FASHION? IT’S ALL A MATTER OF RYTHM

From the Beatles to Madonna, here is how rock has influenced the way we dress.

The pact of steel (and business) between pop stars and designers.

In their book “Revolt in style”, sociologist Ted Polhemus and music critic Piefrancesco Pagoda analyze and retrace the alliance between records and clothing.

All this has been going on for more than 50 years now, since pop music – intended as something much more widespread than the melting – pot for all sorts of musical styles that range from rock’n’roll to electronic music, from the Beatles to Madonna – has become a mass phenomenon by establishing a pact of steel with the fashion biz.

This fashion pact between music bands and their fans has become indissoluble and covers a wide range of music genres and looks.

The Beatles phenomenon, thanks to Mary Quant, created a mass of adoring fans that used to copy their look and haircuts.

During the 70’s, the Sex Pistols, thanks to their punk look designed by Vivienne Westwood, had become a great deal both for record shops and boutiques, and you could see streets full of young people with studs and crests, dressed up in black latex and amphibian boots.

During the 80’s, the Spandau Ballet create the New Romantic look inspired to the Neo-gothic style with shiny black satin suits, frilly shirts and roguish quiffs.

In the meantime, throughout the United States, rap, break- dance and street fashion of course, started to appear on the scene.

During the 90’s, young guys dressed in large plaid shirts and over-size Bermuda shorts inspired to the grunge look of Nirvana could be seen everywhere.

“When pop music and designers started to sleep together, people started wondering which one would have devoured the other – Polhemus writes.  Sad to say, but it seems that both have been wiped out by the conjugal act”.