Sunday 27 December 2015

Fashion and Trends - UK Retro



Fashion or trend is, and remains, an ever metamorphosing thing - a living personification that sweeps over the population. Things seemed very prominent in my growing past, and with each fashion, I could not see what was coming next. It was great fun and I wonder what would happen today if I stuck to high waist band trousers, thick wedge heeled shoes, centre parting, blow wave haircut and open-necked, big collared shirts?

We adopt trends with glee and ruthlessly discard them at a whim. Then years later we use such 'retro  - bygone fashions' as a nostalgic anchor for our own self-indulgent memories. We can skim or touch a time when we were young and more care free. We swoon with pride when we recall our retro times to our off spring. I remember my Mum and Dad telling me about the 50s and Teddy boys etc.

I felt that buzz when I saw this SKA skinhead girl dancing to the SKA music of late sixties early seventies times. It's strange, but I completely forgot about that little period until seeing this girl's skirt and blouse, plus footwear etc. The haircut too and, of course, the dance routine. It brought back memories of East London's Poplar district where the elder teenage kids were cool and wore such attire. It all seemed so modern

There was a little craze of this in the later 60s early seventies - I remember Ben Sherman shirts were a must and think it was a development from the mod times of the mid-sixties. I could be wrong, but that is how it seemed to me. Still, it seems to be a nostalgic Brit thing that I remember and the sight of this girl doing this strange SKA dance brings back memories of the teenage fashion of that time. I was around ten years of age then, but remember thinking they looked great. Fashions is a strange and charming thing, it comes and goes. Suddenly there was a new look - it was upon us and it seemed to have gone out of the back without me realising it. By the time I did, everyone was moving onto platform shoes and Gypsy style long hair cuts for glam-rock.

It's good for us to do such things - to migrate, for a short period, into the realm of a comforting nostalgic memory. We often kid ourselves that things were much better then. Back then we used to laugh at old people who told us it was better in their time. We all think our times were better.


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