Some looks are timeless. Here are a few icons providing that some ideas are classic-from really simple, to flamboyant.
Top: Prince in his ruffled regal pomp. A still from the film ‘Purple Rain’ in 1984. This was the soundtrack and film that made him a global superstar.
Below: this picture features the wonderful Debbie Harry at the Whiskey A Go-Go Club on the Sunset Strip in 1977. Her famous Vultures t shirt which she wore at gigs was given to her by a friend of Chris Stein. She added a skull and crossbones patch herself, and the black beret was a nod to Faye Dunaway in ‘Bonnie and Clyde’.
Check this behind the scenes image from the irrepressible Dreamlanders during the filming of ‘Pink Flamingos’. The gang’s all there (minus Edie) and a vision in furs, vintage clothes and food colouring for hair dye. You couldn’t get blue or red dye back in the early seventies. This lot are proto-punk.
Helena being papped, again and again.
Helena Bonham-Carter, any time. Love her, except the ickle girl Mary Jane shoes. A mixture of steampunk, indie kid goth and the Vivienne Westwood punk peacock look. She frequently makes the “worst-dressed” lists, which only endears me to her even more.
Andrew Kent’s images of Bowie during his ‘Station To Station’/ Thin White Duke era are beautiful. To me, he was perfection in his tailored, monochrome suits. He kept it simple and looked like a matinee idol, albeit one with substance issues. Gorgeous, nonetheless. Below: The Slits, version 2, at their quirky best, pictured by Anton Corbijn. It looks like they invented the fairytale goth style, way ahead of the curve.
This look is wondrous, from December 1980, around the time of her cover of ‘Warm Leatherette’. Grace Jones epitomised the Studio 54 glamour like few others, and still does. Hats off.
Getty Images, 1980.
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