Punk By Post
Punk like the hippies, Beatlemania and rock’n’roll was no different in its spread to the masses. While the Sex Pistols and Seditionaries initiated a musical and fashion shift, there was soon the realisation that there was money to be made in them there safety pins and companies sprang up to feed the demand for punk clothing across the nation. To do that required Punk by post!
This was especially so in the back of the rock weeklies and particularly the New Musical Express. As a barometer of fashion and its fickleness, there is no better indicator of the life and times of punk rock. Come with Punk77 on a magical sometimes scary journey.
All pictures NME 1977 March-April
Well no wonder the hippies preached free love and nudity. If I was made to wear these sort of clothes I would want to get out of them sharpish!
Cheesecloths and flares so wide whole counties disappeared.
Look at that gang of long haired village people lookalikes chilling out in body hugging denimabove. Jean shorts, jeans, waistcoat, shirt, jacket and skirt. Bit of a jeans theme there!
And finally that foxy minx in the revealing dress top left. No wonder it was all progressive wank. Noone was getting laid.
Let’s also not forget the humorous T-shirt. Big favourite then was ‘I Choked Linda Lovelace’. Hilarious! If you don’t know what this means ask your parents.
Main pin-up posters of the time were Charlies Angels – Farrah, Jackie and Kate as opposed to Lucy, Cameron &
NME June 1977
So what was the first punk advert then? The one below left in the NME July 1977! Have you seen anyone less like a punk? And how much did it cost £39.95! Jesus I’m sure our house cost that much to buy then. Nice bit of marketing though “Slim fit jacket with pleated zip front, panelled back and leather waistband – rings on chest seam for pins, chains etc” Oh that’s ok then.
Except the same leather jackets had been advertised a month earlier as ‘Bronx’ style with handy key ring by Hilton leathers. Quick name change and repurposing for the rings on chest, and away they were ready to go for a punk cash in bonanza!
By October things has moved on for the better. Even Malcom McLaren couldn’t help but get in there as well.
The humorous t- shirt company had discovered punk and hold onto your sides as we had the punk panther. Interesting take on The Slits and Stranglers. The designs seem shockingly bad!
At last something punky looking with a punky pose to scare my mum but ruined by the marketing again “Authentic looking chains, razor blades and rips printed on high quality cotton”. Well street cred!!
Cheesy? You bet ya! These boots are “…made especially for anti-establishment heroines!” Of course they are and “anarchistically priced” to whatever that means!
We are talking early 1978 now and is this really the best anyone could come up with? A fucking cartoon of a punk dressed entirely in plastic bin liners.
Stand up and identify yourself if you purchased this natty little combo and even dared to walk out of the house in it. Definitely one for the carrier and bag and changing in the loos.
Alternatively how about the punk calendar ..useful for remembering birthdays and reminding yourself when your fave bands are actually playing instead of being banned!
That’s more like it. Now we’re talking. Anyone remembering wearing PVC pants and going to gigs. I do…mine were so tight they were obscene. Problem also is sweat has nowhere to go, so you kind of come out with thinner legs and damp socks! Not sure about using a bald dummy though.
September 1978 NME
Late 1978 and posters now reflected Debbie Harry’s entrance into the sweaty dreams of pre pubescent kids like me. Never really fancied Kate Bush but loved her warbling.
At the same time punk became new wave became power pop became mod and here’s the start of The Jam outfits.
Depressingly it all ends up like the music ended up – a mish mash of punk, mod and heavy metal. Punk was now just another type of music to be catered for. The advert in monthly music magazine Zigzag is everything for the complete punk wardrobe once more with cartoons this time with a Neanderthal appearance. They all look like serious Crass fans. The NME offers again a cartoon – German officers tunic, string vest and gas mask. Who wore these clothes?
And to end up, how about how we started? Three years down the line from when we were laughing at those hippy dresses and what do we find? – those bloody hippy dresses, denim, afghans…just add bondage trousers, mod clothes and heavy metal wristbands for the complete set. Laugh? I almost bought one!!
TalkPunk
Post comments, images & videos - Posts are checked and offensive or irrelevant ones will be removed
