Wednesday 11 April 2012

The World's Snappiest Dressers?


There is something very stylish about Hasidic Jews. Those long ringlets, huge furry hats, and long black silk coats; they could almost have come directly from a Karl Lagerfeld boutique. 


These Punks, however, were dressed by my all-time-favourite dress designers Vivienne Westwood, and Malcolm McLaren. Their shop 'SEX' at 430 Kings Road was a temple to Punk, where anarchy ruled (not that they knew what that meant) and NON-nonconformity was a capital offence.


Teds were always a favourite. When I was about 10 our gardener's son, Robin, went off to do his National Service. He left the village as just an ordinary young man, and returned a year or so later as a full-blown Teddy Boy with a motor bike. Drape jacket, string tie, drainpipes, crepe soled shoes, and a huge quiff; the young Cro was mightily impressed. 


Aren't Japan's Harajuku girls wonderful. Nothing is too bright, too outrageous, or too sickly sweet. They tend to parade in pairs and dress rather like a mix-n-match hotch-potch explosion in a charity shop. Nice one girls!


But, of course, all the above have been just 'fashions', unlike these Masai warriors who've been dressing like this for generations. Very cool guys!


17 comments:

  1. Not to mention Goths - http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/87/Lady_Amaranth.jpg/200px-Lady_Amaranth.jpg

    ReplyDelete
  2. Yes, she's a goodie, but most of them never seem to get it quite right!

    ReplyDelete
  3. ... and of course there is my own Temple of Sartoria: The Creasedandcrumpleds.

    Ah, those long, hot, happy summers spent marching in "Ban the Iron" campaigns, the "We don't need no steenking tape measure" sit-ins and, of course, the "Sing if you're glad to be discordant" rallies. Mostly these days I am happy in my rocker by the fire, knitting string vests for the troops (using traditional Grimsby patterns of course). Once my needles are up to speed I tend to rock back and forth slightly faster than most Hasidics can.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Isn't the first pic just wonderful so filled with tradition and proud of it,I remember many of the things you have showed,quite a worry really lol.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Wonderful when people get to express themselves in dress! We have a rather eccentric creature who lives at the end of our lane...hard to decide some days if it's taste or costume!

    ReplyDelete
  6. Isn't it funny how young people are so quick to jump on one odd fashion wagon after another? But even funnier when we oldsters keep trying to ride that old wagon. Like Donna Douglas, an actress who wore lace-trimmed gingham dresses and twin pony tails tied up in ribbons for her '60s or '70s TV role as l'il ol' Ellie Mae Clampett. But now that she's in her 70s, she's still dressing that way! Trust me, it doesn't look nearly as "cute."

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I always fancied Ellie-Mae; I expect everyone did!

      Delete
  7. that's a co-incidence, as I was walking into town yesterday, a girl came up the hill towards me, dressed entirely in rockabilly, complete with D.A..

    ReplyDelete
  8. ps, one of my dogs is called Ellie-mae Clampett!

    ReplyDelete
  9. Love love love this post! The punk thing came as I was busy being a young mommy and trying to get thru nursing school but I did get me share of the hippie garb in. I still have a necklace with numerous outrageous peace symbols all over it and I'll never part with it. Time to start wearing it in the garden with my velcro laced shoes I think.

    PS Our "Crobar" got mentioned AGAIN on Cocobongs blog. We are so going to be rich

    ReplyDelete
  10. Ah fashion, I have been a slave to it myself at times. When I look at some pictures today, I wonder what I was thinking, yet other times, I am quite proud of myself for taking those chances.

    I am trying to picture a 70 year old Ellie May in pig tails, short-shorts and vericose veins. No, it is not a pretty sight.

    ReplyDelete
  11. How about http://thoughtcatalog.com/2011/an-open-letter-to-white-people-with-dreadlocks/

    White people with dreadlocks is such a sad look, and yet, someday I want to try it! However, the thought of not being able to drag a brush through my hair is too too terrible.

    Great post!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. My youngest son had blonde waist-length dreads. I thought they were rather nice!

      Delete
  12. Some styles to me look quite dated and leave me wondering, "What were they thinking?" I'm now old enough to ask, "What were we thinking?" Some just don't age well, and others are timeless, like the Hasidic Jews or the Masai.

    ReplyDelete
  13. I think it's cool when someone finds their own personal style, no matter what that may be. I have no preference, I just like to see someone that knows who they are and wears it well.

    ReplyDelete
  14. cro
    your positivity is so refreshing
    a nice post today old chum!

    ReplyDelete

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...