As both a witness and victim of punk fashion, this early 1970's style has continued to somehow hold it's head above water in a modern-day society. Nowadays, dressing punk is as easy as going to your local alternative clothing store, picking up an overpriced outfit, and sporting it along with a short and stubby faux-hawk, whilst listening to an embarassingly bad attempt at punk rock by whining angry pop-star bands like Avril Lavigne and Sum 41.
What punk originally stood for has been lost in a sea of commercialism and a medias perception of an underground culture which it will never understand. This very tragedy was created by those people that the original look was originally trying to get away from. Despite what many say, the fashion isn't about looking tough or trying to put a scare into people. To the majority of punks, the look is just as natural and everyday as the style that any other person is trying to put together.
The look is as original as the music which started it all. Popular punk bands in the 1970's, such as the Ramones and the Sex Pistols started a look that rebelled against everyday fashion - an anti-fashion statement. In the first wave of punk, their way of dress was quite different in the fact that clothes were often homemade and sometimes controversial. As the punk movement evolved into the 80's and early 90's with bands such as the Exploited, Dayglo Abortions, and the Subhumans, the fashion evolved as well. The scene started to gradually change into something even louder. Mohawks got taller, colors were more bold, and the music got more hard, powerful, and raw.
One thing that must be remembered when exerting punk fashion is that it was created in retaliation to the everyday look. If you walk into an alternative store and find yourself an "outfit fit for a punk", you are demonstrating that you see yourself as one of the people who stand against it, while actively participating in what they are rebelling against. How can you obtain an individual look by purchasing a piece of clothing that half the poulation already has? That is what makes being a punk unique - the fact that the look cannot simply be bought like every other look.
In most cases, purchasing clothing that has already been tailored to look homemade is a crime in itself. You are basically buying into somebody else's idea of individualism, and not putting any of your own flare into it. A lot of the clothes that you find in these stores tend to be exaggerated versions of the mainstream
perception on the fashion. Things like safety pins, rips, tears, and random words are so carefully placed on the clothing attempting to look messy and rustic, that they often turn out to be toned down and in proportion - more so for aesthetic appeal.
You would never catch a punk in an alternat
ive clothing store buying a pair of $199 pair of pants. A well dressed punk has the mindset that their clothing can be made with next to no money in their pocket - and that's what it is all about. Making something from nothing, and taking use of the limited materials you have. It's about creativity, imagination, going beyond limitations, and creating something that is a reflection of yourself. Why let somebody else make that decision for you?
Both punk fashion and music knows no boundaries between male or female, as both sexes are embraced. For punk ladies, it is about crushing the standards and ideals that society holds to being a woman, and combines both masculine and feminine attributes. You may catch a female in a pair of bleach-spattered jeans, Doc. Martens, and a muscle shirt - but I can bet you anything that she feels proud, feminine, and beautiful. It is about feeling liberated and powerful in your own skin - not about being pushed around and being told what to do and what to wear.
Take a walk to your local thrift store and look around. Look at everything as though it
has potential, because it does! Things like used Chuck Taylors, Doc Marten boots, and Creepers can be bought for next to nothing and decorated to reflect your tastes. Clothing that you would never wear such as frocks and blouses with stripes, plaid, and animal prints can be bought strictly for the patterns on the material, where it can be ripped, cut up, and used to accentuate other clothing. Old pairs of jeans can be tappered, tightened, patched up and sewn or hand stitched with interesting band patches, held together with safety pins, buttons, or zippers, and can be adorned as you so please. Plain T-shirts and tank tops can be transformed with a little bit of bleach, paint, and imagination.
Tights and stockings can be mixed and matched, painted, splattered, cut, ripped, or torn to shreds. Leather and Lycra skirts can be pieced together with other material, trimmed with lace, fake fur, and combined with things like belts, sashes, chains, and pins - the possibilities are endless!
Try visiting an army surplus store. These places are generally more expensive than a thrift store, but contain a lot of new and vintage items such as belts, pants, combat boots, leather coats, and bomber jackets. Add yourself a few patches, spikes, studs, buttons, zippers, pinback logos, and advertise all of your favorite bands by painting murals and creating your own patches to reflect them. Can't find that Buzzcocks or Crass patch you've been looking for? Get yourself some material and some paint, and get to work! Look around, look online, look for deals. Find yourself a button maker and create your own buttons to promote the bands you love. Not all bands, especially that of the underground music scene, have their own merchandise - sometimes you need to create your own
Visit garage sales, go through the junk in your attic, raid the flea market, go on eBay, 
shop online, or stop into your local art supply and leathercraft store. Get inspired - listen to some music! Get your favorite bands on CD or vinyl and let them show you how to paint that leather jacket of yours. Throw on a pair of ear phones, get yourself some paint, and have at it. Grab a squeeze or spray bottle and fill it with watered down paint or bleach, throw down an old towel or garbage bag, and spruce up that old pair of skinny jeans that have been sitting in your closet all these years. Look at your favorite album covers and draw inspiration from them - try things like silk screening, painting freehand, or making your own stencils to get the design you want.
When it comes to accessories, the list never ends. Again, thrift stores are a goldmine for jewelry, bracelets, belts, rings, buttons, pins, and other various trinkets. When it comes to permanent accessories, such as piercings and tattoos, these are generally a modern addition to the fashion. Just because you don't have any piercings or ink on your body, doesn't make you any less of a punk. I know people that have been part of the subculture for years and have had no more than one pierced ear. On the other hand, I have my loving partner and best friend that has a face adorned with metal. At both ends of the spectrum are two equally dedicated punks who just love to look the way they do - so don't ever feel like you are limiting yourself.
Whether you are male or female, hair goes about the same for both. Messy cuts, spikes, buzz cuts, feathery cuts, Chelsea do's, and bold colored locks are fairly common, as well as the gravity-defying mohawk . There really is no set standard for punk hair, nor is there any limitations either. Just as long as you don't sink to the level of creating yourself a faux-hawk. If you are going for any variation of a mohawk, make it bold and make it stand out. If you wanted to look subtle, but still look punk, you're listening to the wrong lady. If you want some advice from a woman who has been sporting a one foot mohawk for several years, I would say that if you aren't going to go all-out, than why even bother with a mohawk at all. A mohawk is something to be proud of, not something to tone down and hide. Be proud of your feathers, my little cockatoos!
No comments:
Post a Comment