//Left: Among the contributors Ian Johns, Mark Wigan, Nendie Pinto-Duschinsky and Andrew Gallix. Right: Fred Butler 1995-2001 and Tracey Emin in 1995//

//Winston Milton and friends, Hackney 1993-8//

Into the over-worked field of ‘street style’ comes a breath of fresh air: What We Wore – A People’s History Of British Style.

Free of cliche and pretension, Nina Manandhar and Eva Dawoud’s book compiles the personal images and anecdotes of a hugely diverse set of contributors.

//Left: Caroline Milne, Ghetto, London, 1999; DJ Dazee and DJ Rap, Bristol, 1997. Right: Nancy Thornber, Essential Festival, London, 2001//

//Juliette Hedoin and friends clubbing in London and Ayia Napa 1995-2002//

//Gavin Watson and friends on the skinhead scene, 1982-5//

The book is not dominated by well-known people and the usual suspects who patronise this narrative (though I snuck in there) and so is true to the subtitle; What We Wore celebrates in a thoroughly egalitarian manner “the presentation of self” – Erving Goffman’s phrase as cited by Ted Polhemus in his excellent foreword.

//Don Letts with friends, London, 1971 (right) and 1973//

//Russel Coulthart and friends at Rockley Sands, Dorset, 1988//

//Left: Diane El Dabi, London, 1979. Right: Cassie Clarke, London, 2002//

//Left: Mimi Joshua-Olushoga, London, 1971. Right: John O’Connor, Leeds, 1982 and Teo Connor, London, 1994//

//Left: Michael Dipple and friend, London 1980. Right: Jock Scot and Anna Chancellor, London, 1986//

//Me, London 1973, Ibiza, 1986, Portugal, 1982//

What We Wore is a fitting testament to our collective visual invention. I recommend it highly.

Buy What We Wore here.

Tags: Andrew Gallix, Anna Chancellor, Caroline Milne, Cassie Clarke, Diane El Dabi, DJ Dazee, DJ Rap, Don Letts, Eva Dawoud, Fred Butler, Gavin Watson, Ghetto, Ian Johns, Jock Scot, John O'Connor, Juliette Hedoin, Mark Wigan, Michael Dipple, Mimi Joshua-Olushoga, Nancy Thornber, Nendie Pinto-Duschinsky, Nina Manandhar, Rockley Sands, Russel Coulthart, Teo Connor, Tracey Emin, What We Wore, Winston Milton

//Cover: Boy George with Mica + Jade, styling David Mignon, photography Thomas Krygier//

From time to time I’m going to be turning over information and images here as I go through the process of writing my book Legacy: The story of The Face.

Today I spent an enjoyable and enlightening few hours interviewing former editor Richard Benson; during our conversation it became clear that one of the turning points in the history of this significant magazine occurred with the spring 1992 publication of the issue headed Love Sees No Colour.

This coincided with the High Court judgment against the magazine in the unfortunate libel case brought by actor/singer Jason Donovan on the grounds that he had been branded a liar and a hypocrite as a result of the inference that he was gay.

//The Face May 1992, pp6-7: Nick Logan’s editorial on the right//

//PP58-59: Left, montage by Keith Piper/Right, Kate Moss by Enrique Badalescu, styling Camille Nickerson + Lucy Ewing//

//PP38-39: Seen, Gilbert & George, 1989//

The theme of tolerance had been hatched by Benson’s predecessor Sheryl Garratt long before the dispute reached, in publisher Nick Logan’s words, “its unhappy conclusion”.

In terms of the magazine’s narrative, the issue affirmed The Face’s position as the lightning rod of the progress of popular culture in the inclusive 90s.

//PP76-77: Left, George O’Dowd in his Absolutely Queer T-shirt – “Homophobes are fine. I just don’t want them near my children.”/Right, Rebel MC in Michiko Koshino T-shirt, Ezra Oban + Dominique Kelly in Katharine Hamnett Protect + Survive vests. Photos: Kate Garner + Thomas Krygier//

//PP82-83: Left (top), Apachi Indian in One World shirt by Paul Smith, (below) Banderas in Love Sees No Colour shirts by Joe Casely-Hayford,/Right, Des’Ree in No To Negrophobia T-shirt by Trevor Norris. Photos: Kate Garner + Thomas Krygier//

//PP84-85: Left, (top left) Paul Reid in Face Love outfit by Dirk Bikkembergs, (top right) Charlotte Champion + Gabriella Stonebridge in Jean Colonna and Martin Margiela, (below) Colin “Sweet C” McMillan in Love Sees No Colour T-shirt by Gio Goi and Turn Your Nose Up At Racism by Bella Freud/Right, Michael Clark in Nazi Shithead outfit by Leigh Bowery. Photos: Kate Garner + Thomas Krygier//

Designed by Boris Bencic and Lee Swillingham, the issue tipped the hat to those figures who had played a part in the 80s story – Boy George, Paul Smith, Leigh Bowery – and also hit the mark with the generation setting the pace for the new decade, whether it be Joe Bloggs, Kate Moss or Martin Margiela.

Produced in an all-hands-to-the-pump atmosphere, with Logan and Garratt in daily court attendance and the all-too-real prospect of forced closure as a result of the huge legal bills resulting from the Donovan case, The Face May 1992 is a cracking issue, one which stands up as a consummate example of journalistic excellence achieved under duress.

Legacy: The story of The Face is published by Thames & Hudson in autumn 2017.

Tags: Apachi Indian, Bella Freud, Boris Bencic, Boy George, Camille Nickerson, Des'Ree, Dirk Bikkembergs, Dominque Kelly, Enrique Badalescu, Ezra Oban, George O'Dowd, Gilbert & George, Gio Goi, Jean Colonna, Joe Casely-Hayford, Kate Garner, Kate Moss, Katharine Hamnett, Keith Piper, Lee Swillingham, Leigh Bowery, Lucy Ewing, Martin Margiela, Michael Clark, Michiko Koshino, Paul Smith, Richard Benson, Sheryl Garratt, Thames & Hudson, Thomas Krygier, Trevor Norris

The industrious British designer/illustrator Kate Moross is celebrating the publication of her book Make Your Own Luck with a London exhibition surveying the impressive body of work she has assembled to date.

I recommend the book highly, and not just because Moross gracefully thanked me for what little input I may have had. Also, as a fellow dog-lover, it’s great to see that Moross’s beloved Shiba Inus Tako and Ebi are given prominence on the flyleaf.

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Tags: Camden, Cob Gallery, heartsrevolution, Kate Moross, Make Your Own Luck, neville Brody

//David Holah in Solitude, directed by John Maybury. 11mins, 1981//

One of the choice selections to be screened as part of this month’s post-punk film season This Is Now is Solitude, the 1981 John Maybury short featuring David Holah, then a fashion student, soon to launch the era-defining label Bodymap with Stevie Stewart.

Put together by British Film Institute curator William Fowler, This Is Now is on at London’s South Bank and explores the early 80s explosion in DIY creativity in this field among UK art students, clubbers, New Romantics and members of the post-punk scene, all of whom embraced inexpensive domestic technology such as VHS and Super 8 to make often bold and uncompromising statements.

//Holah in Solitude//

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Tags: BFI, Bodymap, Cerith Wyn Evans, David Holah, Derek Jarman, Don Letts, George Barber, Grayson Perry, Isaac Julien, Jennifer Binnie, Kim Flitcroft, Lux Moving Image, Michael Clark, Mike Mansfield, Princess Julia, Sandra Goldbacher, Sophie Muller, Steve Barron, Stevie Stewart, The Duvet Brothers, This Is Now, Tim Pope, William Fowler

//At The Wallace Collection last month//

Lovely to see the gorgeous Eve Ferret out and about this spring with a series of live dates to celebrate the long-overdue release of her first album.

I fell under Eve’s spell in the summer of 1978, witnessing performances at Covent Garden’s pre-New Romantic Blitz club with her-then partner James “Biddie” Biddlecombe. More recently we connected via the late Tommy Roberts, at whose memorial she sang a version of Rawhide which rocked ’em in the aisles and nearly blew the roof off St Giles in the Fields.

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Tags: Absolute Beginners, Biddie & Eeve, Blitz, Brasserie Zédel, David Bowie, Django Reinhardt, Eve Ferret, Fran Landesman, Hot Club de France, James Biddlecombe, Jazzin' For Blue Jean, Julien Temple, Pierre "Baro" Ferret, Pimlico, Roddy Matthews, Scars, Simon Wallace, The Wallace Collection

//Susie Bubble pays tribute to Shop, The World According To…, Shop At Maison Bertaux, Posh, Shopgirl//

Rifling through her memories of Pippa Brooks and Max Karie’s Soho boutique Shop (which later mutated into The World According To… and then shifted base to Shop At Maison Bertaux), fashion blogger Susie Bubble has nice things to say about me and my work and includes in her selection of images the cover of the first edition of The Look.

This featured Libby Peder’s photograph of Pippa and James Dearlove, her musical collaborator in Posh, All About Eve Babitz and Shopgirl.

It was as Shopgirl that Pippa and James played the launch party, which was held across the road from Shop  at the club Astral and featured DJ sets by others in the book, including Jeff Dexter, Count Indigo, Dan Donovan + Don Letts and Jay Strongman.

//2001 invite to the party launching the first edition of The Look//

Read about that eventful night on THE LOOK blog.

Read Susie Bubble’s post Shopped-Out here.

I got to know Pippa through Shop and Posh, who I saw live a few times in the 90s. Sadly I missed this performance at Wembley Stadium on the same bill as Bon Jovi (is it me or is Pippa absolutely bricking it when she leans down to take a slug of water?):

Tags: All About Eve Babitz, Count Indigo, Dan Donovan, Don Letts, James Dearlove, Jay Strongman, Jeff Dexter, Libby Pedder, Max Karie, Pippa Brooks, Shop, Shopgirl, Susie Bubble

//Clockwise from top left: Cover, Helen And Desire, 1970; George O'Dowd, photo: Richard Bevan, 2013; Carnaby Street book and Palisades swing tag, 1970 and 1966; front cover, Anarchy In The UK newsprint fanzine, 1976//

I’m involved in a couple of events which open in London this week: artist Lucy Harrison’s multi-layered project Carnaby Echoes in the West End and photographer Nick Knight’s exhibition Punk at his Showstudio space in SW1.

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Tags: Alexander Trocchi, Anarchy In The UK, Binder Edwards & Vaughan, Boy George, Colt Studio, Culture Club, David May, Deal Real, Derek Boshier, Derek Ridgers, Duke Vin, Gallery International, George O'Dowd, Goodge Street, Hazel Albarn, Helen And Desire, I Groaned With Pain, Jim French, John S. Barrington, Keith Albarn, Kleptomania, Let It Rock, Lloyd Coxsone, Martin Cole, Miranda Sawyer, Nick Knight, Olympia Press, Sado sex For The Seventies, SEX, Showstudio, Smash Hits, Street Theatre, The Foundry, The Roaring Twenties, Vivienne Westwood

“The black gay community has given kids with holes in their trousers the opportunity to look as glamorous as mannequins on a Paris runway.

“By imitating the Great White Way of success – Vogue magazine, the profiles of glamour, the poses that intimate that…we’re not gonna criticize it, we’re gonna celebrate it, because that’s the Great White Way…

From Fashion TV 1989.

Tags: 1989, Deeper In Vogue, Fashion TV, Vogueing

//George O'Dowd in Street Theatre, 12 Ganton Street, central London, 1978. Photo (c): Boy George Collection//

I’ve been acting as a consultant to artist Lucy Harrison on her latest site specific project Carnaby Echoes, which focuses on the culturally fertile area of central London adjacent to Soho.

With the starting point of the opening of Murray’s Club in Beak Street in 1913, Harrison is mounting her artistic response to 100 years of musical history with archival material and fresh interviews with some of the area’s leading lights.

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Tags: Axiom, Beak Street, Boy George, Carnaby Street, Culture Club, Fans, George O'Dowd, Jon Baker, Lucy Harrison, malcolm Garrett, Mark Lebon, Murray's Club, New Sounds New Styles, Old Compton Street, Peter Small, Roaring Twenties, Street Theatre, Sue Clowes, The Foundry, The Regal

This is designer Ben Kelly at his 1974 degree show at London’s Royal College Of Art.

Kelly adopted the alter-ego The Photo Kid, who is portrayed in the work by which he is standing. The Photo Kid wore clothes – in particular brothel creepers – from Malcolm McLaren and Vivienne Westwood’s shop Let It Rock, as did Kelly; the shoes, pink socks and belt in this photograph all came from there, while the Hopalong Cassidy & Topper top (see Ian Harris’s comment below) was picked up at a Paris flea market.

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Tags: Ben Kelly, BKD, Covent Garden, Geoff Hollington, Haçienda, Keith Wainwright, Let It Rock, Long Acre, Paul Howie, Royal College Of Art, Seditionaries, Smile, The Photo Kid, Vivienne Westwood