‘Progressive, provocative, beautiful and belligerent’: 52-page Malcolm McLaren extravaganza in new issue of Man About Town
//Cover, Man About Town SS16. Otto in Buffalo hat and Rigby & Peller bra (prototype for Nostalgia Of Mud, 1982). Photography: Alasdair McLellan. Styling: Olivier Rizzo//
//Above left: Frankie in Buffalo hat, white Nike socks and my George Cox Diano creepers. Right: Natalie in Malcolm McLaren’s Chico hat (Witches, 1983), Buffalo jacket (Nostalgia Of Mud, 1982) and Bondage Trousers (Seditionaries, 1976). Photography: Alasdair McLellan. Styling: Olivier Rizzo. Hair: Duffy: Make Up: Lynsey Alexander. Man About Town SS16//
On a warm London afternoon last July I enjoyed a meeting with Ben Reardon, editor-in-chief of the biannual Man About Town, the magazine’s senior fashion editor Danny Reed and Young Kim of the Malcolm McLaren Estate.
//Harry in my flyaway collar shirt (Let It Rock, 1973), Pirate hat (Pirate, 1981) and jeans by The London Leatherman//
//Left: Harry in my Be Reasonable shirt (Ancien/Dead In England 1995). Right Punkature programme, 1982//
On the agenda was a plan to celebrate the late McLaren’s contribution to fashion and the ways in which the influence of his visionary work – particularly in partnership with Vivienne Westwood – pertains in the 21st century.
Dedicated to avoiding nostalgia at all costs,we resolved to create an utterly contemporary editorial extravaganza, and hope we have achieved that aim with the special tribute published this month in Man About Town’s SS16 issue.
//Left: Buffalo Gals video notes, 1983. Right: Notes for Punkature programme, 1982//
//Left: Detail, Snow White and the Sir Punks, adapted from 1967 Wally Wood illustration for Seditionaries, 1978. Right: Let It Rock flyer/price list, 1972//
Running to 52 pages, the blockbuster includes an incendiary fashion story photographed by Alasdair McLellan and styled by Olivier Rizzo, featuring clothing owned and worn by McLaren, accessorised with elements from vintage outlets and items from my own archive.
I have also contributed a 5,000-word essay on McLaren’s life-long engagement with art, design, fashion, film, media and music, and there are several pages featuring McLaren’s own notes and archival documents and ephemera relating to his work.
//Left: Cover of the 1970 Olympia Press paperback of Helen And Desire by Alexander Trocchi. Right: Opening spread of Sado Sex For The Seventies, Gallery International, February 1976//
//Left: Interhof Typen… Punk… Müll-Mode, Bravo, September 30, 1976. Right: The Crunch!, Honey, December 1977//
//Back and front cover, Smash Hits, January 6-19, 1983//
We hope that you’ll agree with Reardon’s assessment of the project, and this whopping 460-page issue of Man About Town as a whole: “Our contributors are the ones instigating change, always progressive, provocative, beautiful and belligerent.”
//Natalie in orange jersey Savages toga dress (Savages, 1982); McLaren’s bondage trousers (Seditionaries, 1976) and Chico hat (Witches, 1983) and vintage Nike Air Max//
Advance copies of Man About Town SS16 are stocked now by London retailer Idea Books’ outlet in Dover Street Market. See here.
The issue will be available from all good online and physical retailers this week.