21 April 2009

80's Revisited

I've been inspired by Queen Michelle of Kingdom of Style to do a post on my fun times in the '80's. Unfortunately a lot of my photos seem to be missing, however that's pretty common in the chaos I thrive in. (Eventually I'll have an "AHA!" moment and problem solved. I hate the zen minimalist thing, gimme clutter and signs of a life well-lived any day!) So I've decided to do it in parts as I don't want to bombard one post with 673,013 pics. I have some of my original clothes I'd love to show too, mainly to show how fashion really does recycle trends. (Ye Gods, I can't believe my stuff is now "vintage"!) For those of us who lived through the first wave of punk/ goth/ metal, the new trends are retro and ridiculously overpriced when we were the DIY generation! Many of us have made these pieces part of our style, so it sometimes feels a little odd to see everyone jumping on the bandwagon. But OTOH, I love that a new generation has discovered the fun fashions we enjoyed!

One word of warning: I worked in nightclubs and East Village retail stores. You will not find a single "secretary dress" anywhere in my collection of clothing! (Okay, if I were doing a vintage post, you'd find them from the '50's and '60's, but no 80's big shouldered secretary dresses allowed in this post.)

You'll find a few fav pieces I've kept and continue to use over the years, I consider them so much a part of who I am style-wise. They're so well-loved that you'll have to pry them from my dead hands for me to part with them! (Sorry, dear daughter at age 9 as already borrowed some things, and has a list of what I may never sell or donate!) I've also included some of my diverse looks over those years... enjoy and laugh your bum off, I certainly do! I've also tried to keep it to chronological order so you can see the changes over the 80's decade.


This is an early 80's photo taken backstage at a fashion show I did for one of my good friends Michael Wylde. Look at that wig! (I still have both that wig and a white version!)

Next to me is Michael Wylde, who I had done the fashion show for in the above pic. And next to him is Chrys. The three musketeers, always ready for fun! I believe this was taken with me straight off the plane from London (jet lagged to the max) in "The Pit" at Beulahland on Ave A. Sadly my pretty green hair doesn't show as well in this pic.


Here's another taken around the same time. Ahh, my green mohawk. (Looks yellowy because of the flash, but it actually matched the puke top perfect.) What you can't see is the hideously huge 70's platform shoes I styled the look with. Uh-huh. It was a fashion show at Danceteria, something about London in NY, so it featured indie London designers. I'm wearing rubber from Fetish or Die which was in Kensington Market. Little did I know that a few years later I would be living in a house in London with Catherine the designer, and that we'd become lifelong friends! Funny how things work out like that, eh?


Around the same time frame. My friend Marie from London and I in a late-night restaurant. That red band on my arm? A Ronald McDonald watch I absolutely adored!


Can't make a post without Manic Panic! Here's a pic of me fresh from London with my Antenna extension's (no one in NY knew what the heck they were yet) in front of the original Manic Panic retail store, where everyone who was notable on the scene shopped. We had a blast and met so many great people! Again the putrid acid green hair colour (I still miss it!)


1980's London Tube passes, which depict the evolution of my hairstyles (and colours!) That first pic that's in B&W, I had my pretty green hair! I think it might have been just before I got my extension's, I basically had a mohawk and had let the top grow long so I could cover it if I wanted. Recent hairstyles at the Fashion Weeks show just how things come full circle eventually.

Fashion Show for Fetish or Die, my dear friend Catherine's stall at Kensington Market. Note the studs on that whopper of a belt! (One of the ones you'll have to pry from my dead hands.)


Same night, sans wig, plus a pint!

Okay, I think I've bombarded you all with enough for now... more to come later.

Cheers!
Suzanne

6 comments:

  1. This is the most perfect post EVER!!!! Show these kids how it's REALLY done! That first photo is immense.
    I had a huge belt like that too. It laced up the back and I wore it until it literally fell apart.
    Can't wait til the other posts! xxx

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  2. Thankies! I love that first photo so much, I somehow managed to get cleavage! It was also such a fun time!

    Those corset type belts were so fab, they just don't do them as interesting anymore ):
    XXX S.

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  3. You are officially my new hero. That first picture is the absolute fucking greatest; it reminds me of a time when, during a period when I was particularly passionate about back-combing and I had gone out san hairspray, a friend asked tenderly "Your hair seems really small today, man. Are you depressed?"

    Salad days.

    (I hope you don't mind if I blog the first picture, provided I link it back to your site? Thought I'd ask, as it's a personal one.)

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  4. Love that story! Go ahead and blog the pic (just let me know when you do), and I'll link to yours as well. (Had a peek at your blog, looks great!)
    Cheers!
    Suzanne

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  5. Cool pix. Michael used to do my hair, with occasional colors from Manic Panic. I miss the old days!

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  6. Heehee, yeah it sure was fun! Very cool that you knew Michael too! Any idea where he is now?

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