Cool Cats: 25 Years of Rock 'n' Roll Style

by Tony Stewart (Editor)

Portrays the styles of fashion of rock and roll performers from the 1950s to the 1980s, including Elvis Presley, the Beatles, Jimi Hendrix, Jim Morrison, and the Sex Pistols.

Includes:
The Fifties: Razors Out at Rock Riot, by Ian Drury.
The Sixties: The Total Look, by Paul Weller.
Girlstyle: Worn Out Career Chic, by Cynthia Rose.
Glam: The Very Dream of Smartness, by Paul Morley.
As well as other essays.

Genres: Music

Paperback

First published January 1, 1982

Reviews

[Roxy · Rating 5 out of 5]

A wonderful survey of rock 'n' roll style from the 1950s to the early '80s when it was published. The book is comprised of a collection of essays and a wealth of fantastic black and white images to illustrate them, and links between generations are made evident, alongside the texts, which include the evocative '50s East London memories of Ian Dury, a critical defence of the Mod movement by Paul Weller, a survey of female musicians by Cynthia Rose, Paul Morley's intriguing statements on Glam, and, my personal favourite, an attempt to sum up the '70s style by Paul Du Noyer. Each essay, as you can guess, is very different in style and content, and points and arguments made, and work beautifully with the archive footag printed alongside, and this is particularly where the strong editing shines through, defining lineages between generations that might not have been otherwise noticed. A must-read for anyone interested in 20th century fashion history and subcultural style. Even if you don't read it, the evocative black & white images largely speak for themselves.