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For many people, the images of Los Angeles in the 1980s forever crystallized the stereotypes of our fair city. Some folks envision L.A. as a palace of pleasure, dominated by enormous malls, designer jeans and the Lakers of the Magic Johnson era. If you look at the advertising of that era, you wouldn't be wrong to think of our city as an epicenter of consumer culture. The vintage advertisements featured in this slideshow, assembled from the massive ad collection of archivist J.J. Englender, depict this largely imagined world of L.A.'s hedonistic playground before the 1990s, featuring Chippendales Jeans, Johnny Carson's polyester suits and even a classic L.A. Weekly cover for our 1985 Best of L.A. issue. Surf back in time with these classic ads that reveal a bit about Los Angeles' self-image in the ’80s and beyond.
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