Return to 1997 SUMMER Index
by Anita Hunter
Ted Polhemus has a stab at this poser in his latest book Style Surfing (Thames & Hudson £14.95). He examines the historical and cultural context of modern club wear and suggests that it may be the prototype for the Third millennium.
His earlier book, Street Style (Thames and Hudson 1994 £14.95) catalogued and examined the evolution of street fashion over the past 5 decades and the effect it has had on couture and mainstream fashion. It charts the major trends from Zooties in the 1940's, through Beats, Bikers, Teddy Boys and Punks to more recent Techno, Cyberpunk and Grunge. Style Surfing takes off from where Street Style finished and looks in detail at the current 'Post Modern' street and club fashions.
The punks of the 1970's paved the way for Post Modernism. Unemployment and alienation from traditional values led to a stylistic expression of the feeling that there was 'No Future'. By mixing tribal body decoration, biker jackets, Nazi swastikas, school blazers and bondage gear, they subverted the traditional history and connotations of what they wore. After punk came a rapid escalation of style options and it is the punk 'pick & mix' approach that seems to be the hallmark of current trends.
In this 'Post Modern' world where the emphasis is on individual opportunity rather than traditional cultural groups, clothes are a way of showing individuality and also identifying with a particular group or 'tribe'. A certain way of dressing will be the hallmark of a subculture or 'style tribe' and allows recognition of like-minded people. What has been seen in recent years is a trend for historicism both in street and mainstream fashion. Revival rather than futurism. Ravers have recreating the hippy psychedelia of Woodstock whilst designers are constantly reworking and reincarnating fashion from the past. Revival has always been a feature of the mainstream fashion industry but the cycles seem to be speeding up.
In clubland this rapid re-cycling of previous fashions has developed into it's own Post Modern style. A sort of 'Supermarket of Styles' where clubbers delight in cruising through all manner of clothing, styles and eras to create a modern and eclectic look. Polhemus describes clubland as 'The elephants graveyard of 20th Century fashion' and postulates that this 'style surfing' could well be the prototype for the next millennium.
Perhaps everything that can be done has been done in terms of fashion. Perhaps we are living in the past as the future has so little to commend it. Maybe we are looking back to avoid facing up to the future. Whatever, there is a shared hope (in the Christian world at any rate) that the new millennium will trigger a sense of purpose. It seems rather appropriate that the end of this millennium is a sort of 'fancy dress party' of one thousand years of fashion. Hopefully heralding the way for the new.