The Look
The look changed regulary between 79-81. The whole pace and buzz of the new look could be identified with that of the original mod scene in early 60s London.
The late 70s wedge hairstyles changed in the length of fringe, the thickness and shape at the back of the cut, and the colour highlights that accompanied it. There was plum being a memorable one. The fringe came down on one side of the face, usually entirely covering the eye. There are countless thirtysomethings all over Liverpool with a lazy eye, due to this piece of artistic hairstyling. Paying a fiver at Herbet's Church Street salon JUST to have the locks touched up was enough to have your mother fighting for her breath. By the time the 80s had barely started, short back and sides were the order of the day. The odd crew cut appeared here and there.
Labels worn included Campri, Cerruti, Peter Storm, Fruit Of The Loom, Marco Polo, French Connection and Adidas. Jeans came and went; there was Lois, Fruit Of The Loom, Fiorucci, F.U.S. Inega, King, Pace, Second Image, Razzy. "Razzy Red" were popular, these were blue jeans with distinctive red stitching. There was "baggies" and bib and brace, but the overall champion was the tight fitting drainie. Cords were also popular. They were needle cord or jumbo cord, Lois and Inega jumbo cords in staggering colours being very much in demand. The baggies were slightly dubious and were often topped with Hawian shirts. The jeans had began at dark denim, then progressing onto faded and stonewashed. On the closing of Liverpool's elitist hold on the terrace trends, it was "Lee jeans" that became the dominant label. The new "Lee Blue" range introduced 16 inch bottom faded jeans. The spring of 1981 saw Lee presenting cords and canvas jeans in popular colours, such as, sky and royal blue amongst others. The look was now resembling something like that of the west coast scene in mid 1960s America.
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Headgear had been all the rage. Ski hats, flat caps, Mash hats, deerstalkers and trapper hats. Not forgetting baseball caps, which some people topped with full baseball outfits. The weekend afternoons saw many youths resembling Japanese officers swamping Liverpool city centre. The carrying of the baseball bat was a temptation all too much for some.
There were critical fads like sheepskin mittens and Burberry scarves, being worn without a coat. Some people had leather shirts made to measure. Jeans were frayed at the bottom or bleached in a sporadic, savage, manner. Criss-cross cords were another hilarious addition to leg wear. Leg warmers made a sad appearance, as sported by pop sensations "Haircut 100". Aran wool jumpers and chunky knit Fishermens jumpers. Sad cardigans with a large Y on them that were bought from market stalls. There were grandad t-shirts topped with tank tops. In 1980-81 in the southern suburbs, Speke and Halewood, they were taking the advice of 60s icon Twiggy and riding around on Honda Express Deluxe and Suzuki FZ mopeds. The latter, at least, had shown a thread of originality as far as youth cults went.
Youths had walking sticks or walked with pedigree dogs, these dogs resembling the Bill Sykes preference of canine companion. Hands were placed behind the back or in pockets, even arms folded. There were moccasin shoes. Shoes and boots from Pod, Kios and Kickers. Countless Adidas training shoes such as Stan Smith, Barrington Gold, Forest Hills, Jogger, Nastase, Grand Slam and the legendary Samba, Bamba and Mamba range. The latter range once appearing in a silver 3 stripe format. Samba were, ofcourse, the more popular of the range. The price ran from Mamba £9.99, Bamba at £15.99 and Samba at £20. Strap-over (velcro) trainies became a must, Adidas Stan Smith and the ever popular Patrick "Ocean" shoe. Adidas casual shoes like Tenerife became sought after, in slip-on and laced versions, and training shoes like Wimbledon and Grand Prix, also from Adidas, were favoured. Puma, Patrick and Diadora training shoes were all worn at various points. Puma titles such as Argentina and Menotti were desired models.
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Outerwear was constantly changed. Stanley jackets, Bubble coats (Puffa jackets), Jockey jackets (very much what its title suggests, a light weight jacket with a contrasting coloured band, often white, running around the jackets mid-length), Baggy leather jackets, leather Box jackets (even "Box leather"), leather Wolfe (Hunter) jackets, Jean jackets, Blizzard parkas (usually cream with blue or brown contrast colouring on the shoulder area), cord Forester jackets with drawstring side pulls and useful extremely deep pockets (pale green and blue being popular colours) and even Israeli parkas (ages before they were all over TV in the Falklands).
Extremely short collared shirts, on occasion tab collared, were worn with the top button fastened. This was around the time that "Square" was doing the rounds as a term for this new breed. These shirts were often worn with no coats, and this item of clothing was at its peak in the winter months. Ski jumpers and various sweatshirts made an appearance, such as Lonsdale and Fruit Of The Loom. Slazenger jumpers became the thing to be seen in. Adidas Tracksuit tops became a must, the wearing of the bottoms for anything other than on the pitch or the gym led to ridicule. Full tennis gear was worn, and ridiculed, not to mention cricket jumpers and cycling shirts.
After 1981, the "Scruff-look" became the descriptive term for the elitist garb endorsed by the terrace veterans of 78/79. Hush Puppies suede desert boots, faded Levis and a "Jonelle" lambswool crew neck jumper from George Henry Lee were all finished off with the obligatory tweed jacket, usually a Norfolk gun/hunting design. Hiking boots and mountaineering/outdoor gear were becoming a feature, with brands such as "Barbour". Adidas training shoes like Gazelle, Frankfurt, Trimm Trab and München became popular. This saw many enterprising Wags set off to the Continent, via Transalpino, many ending up in Austrian nicks. This was around the time that the "Wade Smith" empire was at its infancy, with a small shop selling the latest continental Adidas training shoes in Liverpool's Slater street. The legendary Ben Sherman button down returned and Farah keks eventually became a universal item.
Post 81 the ball was very much in London's court. Lacoste, Fila, Sergio Tacchini, Burberry, Pringle knitwear and anything Nike was London's bag. The Casual had established his hold upon the stadia of the capital. In April 1983 West Ham jumped off the train at Mossley Hill station, Liverpool, making their own way to the game at Anfield. It was a sea of cream Burberry macs, diamond Pringle jumpers topped with a white pringle polo neck and Nike trainies. Sadly, to spoil it, a lot of wet-look perms too. These labels found favour with some Scouser's, but were a matter of personal preference. Wearing jeans with the bottom of the leg split at the seam was a Cockney obsession. This fad varied to having just the seam of the inside leg split, just the outside leg, or splitting the seam of both the inside and outside leg. London once had its terraces full of Nutty Boy lookalikes, all flying jackets and DM's, this wasn't the case now.
Manchester was very much like Yorkshire, its look had been much influenced by Adidas. In 1981, an exclusive by that liberal rag "News of the world" informed us that the Leeds "Service Crew" favoured ski jumpers and Adidas Rom trainies. A cause for much sniggering. It had all been very organized, but fell into the lethargic speed that Liverpool had run to. It was a mish-mash of Liverpool and London. Who, however, could forget those legendary "Leeds gloves"? These gloves were, well, gloves without any fingers. It would appear, virtually everyone. Leeds, however, did head in the scruff-look direction as Liverpool had done.
After 81 there were other variations on the terrace look. This included the semi flare period and the new look feather-cut hairstyle, which was sweeping Anfield and Goodison in 1983. Although these were a matter of personal choice, as with the cockney orientated label period, the feather-cut you may have just scraped by with. That is, unless you visited the Breck Road area of Liverpool. A traditional loyalist secterian area, where for some reason gangs of hair police roamed the streets cutting off the famed feathered locks of unsuspecting victims. I nearly became such a victim myself, on one occasion. I only made it, hair intact, as I was dating a local girl. Reebok were becoming popular with the younger set around this time. The semi flare thing had become a real point of stick. They were, however, the main item of clothing in Manchester in 1984. Skin head/crew cut hairstyles were favoured. Meanwhile the rest of the nation was being told by the idiots in the fashion community that 1950s America would be a big influence. A later Levis retro-ad campaign for 501's and flat top haircuts would sadly confirm their dictated forecast. Very much a "self-fulfilling prophecy". On the terraces it was laughed off.
By 87 the so-called House craze had left the basement clubs in downtown Chicago and skipped across the pond. By now, the jeans had become more of a comfortable fit. The Italian label "Ball" being a popular jean. Moccasins were returning to the fold, especially the Timberland brand. The house craze eventually became fused with the British indie scene. It was popular indie band "The Shamen" who decided to experiment with the idea of indie/dance fusion, this leading to history being made. This crossover was soon big news and was to see many ex-goths working in petunia/joss stick odorous record shops, suddenly, becoming experts in the field of dance. Not since punk had there been a fusion that crossed social and cultural barriers.
By 1990 the new crossover crowd were sporting baggy jeans and vintage Puma and Adidas training shoes. Fashion victims of the day, often, over the top students, even engaged in the flare revival. Designers like Paul Smith were finding new markets with the nations youth. Designer brands such as Sonneti, Cabourn, Chipie, Ciao, Mau Mau, The Duffer of St George, Chevignon and Cottonfield were breaking ground. Not to mention old favouites like Timberland. Big clumsy Timberland boots were the status quo on the dancefloor. This was style and it was enthusiastic as it had been some 12 years before.
Manchester was granted legendary status with a cluster of bands and a venue to host them, "The Hacienda". The "Happy Mondays" leading the fold. In Liverpool it was "The Farm", in London "The Bocca Juniors", "Flowered Up" and London based "St Etienne". All of the aforementioned sporting the new universal baggy look, and hairstyles based on the popular 1960s mod Frenchline cut. Original Lois jumbo cords were selling at £50 a go. Adidas originals like Mamba, Jogger and Gazelle and Puma classics like States and Streets were being flogged for a tenner apiece by an unsuspecting trader in Liverpool's London Road area. While local entrepreneur, in the know, were snapping them up and flogging them for the hyper inflated prices being asked in London.
Little has happened since. Techno and Jungle now hold sway and their followers still wear the gear. We have seen the likes of Berghaus, Spray Way, Rockport, Henri Lloyd, North Sails, Helly Hansen, Hamnett, Ralph Lauren "Polo", DKNY, Hilfiger, Schott, Stone Island and the return of Lacoste, to name but a few. The crossover thing faded away after many new summers of love. The look developed into the so-called "neo mod", or "terrae mod", look and was to be popular only with the older crowd and students. They were to favour indie and indie/dance orientated sounds. Hush Puppies developed a clothing range, Ben Sherman expanded its clothing range and labels such as Hooch became popular. Now middle class kids prefer the retro look. Many working class kids have returned to the sport/casual look and are, alarmingly, fond of tracksuit bottoms tucked into white socks, Reebok classic trainies and DIY clipper haircuts.
It would certainly appear that as the protagonists become much younger there is little appeal left in a particular sub-culture. That elitist order has long been lost, due to the fact that clothing today is almost entirely based upon those fine details that once made the wearer stand out in the crowd. The likes of Henri Lloyd and North Sails are the major labels sported by twelve year olds almost everywhere. The mass presence of sportswear shops in the high street indicates the economy related to parents keeping their kids decked out in the latest tracksuits and footwear. This is not intended as a stab at the current trend, but an indication of its sheer popularity. None the less, having a ten year old in a Lacoste does rather have you wondering "what's the point anymore"?