Punk fashion

Punk fashion is the styles of clothing, hairstyles, cosmetics, jewelry and body modifications of the punk subculture. Punk fashion varies widely from Vivienne Westwood styles to styles modeled on bands like The Exploited. The distinct social dress of other subcultures and art movements, including glam rock, skinheads, rude boys, art school students, greasers, and mods have influenced punk fashion. Punk fashion has likewise influenced the styles of these groups, as well as those of popular culture.

Historical

Original

A classic punk fashion look might consist of: a pair of combat boots, Doc Martens boots, old tattered converse shoes, tapered jeans or tight leather pants worn with a ripped T-shirt and silver bracelets. Hair was cropped and deliberately made to look messy, in reaction to the typical long smooth hair of the 60s and early 70s. It was also often dyed brilliant unnatural colors. Other accouterments worn by punks often included: bondage trousers, ripped fishnets, spike bands and other studded or spiked jewelry, safety pins in clothing and as body piercings, and pants with leopard patterns. Also often worn would be leather motorcycle jackets with words, band names and symbols written on them with paint markers. It is also a common punk style to wear a kutte, a leather jacket or jean jacket or vest adorned with band patches, studs, spikes, safety pins, writing, or any combination of the above. Many punk women rebelled against the image of a stereotypical woman by wearing clothes that were delicate or pretty and clothes that were very 'masculine' at the same time, such as ballerina skirts combined with big, clunky boots.

Punks seek to outrage propriety with the highly theatrical use of style. Punk clothing adapts existing objects for aesthetic effect: previously ripped clothes are held together by safety pins or wrapped with tape, written on with marker or defaced with paint; a black bin liner bag (garbage bag) might become a dress, shirt or skirt. Leather, rubber and vinyl clothing are also common, possibly due to its implied connection with transgressive sexual practices, such as bondage and S&M. Punks wear tight "drain pipe" jeans, "brothel creepers" shoes, t-shirts with risqué images, and possibly a leather motorcycle jacket (á la The Ramones). Punks style their hair to stand in spikes, cut it into "Mohawks" or other dramatic shapes, and color it with vibrant, unnatural hues. Punks use safety pins and razor blades as jewelry, including using safety pins for piercings. Punks sometimes flaunted taboo symbols such as the Nazi swastika or Iron Cross, although most modern punks are staunchly anti-racist and subsequently may wear a crossed-out swastika patch. They may also wear eyeliner (boys and girls). Punk style was influenced by clothes sold in Malcolm McLaren's shop SEX. McLaren has credited this style to his first impressions of Richard Hell while he was in New York managing the The New York Dolls.

Hebidge (1981) considered punk subculture to share the same "radical aesthetic practices" as dada and surrealism: "Like Duchamp's 'ready mades' - manufactured objects which qualified as art because he chose to call them such, the most unremarkable and inappropriate items - a pin, a plastic clothes peg, a television component, a razor blade, a tampon - could be brought within the province of punk (un)fashion...Objects borrowed from the most sordid of contexts found a place in punks' ensembles; lavatory chains were draped in graceful arcs across chests encased in plastic bin liners. Safety pins were taken out of their domestic 'utility' context and worn as gruesome ornaments through the cheek, ear, or lip...fragments of school uniform (white bri-nylon shirts, school ties) were symbolically defiled (the shirts covered in graffiti, or fake blood; the ties left undone) and juxtaposed against leather drains or shocking pink mohair tops." (p.106-12)

1980s hardcore and anti-fashion

With the advent of the more politically-inclined hard-core punk style in the early and mid-80s, social and political slogans became common adornments. While this was not without precedent (NO-FUTURE, a vaguely political slogan from the song "God Save The Queen" by The Sex Pistols, was commonly seen on punk clothing in the mid and late-70s) the depth and detail of these slogans were not developed until the hardcore punk movement began to gain momentum.

A parallel "anti-fashion" style developed emphasizing minimal adornment, eschewing branding or fashion trends and often even color, favoring muted colors. A typical late-'80s look might include a plain black t-shirt, black hooded sweatshirt, jeans or thrift store work pants, cheap flat soled shoes, and hair cut by a friend. Worn by both men and women, the clothing was asexual. In a Western society where surfaces were emblazoned with logos, advertising, and tagged with company names, and where people strove to express their personalities, ideas, gender, and sexuality through dress, the stark absence and obscuring of these symbols was distinctive. Altering this appearance with a single logo for a band, zine, or art project would heighten the effect.

Many members of punk bands have said that they are against the punk look. Bob Mould of the band Hüsker Dü (which was a hardcore punk band when they started out) said, "Punks today are so concerned about what spikes or boots they're going to wear next weekend that they don't think there can be political implications in music. On the other hand, you see someone wearing a swastika on one shoulder and an anarchy symbol on the other and they don't realize that the two contradict one another". Various punk and hardcore acts (Such as Hüsker Dü, Minor Threat, Black Flag, and others) played hardcore punk music but would wear plain t-shirts and jeans everywhere. A great number of punks believed "punk is not what you're wearing or what you look like" and that music itself should define what punk really is. For many people the phrase 'punk fashion' is an oxymoron, since they see punk as the antithesis of fashion.

Contemporary

Current factions of the punk subculture have different clothing habits, although there's often crossover between the different subgroups, in terms of style.

"Straight" punk

In general, modern punks wear leather, denim, spikes, chains, and combat boots. They often wear elements of early punk and hardcore fashion, such as kutten, bondage pants (often plaid) and torn clothing. There is a large influence by DIY created and modified clothing. Hair is typically dyed and arranged into a mohawk or spikes. Hair can also be cut very short or shaved, but this does not mean the individual is a skinhead. Belts with metal studs, and belts made to look like chains of bullets, are popular. Leather or denim jackets and vests are often painted with logos that express musical tastes or political views, and may be covered in metal studs or spikes.

Hardcore

Modern hardcore dress generally consists of jeans and a band T-shirt or hoodie. Several styles of dress, however, exist within the different genres of hardcore. What is fashionable in one branch of the hardcore scene may be frowned upon in another. Sometimes a hardcore fan will opt to wear athletic shorts, so as to be able to perform hardcore dance moves more effectively. These fans often wear Nike shoes and listen to bands such as Bold, Champion, Madball, and the Cro-Mags. Hardcore and Hardcore punk are almost synonymous in the sense that contemporary hardcore grew out of hardcore punk bands like Black Flag and Minor Threat. The clothing style of hardcore is much more open and not confined to any sort of style.

Crust punk

Crust punk fashion is an extreme evolution of hardcore fashion, and is heavily influenced by bands such as Doom, Amebix and Crass. Typical crust punk fashion includes black pants or camouflage shorts covered in patches, torn band shirts, hoodies covered in patches, studded vests, bullet belts, and possibly bum flaps.

Deathrock/horror punk

Deathrock and and Horror punk fashion is similar to goth fashion. Black is the predominant colour. Deathrock and horror punk incorporates a sexier image, incorporating fishnets, corsets and elaborate make-up for men and women. The use of occult and horror imagry is prevalent on T-shirts, buttons, patches and jewellery. Hair may be in mohawk form, teased out, or in a devil lock style.

Skate punk

Skate punks wear clothing related to skateboarding culture. They commonly have shaggy or short hair. Baseball caps and trucker caps are common, often with the bill bent upwards, with logos painted on the bill. Skate punks generally wear straight leg or baggy/sagging jeans. They often wear hoodies with various logos. Skate punks generally wear skate shoes—such as Fallen shoes, Circa, or eS footwear—and generally avoid the cheap brands—such as Airwalk.

Pop punk

Today's pop punk fans often wear Converse All-Stars or skate shoes; plaid pants, Dickies pants or jeans; and tight T-shirts with a tie or black scarf; studded belts; stretchy gloves with the fingers cut off; blazers; and trilbies or similar hats. Hair is usually long for women and short and spiky for men, and is often dyed black, extreme blonde, or bright colors. This fashion is a result of the third wave of pop punk—influenced by artists such as Green Day, Good Charlotte, and Simple Plan. This fashion has crossover with the related emo fashion.

Emo and Scenecore

Some fans of "emo" (AKA scene hardcore, scenecore or hXc) opt for tight black T-shirts, skintight girl's jeans with a carabiner on the back belt loop, and white belts. The style is often associated with bands such as Some Girls, and Converge. Dyed black hair, ear piercings, lip rings, flesh tunnels and labrets are popular within this scene.

Commercialization

Contemporary punk fashion is extremely commercialized, as many well-established fashion designers, particularly Jean-Paul Gautier use punk elements in their production. Punk clothing, which was initially handmade, became mass produced and sold in record stores and some smaller specialty clothing stores by the 1980s. By the late 1990s, the publicly traded corporation Hot Topic established the business of selling what they advertised as "punk style clothing" at American shopping malls. Many fashion magazines and other glamored media are now advertising the classic punk hair-style or suits with as a punk-style touch as the "respectable image." This indicates that punk has become an established mainstream style. Many people from the original punk scene of the 70s have since heavily criticized the subsequent scenes of "conforming to fashion", and lacking the originality and individuality which motivated the original punk fashions.

Common elements of punk fashion

Bondage pants
Chuck Taylor All-Stars shoes or "sweat-free" alternatives such as Blackspot and No Sweat Apparel
Dickies pants and shorts
Dr. Martens boots
Dyed mohawks
Kutten
Leather jackets
Piercings, stereotypically of the nose
Safety pins
Skate shoes
Spike bands
Torn clothing

References

Dick Hebidge (1979). Subculture: The Meaning of Style (Routledge, March 10, 1981; softcover ISBN 0415039495). Cited in Negus, Keith (1996). Popular Music in Theory: An Introduction. Wesleyan University Press. ISBN 0819563102.

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