In this series I’ll be exploring the ways in which musical styles and fashion trends have historically developed and informed each other in the process.

Setting the scene: The 1970’s were a time that was marred by the scars of the Vietnam War, economic instability following the previous decades of post WWII boom and growing feelings of nihilism and anger as it became clear the stoned optimism of the flower-child 60’s was just a dream of a bygone era.

People became angry. Across both the UK and the USA workers were laid off in record numbers as off shore production began to increase thanks to the increasingly neo-liberal policies of both nation states. There was a disconnect between members of the working class who were fed an idealistic dream of the home with a white picket fence accompanied by a good stable job that could support a family and the sad reality of limited welfare options and lack of job opportunity (sound familiar, anyone?). The decade of the 70’s not only brought about a great deal of subversive energy into the arts, as we can see with movements such as punk, but also an era that fostered the 2 nd wave of feminism, radical racial discourse, and critical post-modern social rhetoric.

Punk would be nowhere without masterful minds of both Malcolm McLaren and Vivienne Westwood, who, at the time of punk’s “conception”, were dating each other. McLaren was essentially the puppet master of the British punk scene. He had an extremely keen eye in terms of spotting street based subversion and then turning it into not just something he could capitalize on, but also a movement. It was he who orchestrated the formation of the Sex Pistols, and he knew he was onto something, despite most members being remarkably untalented in terms of instrumentation or technique. The founding members, Johnny Rotten, Sid Vicious, Paul Cook and Steve Jones were regular loiterers at Westwood’s controversial Chelsea boutique named SEX, and it was McLaren who suggested they start a band. Partly it gave these angry young men somewhere to direct their restless pessimistic energy, and partly they provided a platform to showcase some of Westwood’s earliest designs. While musically speaking, they sucked, their on-stage presence and “fuck everyone” spirit captivated audiences throughout London and eventually the world. It is no surprise that when you say the word punk, most people think of The Sex Pistols. Their career was short and their talent was limited but their impact on music, style and attitude has undeniably left its mark (or perhaps in this circumstance, “stain”) on music and fashion history.

The music and fashion were most definitely “out there” now and there was no putting that kitty back in the bag… The anger and disdain for rules or optimism proved to be contagious as other punk bands came out of the woodwork and a ‘scene’ developed. Bands such as Generation X, The Slits, The Clash, X-Ray Spex, The Buzzcocks, The Damned, 999 and countless others popped up in England, while acts such as Television, Patti Smith, Jayne County, The Ramones, The Dictators, Suicide and DEVO took over the North American scene. While I cannot understate the influence Westwood and McClaren had on fashion in the punk scene, the other star of the show was the ubiquitous poverty in which they all lived. Torn knits, messy hair, safety pins, and big boots, arguably became incidentally associated with the punk aesthetic as they had no choice but to appear disheveled as no one could afford new, tidy clothes. An oft-forgotten yet extremely important element of punk history is that of the women of punk. More often than not, “punk” conjures a mental image associated with aggressive masculinity, however the women of punk had a more diverse aesthetic than that of their male counterparts- which, although dope in appearance, was mostly confined to tight ripped pants, a shirt, a torn jumper and perhaps a leather jacket. While all the same elements of poverty and Westwood remained, the women and female identifying members of the scene experimented with elements of their own style. Poly Styrene of X-Ray Spex ran a market stall at Camden markets selling bright plastic jewelry prior to forming her band. In fact, that’s how she came about adopting the name Poly Styrene and her ubiquitous obsession with day-glo; a material she utilized during her Camden market jewelry making days. Might I add, Poly Styrene was 19 when she formed X-Ray Spex therefore implying her years of bohemian street market living occurred while she was just a young teenager. This little tidbit doesn’t add much to my article in regards to music and fashion but I just wanted to give credit to a girl who had such remarkable creative talent at such a young age.

All of which had heavily experimental styles inspired from their diverse backgrounds. The Slits became known for their feminine yet messy appearance that combined the “typical girl” of 70s era England with the shambolic disarray of the punk movement. Patti Smith on the other hand kept it minimalist, androgynous and chic with her penchant for plain shirts and men’s trousers. Other artists such as Jayne County used her background in Atlanta GA’s early drag scene as her inspiration, alongside the underground drag styles that permeated the bars she performed in during the early part of her career. Alongside the stars of the movement there were also the unspoken heroes of punk fashion that unfortunately do not receive the same accolades as their models or musician counterparts. For example, my favourite band The Clash had some of the most iconic punk male fashion, that blended elements of Americana cowboy, rockabilly, militant militia and classic punk qualities to create one of the greatest (in my opinion, at least) men’s style of the 20 th century, however what is often ignored is that they had a stylist who was a young female graduate of Central St Martins who’s name I, unfortunately, cannot find even after a thorough Google search. While no doubt the good looks of Strummer, Jones, Simonon and the other historic members aided the coolness of the overall aesthetic, it was the ingenuity of the unnamed and presumably underpaid stylist that launched their iconic band “brand”. As someone who has been obsessed with punk history since 2004, I feel it is only now that female and non-binary folk are getting the acknowledgement they so seriously deserve in terms of their contribution to the overall movement. Only recently have I seen books and documentaries include some of the more forgotten members of the scene and for that I’m grateful!

Throughout the late 70’s into the 80’s and onwards through to the 90’s many punk musicians and fans expanded their musical repertoire and also their sartorial image. Tartan began to heavily infiltrate the scene due to an abundance in golf pants available at second hand markets in England, and also just the symbolic association of tartan with that of England. I mean, Who hasn’t seen a super cool looking kid wearing tartan pants and a slicked up Mohawk and immediately identified them as a “punk”? Speaking of Mohawks, the hair of punk became increasingly outrageous. Bi-hawk, tri-hawk, Chelsea, skinhead, anti-hawk etc, all became new terms used to describe the crazy hairstyles of the shapeshifting movement. Punk, as all underground movements do, became heavily commericalised as it continued to grow, which was not only a curse but a blessing. The commercialisation allowed for suburban kids to visit their local “alt” store, purchase some docs, and immediately feel socially included in a scene they idolise, but alongside that came the inevitable watering down of individuality. It’s not my place to gatekeep or judge and I will refrain from doing so here, as I too was once a small kid buying some pre-torn tartan pants at Dangerfield. Sure we may have lost some of the incredible originality that presided over the early movement, but with that we have been able to achieve a more global community of punks and also a massive breadth of styles that one can adopt and “still be punk”.

To me, punk style, both sartorially and musically, have become so diluted from the wealth of influences available that it barely resembles that of the early days in the 70’s, but that’s ok, because I feel most people who self-identify with the subculture of punk can now agree punk is an attitude as opposed to a rigid musical or aesthetic style. What I consider the greatest testament to punk is wearing and expressing yourself in a manner that says “I do what I want and fuck you if you don’t agree” which can be seen in many contemporary designers and stylists. While I could continue, for literally days, about various other gaps in punk history (let’s be real, it’s very whitewashed) and other essential sartorial influences within the scene, for today, I will end it here as I value my reader’s sanity and interest and if I continue I imagine both will drastically wane. So in the words of The Exploited and in total disagreement with Crass (not actually, I fucking love Crass):

PUNKS NOT DEAD!
Stay safe,
Love Lila X