August 7, 2009

Collectables -> Vintage, Retro, Mid-Century -> 1970s

While vintage punk clothes are a popular item today, they didn’t even exist until the 1970s. The punk movement began in the 1970s in London with a small group of about 200 youth who wanted to go against the current trend. The movements was considered aggressive and promoting anarchy, and a music movement that went by the term punk emerged at the same time.

Because of the punk movement and their idea of themselves as anti-fashion and anti-convention, a popular form of punk clothing was that of holey, torn and ripped clothing. It was popular for “punks” to buy clothes from thrift and charity stores, cut them up and reform them into something different entirely, representing limited cash flow, unemployment and the lack of opportunity for those who leave school early, which was considered anti-society and a punk thing to do. Vintage punk clothes are eye-catching and were designed to attract attention and stand out in a crowd.

Vintage punk clothes were shocking in the 1970s, but they’re less noteworthy today with tears, frays and other fashion statements like that as normal as they are. But when punkers began wearing these clothes in the 1970s, it was new, as clothes were always seen as something to keep clean and neat. They were also seen as indicators of character, breeding, education and class.

A popular look was heavy Doc Martens boot, which was rare to see on women at the time, and torn trousers that were open to show tights that were so holey they looked more like ladders. With vintage punk clothes almost anything goes, the more outrageous, torn or even dirty-looking, the better. Safety pins, chains, locks and even sharp razors were used in the clothing either to hold it together in places or as pendants.

Vintage punk clothes aren’t the only holdover from this period, as body piercing became popular among those who considered themselves punk. While piercings had always been limited to the ear lobes for the most part, now punkers began piercing themselves with studs and pins in their eyebrows, cheeks, noses and lips, something rarely seen. Fashion and piercings were unisex, with as many males sporting pierced ears and faces as women. These things that were seen as anti-establishment in the 1970s are all fairly common now, with people of all ages sporting body piercings and tattoos.

Vintage punk clothes can be found in regular vintage and thrift stores, online stores specializing in punk clothes, and online auctions like eBay. While vintage clothes still exist, a popular way to outfit yourself in punk styles that were new in the 70s but are less so today is with reproductions. Many shops specialize in making punk clothing that looks vintage and authentic to order. Or they use vintage fabrics to create new styles that hint at the punk era. Because these styles are still popular in some circles, many stores that cater to the offbeat feature new clothing that resembles, and basically celebrates, vintage punk clothes.

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