amount of time spent worrying about such pressing questions as ‘are my sunglasses crooked?’”

Today, fashion may be less detached than in Ellis’s L.A., but the style he captured is experiencing a resurgence, exemplified by trends like Marc Jacobs’ fall 2028 collection featuring Claude Montana shoulders and Demna’s spring 2017 collection for Balenciaga’s ruched tops.