Fashion Faces January 2014

To see images today of The Sex Pistols is (to see) ‘The Look’
that changed the world...making Vivienne Westwood and
Malcolm McClaren rich & famous! A look at so much of the
imagery of the Punk/New Wave/Post-Punk bands of that time
- The Clash, The Slits etc. etc., show a look that has, and still
is being recycled in fashion thirty five years later! Madonna
for example took her entire early look from The Slits!
By 1978 at the very latest, Punk was well and truly over, and had
metamorphosized into something called ‘New Wave’/’Post-
Punk’ (which is where the most interesting fashion and music
really begins!)!
An examination of this period will show a strong ‘German
Influence’, certainly in Manchester’s Factory Records, with
Peter Saville’s inspired Artwork, and the look and ‘feel’ of
bands like Joy Divison, and many of the more ‘Industrial’
Northern English bands!
In the late 70s and early 80s something called ‘Goth’ appeared!
This had (and indeed has) many shapes and forms, but it is a
look that embedded itself almost permanently into designers
and the fashion industry (including today!)
And when Yohji Yamamoto and Rei Kawakubo first hit Europe
they were often perceived as a type of ‘High End Designer
Goth’ (and indeed still are!) The Powerfully imagery and music
of Germany’s Kraftwerk, pervaded the whole of the 80s, and
there was very little cool pop or imagery that did not have a hefty
slice of Krafwerk/Germanic Cool in it, or indeed of Einsturzende
Neubauten, Kraftwerks more abstract industrial cousins
in Berlin!
The 80s was probably the high point in fashion, with brilliant
and inspired ‘Street Style’, driven by music and club culture!
This spread out from the streets and clubs of London and
took over the world! The first movers in this were (as usual)
the Japanese, who having picked it up, did it better than
anyone else (and indeed still do!).
The coolest, most iconic ‘Pop-Woman’ of this period was
perhaps The Eurythmics’ Annie Lennox, with her ultra cool
androgynous minimalist tailored look and boyish hennaed hair
(a look lifted entirely from the all-girl Berlin Group Malaria!).
As for Madonna? Again, her career launching look
was lifted very cleverly from London Street Style,
and in particular The Slits! To visit NYC in the 80s,
was like visiting a rather cool reflecting mirror of
London Street Style! Not however LA, which then
(as now) was/is still stuck in ‘Punk Nostalgia’ and
‘Retro Rock’ clichés!
THE SEX PISTOLS IS
‘THE LOOK’ THAT CHANGED
THE WORLD...MAKING
VIVIENNE WESTWOOD AND
MALCOLM MCCLAREN
RICH & FAMOUS!
Throughout the 80s London had the most inspired
and inventive fashion scene in the world! Driven
by ‘Street Fashion Cool’ & ‘The Ultra Hip Club
Stylists’ labels and designers emerged that were
(and indeed are) still moving, shaking and being
plagiarized and copied by young designers,
labels and brand to the present day!
Workers For Freedom/Body Map (David Hula)/
Demob (Willy Brown)/Wendy Dagworthy/ and the
wonderful (and sadly missed) Hyper Hyper and
Kensington Market! Took the idea of Ultra Cool
Anarchic Street/Club Style & Social Democracy,
and created a whole new ‘Postmodern Look’!
And it is this ‘Look & Sound’ that still drives and
influences Fashion/Music/Pop-Culture, to the
present day!
Chris Garland