From the post-punk theatrics of the New Romantics to the denim-clad Dickensian ragamuffins—Hamish Bowles, international editor-at-large of Vogue US, looks back at the larger-than-life hedonism of the party culture and club kids in 1980s London.
In the late 1970s and early ’80s punk was at its peak. The iconoclastic movement was destroying the status quo, making provocative statements with torn, distressed looks. The New Romantics became the post-punk aesthetic response; they channeled the decorative and the exaggerated—referencing films like Fellini’s Roma and Casanova and Marcel Carné’s Les Enfants du Paradis. It was theatrical, artificial and gender-fluid, with boys in makeup, flamboyant outfits made by fashion-school kids from Central Saint Martins and Middlesex University, mixed with vintage pieces and period stage costumes from a theatre costumer going out of business. Boy George, Adam Ant, Duran Duran, and Spandau Ballet came out of that. I was a school boy in London then, and I was completely enthralled! And it all revolved around these clubs in London.
IN THE BLITZ
My first encounter with the New Romantics was as a teenager at a club called The Blitz. It was incredible. Everyone had a different look, which they would work all week to create. They’d make it in their fashion closets or at home at night, and you fell by the sword if your look didn’t match up. These were mostly people who didn’t have much money—they were in art school on government grants, living in student accommodation and welfare apartments. With next to no resources, they were wonderfully creative and imaginative—it was terribly inspiring.
This story is from the {{IssueName}} edition of {{MagazineName}}.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the {{IssueName}} edition of {{MagazineName}}.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
Breathe In, Breathe Out
A powerful tool to help you master your nervous system or another biohacking buzzword? SIMONE DHONDY explores the inhalations and exhalations of breathwork
Red Pill, Blue Pill
India's nutraceutical industry is booming thanks to advanced technology, distrust of the medical system and rising vanity. With multivitamins becoming purer and more effective, NIDHI GUPTA finds out if supplements have become the new serum
Sign of the times
No longer do you need to have an answer to, \"What is the significance of this?\" when people point to your new tattoo. ARMAN KHAN discovers that everything is on the table when you get inked temporarily
Return to form
Watching the world's most elite athletes deliver the best performances of their careers rekindled SONAKSHI SHARMA's own love for sports
Dimple, All Day
YOU MAY HAVE WATCHED HER ON THE BIG SCREEN FOR OVER FIVE DECADES, BUT DON'T MAKE THE MISTAKE OF ASSUMING THAT YOU KNOW DIMPLE KAPADIA.
MUSIC, TAKE CONTROL
As someone who had always sought safety in numbers, ALIZA FATMA often wondered what her own company would feel like. The answer arrived unexpectedly when she attended her first-ever music festival, one of the largest in the world, all alone
Let it grow
When we think of hardworking farmers toiling in India's scorching heat, we often think of men, the sweat on their brow, the sinews in their arms. JYOTI KUMARI speaks to four women who are championing the invisible female labour that keeps these fields running
YOU'LL NEVER WALK ALONE
When armless archer Sheetal Devi set her sights on the Paralympic Games this year, she knew she had a tough journey ahead of her. Luckily, her mother was with her every step of the way.
Beauty and the feast
The appeal of Indian weddings has always been in a sprawling spread. For additional bragging rights, Aditi Dugar recommends going beyond designer tablecloths and monogrammed napkins.
Sweet serendipity
From a scavenger hunt-inspired proposal to a Moroccan-themed baraat, Malvika Raj and Armaan Rai's love story prioritised playfulness throughout their blended celebrations.