'You can't sit with us'

In a culture that was so heavily centered around who you were and how you dressed, there inevitably came rules. Experimentation and always painting on your face was key, because who can really be respected as a true New Romantic without a crazy hair cut? Famously on the door of clubs such as the Blitz, doormen assessed your style and you were only allowed to enter if you were deemed to be dressed well enough. John Galliano said Central St Martins design school was dead on a Thursday and Friday as students made their outfits for the weekend, simply so they could get in.

This article from The Guardian details the cub rules of the 80's:

http://www.theguardian.com/culture/2013/jun/22/club-catwalk-london-fashion-1980s

Stay Alive in 85

When visiting the 'Club to Catwalk' exhibition at the V&A in London I was not only in ore of the clothes but of the people that went with them. I became fascinated with Scarlett Cannon and Boy George and their daring attitude to not just fashion but life. However the exhibition didn't let us forget what came with an endless amount of sex, drugs and fashion; many people lost their life to AIDs and HIV. Catherine Hamnett's T-Shirt which simply says 'Staying Alive in 85', screen printed on a red cotton, references the many people who lost their life to this disease.

The simple, bold text on the red gives a strong message to the viewer that this was a real problem that plagued the club scene.

Sex, Drugs and Fashion

The 80s was all about experimentation both in fashion and personal life; exploring drugs and sexuality as well as exaggerating the human form was the norm. In an era where style was everything and the person you presented in the clubs on a weekend was what gained you status; here is an interview from some of the Blitz Kids detailing what it was really like.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hkeM_-wVgWU

Is woman's sexuality power?

 

 

This cone bra corset was made for Madonna, by John Paul Gaultier, as a stage costume for her 1990 ‘Blonde Ambition’ world tour. This was the first time the designer had used the idea for the cone bra, which he has used in many designs since. Gaultier had the idea as a child, saying on the ‘Graham Norton show’ that he made some out of newspaper and attached them to his teddy as a child.

 

See Graham Norton interview below:

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ijRi6a1cAgo

 

Gaultier in an interview with the Daily Mail also stated that his “favourite collaboration was Madonna.” Due to her daring, risk taking attitude to fashion, which I think was an extension of the 80’s attitude to dressing.

 

Read Daily Mail interview here:

 

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-2474193/Madonnas-cone-bras-feature-captivating-Jean-Paul-Gaultier-retrospective.html

 

I love this cone bra, when created it was a new and exciting piece of design which has stood the test of time. Although it was not made in the 80’s I think the influence is obvious. The daring risk to fashion that was what the 80’s New Romantic style was all about, is the most obvious link in this daring design. The exaggeration of the form is also an 80’s influence; linking back to Margret Thatcher’s suit, which exaggerated the shoulders, Gaultier has decided to take a new approach exaggerating the breast and bringing in the waist. Due to the cone bra Gaultier rocketed to the status he has still kept now. His daring style and love of exaggerating and accentuating the body links back to the 80’s where as a young designer he was influenced by the daring London nightlife and style at the time. The idea of exaggerating the body links back to another iconic image of Margret thatcher in the blue suit, where she shows the 80’s idea of power dressing. This is where the shoulders were exaggerated on the body in order to show power.

 

This is perhaps Thatcher’s most famous suit, it is made from a Royal Blue tweed showing her conservative colours. The suit exaggerates her shoulders showing power, but then hangs down not enhancing any of the otherwise known as ‘attractive areas’ showing she doesn’t need sexuality to be powerful. It also has a satin collar and gold buttons. Margret Thatcher became known for her power dressing suits and pearls. She admitted that she wanted to show an example of how she thought a woman in power should dress. Throughout the 80’s she wore an array of suits, but she is perhaps most known for her royal blue, conservative coloured, suits. She was an icon for 80s power dressing; giving her status in the way she dressed. Before the 80’s a woman’s shoulders had not before been exaggerated or enhanced it has always been what would be considered the ‘most attractive’ arrears of a woman; for example the waist, hips or bust. Thatcher became a symbol of not only power dressing but the 80s influence of having fun with fashion in a daring, new and unusual way.

 

Daily Mail article about how she became a style icon:

 

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-2305861/Margaret-Thatcher-style-icon-power-suits-pussybow-blouses.html

 

In my opinion this suit is the image of 80s power dressing. As the first female Prime Minister she had to show power to be respected and I think this suit shows that perfectly. This work links to the other 80s fashion movement of the New Romantics, daring with their style they too wore clothes that exaggerated not just their figures but their personas; as did Thatcher.

 

Linking back to Gaultier's cone bra and the idea that through exaggerating a female form we gain power. However Gaultier exaggerates the bust and waist, where as Thatcher exaggerates her shoulders giving no sign of sexuality. Asking myself the question is a woman's sexuality power, I think depending on what is trying to be achieved it can be.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

"It may be a style, but it's not a fad"

On the 28^th October 2013 Boy George opened his Twitter to a 45-minuet question and answer session, ‪#AskBoyGeorge. I decided to ask the question “What would you say was your favourite outfit you wore from the 1980s?” and to my disbelief he replied, “the dreadlocked hair piece, I still have it at home J” prompting me to consider the intertextuality of the dreadlock.      

Perhaps the first thing that springs to mind is Rastafari worship, with the image of Bob Marley signing ‘no woman no cry’ in the front of my mind. However Rastafarians consider the dreadlock to be spiritual not a fashion statement. This is supported in the Bible, “They shall not make baldness upon their head” Leviticus 21:5.  

The Blitz Club!

The Blitz Club is arguably one of the most famous 'fashion' clubs of the 80's... if not THE most famous. The Blitz soon created a sub culture in which the regulars were known as the 'Blitz Kids'. It pains me to this day I can't call myself a 'Blitz Kid' and that I was not alive to visit the club where celebrity didn't matter and fashion was ruler, only gaining entry if you were dressed 'acceptably'. The following the club created was full of 'like minded', creative individuals where sex, drugs and rock and roll were the rules to live by. 80's London 'it' girl, and regular 'Blitz Kid' Scarlett Cannon said that they would sleep with their friends simply for something to do.





'Seventh Son: Wake up' live inside the Blitz Club

From Club to Catwalk, an introduction

When thinking of 80's fashion what immediately springs to mind are images of 'power dressing' (Margaret Thatcher, Madonna, Grace Jones etc) and large shoulder pads, but there was much more to it than that...
What I associate with 80's fashion is a combination of experimental fashion, fun and drama. London's thriving club and music scene intertwined with London's creativity as a fashion capital, sparking young design talent who since have gone on to become some of the biggest names in the industry; John Galliano and Dame Vivienne Westwood to name a few. Galliano famously described Central St Martins as being deserted on a Thursday and Friday because everyone was making their outfits for the weekend.

The 'fashion' clubs of London had a huge influence on the style of the time, and at the same time completely dividing London 'club scene' fashion from the stereotypical notions of 80's fashion. With the new spark of experimental fashion came a change in London Fashion Week, taking it from a jagged affair to a showcase of talent, where designers showed together forming a united front. Margaret Thatcher's government even started to take the industry seriously as a valuable generator of revenue.

One designer summed up London's ability as a spark for young talent at the time as:

"The club scene meant that people used to dress up. It was that whole London scene that was so vibrant; that's what really started young designers going. The art college students used to go to these clubs straight from college - you worked hard but you played hard too. London's rebellious atmosphere: I think that's what pushed us forward." 

Through this blog I will explore and evaluate the creative trinity of music, fashion and design of the 80's London club scene; looking at the ideas of the 'independent creator' and the influence of post-modern culture on the fashion designers of the time.