Punk

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New Book Captures the Renegade Spirit of the London Fashion Scene in the '80s

Part of a trio of magazines that launched in 1980--which also included i-D and The Face--Blitz was the subversive fashion brainchild of university students Carey Labovitch and Simon Tesle. Former Blitz fashion editor Iain R. Webb has combined his impressive archive of photos with personal anecdotes from the models, photographers, and artists involved with each shoot for this unique take on the history of the mag in As Seen in BLITZ, out this month. Many of the images (including a rather unforgettable collage of Vogue editor Hamish Bowles in a Chanel twinset, a fresh-out-of-Parsons Marc Jacobs) haven't been seen since they were first published in the pages of Blitz 30 years ago. Here's what Webb had to say about Blitz's heyday.

Beauty

The Most Extreme Hair from the Met Gala Red Carpet

Sure, some celebs chose to ignore the punk theme at last night's Met Gala completely. (Couldn't you at least have worn a token spike or two, Anna Wintour?) But we were pleasantly surprised to see how many celebs did make an effort, especially with their hair and makeup. Click through to see the Met Gala's riskiest 'dos and learn how they were conceived and created.

Style

How to Dress Exactly Like Punky Brewster

All this talk about punk lately--the punk-themed Met Ball is this Monday, after all--has got us thinking about the many punk influences we, as fashion folk, see around us all the time. There's leather, studs, DIY, piercings, and of course, Vivienne Westwood. But there's another punk who had a greater influence on many of us still: Obviously we're talking about Punky Brewster.

Style

A Delicate Piercing Craze Sweeps the Fashion Set

With the upcoming Costume Institue exhibit and Met ball set to celebrate punk style, I wanted to look a little closer at the delicate piercing craze New York Adorned's J. Colby Smith has spawned within the fashion community. Piercing is a hallmark of punk style--in the safety pin through an ear kind of way. And Colby himself is an admitted punk.

Shopping

The Punk Way Vs. the Runway

Ever since punk emerged in the mid '70s, fashion has been ripping it off inspired by it--I mean, famous punk venue CBGB is a John Varvatos store now; it's sort of the perfect metaphor for the evolution of punk style. In fact, showcasing that relationship is the whole point of the Met Institute's upcoming exhibit, Punk: Chaos to Couture. But not all punks are exactly thrilled to see their subculture's gear pop up on a runway--or a fashion museum exhibit.

Business

Trash and Vaudeville's Jimmy Webb Talks 'Real Deal' Punk and Met Prep

As Vogue and the Costume Institute prepare to merge punk and high fashion at the Met next week, we couldn't help but wonder what NYC's real punks think of it all: How authentically punk can something organized by Vogue and The Met really be? When you think of NYC's still-living true punk institutions--pretty much only one place comes to mind (and has withstood the East Village/Bowery's drastic transformation): Trash & Vaudeville, which opened on St. Mark's Place 37 years as a one-stop shop for all things punk and rock & roll--from creepers to Dr. Martens to rock t-shirts to super tight jeans to studded leather vests. Everyone from The Ramones to Bruce Springsteen to Madonna to Iggy Pop to Debbie Harry was a regular--and many of them still are. If there is a living embodiment of Trash & Vaudeville, it's the store's buyer, manager and (unofficial) face Jimmy Webb, who's worked there since he was a 16-year-old runaway and has become a bit of a legend in his own right. Here's what he had to say about the Costume Institute exhibit and punk today.

Business

Sally Singer on Her Punk Past and Bringing Fashion Film to Vogue.com

For the first time ever, Vogue.com is making fashion films. Starting last week the site is rolling out a series of four short films by young women directors hand picked by Sally Singer, Vogue's creative digital director. Each film is meant to celebrate and interpret punk in advance of the Met Ball and the Costume Exhibit's "PUNK: Chaos to Couture." We hopped on the phone with Singer to talk about the changes she's making to Vogue.com, her decision to make a foray into fashion film, and her personal punk past. Click through to see what Singer had to say and watch today's punk fashion film, starring Cara Delevingne.

Style

Punk Legends Speak Out in Metropolitan Museum of Art's New Costume Institute Book

Andrew Bolton, the curator of the Costume Institute's upcoming exhibition, "Punk: Chaos to Couture", got Johnny Rotten (of the Sex Pistols, PIL, and butter commercials), Richard Hell (founder of Television and later the Heartbreakers), and Jon Savage (who literally wrote the book on punk) to contribute essays for the tome. But it almost didn't happen, at least for Richard Hell, who definitely still shows some signs of an "us vs. them" punk attitude.