The Thread | ArticleBritish Musical Style: There is a Look that Never Goes Out

Dialling back to the 1950s, we witness the birth of rock and roll with teenagers refusing to dress like their parents for the first time in history. It all started in Liverpool where dockers delivered blue jeans, leather biker jackets and the latest vinyl from Sam Cooke, Buddy Holly and Fats Domino fresh from New York. It gave birth to the Merseybeat which was spearheaded by the Beatles, whose look and sound went on to change the world both in terms of music and British fashion forever.

Jumping into the swinging sixties saw the arrival of everything Mod. This time driven by discerning teenagers discovering modern jazz, French new wave cinema and Italian coffee bar culture. Keen to look the part whilst zipping around on their Vespas and Lambrettas they took European style and truly made it their own. A perfect example is how the mods would pair a pristine tailored suit with an army surplus parka for a unique look that is now undoubtedly an iconic staple of the British fashion firmament.

Whilst the mod look was gradually overtaken by psychedelia towards the latter half of the sixties by the 1970s British fashion had started to become a little stagnant and uninspired. So, when punk exploded in 1976, the British style rule book wasn’t only ripped up, it was spat upon, kicked around a dance floor, drowned in a pint of cheap cider and put on a screen-printed t-shirt. This cultural revolution was driven by a DIY approach to creativity that was exemplified by Glossop’s very own Vivienne Westwood. Whose confidence, originality and anti-authoritarian attitude would go on to inspire several generations of British designers to follow.

The 1980s marked another revolution in British fashion though this time brought around by the new medium of music videos. Allowing fans the ability to record, play back then pause their favourite musician performing on MTV or Top of the Pops to properly observe their outfits. The blowing up of hip hop and later rave culture brought a penchant for wearing looser and baggier fitting sportswear in vibrant colours. Eye catching attire that not only represented your musical tastes but also helped ravers to dance the night away at places like Manchester's almost mythical Hacienda.

Next up, after Madchester the Nineties saw perhaps the first blatantly retrospective British style movement of its kind. Where outfits and attitudes were picked magpie like from previous iconic British scenes, from sixties mods to football casuals of the eighties. Whilst classic British brand logos such as the Fred Perry laurel leaf (born in Stockport) alongside Burberry or Aquascutum house checks became as ubiquitous as the Union Jack which was everywhere during those heady Britpop years.

Though enough time has gone by to look back at the latter half of the last century to work out the true icons of traditional British fashion. When it comes to this century it’s perhaps still a little too close to consider what is truly iconic just yet. The fact that the internet has turned the world into one big department store and record shop also further clouds the picture. Suffice to say British style hasn’t gone away, it has just become less tribal and is now adopted on a more global scale. The resurgence of indie rock witnessed in the early noughties which combined with the type of dance acts like the Chemical Brothers now being able to sell out arenas means that British music festivals are the new barometers of British style. Whether it's skinny jeans with wax jackets or technical outdoor jackets teamed with trainers the British continue to lead the way when it comes defining musical scenes by the clothes we love to wear.