Don't ya love Doc Martens? They are just about the most classic design icons of my generation. Just now I saw the white ones with Angel wings on a young mum at the local shopping centre who was screaming at her small child to hurry up, and I wanted to stop her and give the whole discussion on meat abattoir workers and anarchists in the England during the 70's and how punks took to wearing them because of the steel toes helped them in riots and Friday night bashing parties(think Romper Stomper!) and tell her that in fact by wearing the boots she was inciting rebellion in her child, but alas...I held my tongue. I didn't want to be removed from the shopping centre for fashion terrorism!
How did 10 months pass, too much reading and writing on things other than this wonderful blog, but it's back...and here we go, all approved for the research project to continue on this site. Bring on the stories about what you love most about the things in your wardrobe!
Choose happiness, Deb
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Creative Crip Interview It was such a pleasure to discuss the creative industries with writer, speaker, appearance advocate (and in my opini...
-
The posting on first impressions has had a lovely response. Thank you! These questions are about how people respond to your appearance or ...
-
So the thing is...this blog is part of my research into how we use clothes or jewellery or in my case, shoes to represent who we are to the ... -
The poll I recently ran on the blog implied that most people dress to flatter their body figure. I wonder though if the way clothes make us ...
Nice!Docs remind me though, of the early 90s (yes, some of my earliest memories!) and grunge- You weren't anyone unless you were trying to look like Kurt Cobain, and Docs teamed with ripped, faded jeans, a stressed Nirvana T-shirt and lank hair was the exact look of many teenagers filling up our family garage every weekend for my brother's band practices. Though too young for real angst, and too young to fit his shoes, I still remember trying them on to desperately recreate his look and feeling so grown up, and so very, very cool :P
ReplyDeleteYah for ethic approvals! And for docs- first memory of Docs- Alexi Sayle homage in the Young Ones- "Doctor Martin's Boots" mid eighties, hummed it as a kid. Then the 90's when my cherry Docs gave me street cred. or so I believed- resonate very much with the above description from Lawrah. And finally, today with the reincarnated Docs- my coral knee high 'fashion boot.' I was one of the early adaptors of the new range about 5 years ago and now they are everywhere- as comfy as ever but with a far cleaner, mature image- just like me! XX
ReplyDeleteLovely to hear Amanda, yes, how things evolve! My first pair of Docs were bought for me by someone travelling to London and I asked them to buy a pair of 14 hole black boots. Instead, what they bought were Ox-Blood lace up low siders, (They thought them more feminine, go figure) I remember the first time I saw them thinking how they could "make me or break me" in terms of cool. No-one yet had them in my hometown, so I was on my own. I knew I could easily be rejected as not cool enough for the hardcore punk group at the Treasury scene, and might have to move to the Hacienda group, far more gentile. So much at stake! Doc's and music have such a close connection for me too, Lawrah, punk before grunge, but then they have been with me through all my music loves...cool.
ReplyDeleteI'm still wondering why I have never owned a pair of these? Maybe one day when I grow up I'll gain some street/fashion cred! ;-) Those lace up khaki army/jungle boots with jeans tucked in and white shirts which I had doodled all over on were my fashion staple du jour ... oh and so right Deb ... Treasury versus Hacienda = yin & yang.
ReplyDeleteI look forward to many more postings!
Well the other shoe I have fond memories of wasn't my own, but the whole "Boxing Boots' worn by the cute boys in indibands, and yes they were similar to the idea of the army boots, but really refined and delicate and light looking, ooh so yummy. I see in hindsight I was often torn between how clothes looked, and how they made me feel-an interesting thought!
Deletewhile on accessories have you been looking into the strange world of men and elastic and starch, sock garters, shirt stays , mens hosiery , suspenders, collar boning , cummerbunds, the rash of "profile enhancing" underwear [like thats a good thing].
ReplyDeleteafter that theres the right location for a pocket[s] in a coat. a thesis in itself.
Well I hadn't been, but I see you've offered up a fine reason to! Thanks for the inspiration.
DeleteIn the 90s I had a tartan pair of Docs in a mary jane style. My sister had the 14 hole lace ups, and she was invincible in them.
ReplyDeleteAnd on a tangent, your young mum in docs reminded me of the edgy young mums in my old stomping ground of Katoomba - there was a whip-thin goth mum in white make-up, purple corset and knee high black platform boots, pushing a very un-goth pram with her kid in baby-blues. And a number of rockabilly mums in full circle skirts and cat's eye glasses. Their kids matched them - boys always had jeans with big turn-ups, quiffs and mini converse sneakers, while the girls wore sweet printed dresses. Maybe your young mum was once a rebel, trying to keep the dream alive?