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The Way We Wore
The provocative, highly acclaimed memoir of one man's life long passion for getting the look just right.
'A bloody brilliant book' Paul Smith
'The youth cult confessional to end them all . . . Funny, accurate and touching' Dylan Jones, "GQ"
'Think of this terrific book as The Rotter's Club of schmutter and you won't be too wide of the mark' "Daily Mail "
'Incisive, obsessive, confessional and quite brilliant' "Observer "
'Provocative, charming and fiercely proud' "Daily Telegraph"
'Insightful and passionate . . . as stylish and witty as the finery it obsesse over' "The Independent On Sunday "
'Highly entertaining. . . a must read for anyone interested in fashion' " Sunday Express "
'Elms's opinionated stances are half the fun of this book' "Sunday Times"
'Taps into an energy that helped shape post-war Britain' "Mail On Sunday "
'A hymn to the burning desire of young men to look right and look smart' "Evening Standard"
'Should be read by everyone who enjoys sharp, witty writing and a shuddering sense of humour' "Times Literary Suppliment"
'A bloody brilliant book' Paul Smith
'The youth cult confessional to end them all . . . Funny, accurate and touching' Dylan Jones, "GQ"
'Think of this terrific book as The Rotter's Club of schmutter and you won't be too wide of the mark' "Daily Mail "
'Incisive, obsessive, confessional and quite brilliant' "Observer "
'Provocative, charming and fiercely proud' "Daily Telegraph"
'Insightful and passionate . . . as stylish and witty as the finery it obsesse over' "The Independent On Sunday "
'Highly entertaining. . . a must read for anyone interested in fashion' " Sunday Express "
'Elms's opinionated stances are half the fun of this book' "Sunday Times"
'Taps into an energy that helped shape post-war Britain' "Mail On Sunday "
'A hymn to the burning desire of young men to look right and look smart' "Evening Standard"
'Should be read by everyone who enjoys sharp, witty writing and a shuddering sense of humour' "Times Literary Suppliment"
292 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2005
19 people are currently reading
190 people want to read
About the author
Robert Elms
14 books14 followersRobert Elms is a British writer and broadcaster. Elms was a writer for The Face magazine in the 1980s and is currently known for his long-running radio show on BBC London 94.9. His book 'The Way We Wore,' charts the changing fashions of his own youth, linking them with the social history of the times.
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Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews
November 22, 2019
I am not particularly fussed about clothes but thoroughly enjoyed Robert Elms' touching and wonderfully written autobiography The Way We Wore.
Clothes - and Elms' obsession with them - are lovingly chronicled in some detail. With each new subculture, or trend, came a new look or variation on a current look. Mods to skins to suedeheads to soul boys to punks etc etc.
If you lived through this era and have any interest then you should enjoy this book. I must say I found it thoroughly absorbing but then I was an early punk and participated in the Billys/Blitz scene where Robert Elms played a starring role.
One of the reviews on the back of the book makes a comparison with Nick Hornby's 'Fever Pitch', I think that's spot on. Just as you don't need to be a fan of Arsenal FC to enjoy Hornby's book so you don't have to be a clothes horse to enjoy this book.
Well done Mr Elms, I doff my retro-velvet Stevie Wonder-style hat in your direction.
4/5
Clothes - and Elms' obsession with them - are lovingly chronicled in some detail. With each new subculture, or trend, came a new look or variation on a current look. Mods to skins to suedeheads to soul boys to punks etc etc.
If you lived through this era and have any interest then you should enjoy this book. I must say I found it thoroughly absorbing but then I was an early punk and participated in the Billys/Blitz scene where Robert Elms played a starring role.
One of the reviews on the back of the book makes a comparison with Nick Hornby's 'Fever Pitch', I think that's spot on. Just as you don't need to be a fan of Arsenal FC to enjoy Hornby's book so you don't have to be a clothes horse to enjoy this book.
Well done Mr Elms, I doff my retro-velvet Stevie Wonder-style hat in your direction.
4/5
January 20, 2014
Ah Robert Elms – he of the knife edge cheekbones, the cockney patter and the glamorous girlfriend, Sade. He ticked all the right boxes in the ’80’s and, like another ‘80’s person, Chris Evans, you wonder why they’re still around. The 80’s - when ‘style’ became the most overused word on the planet. The acres of black ash furniture, eye-searing neon lighting, cocktails with vaguely suggestive names and maybe the last gasp of youth culture and tribes. I visited ‘Club to Catwalk’ at the V & A on New Year’s Day and there was Mr Elms posing away on their video wall. A man who was everywhere and then was nowhere.
Mr Elms was a social commentator and writer who coined the phrase ‘Hard Times’ chic for achingly hip style bible The Face and this book is a wander through his fascination with clothes over the years. A ‘My Life with Mohair’, ‘Showroom dummy’ or perhaps ‘My Life as a Mannequin’ . At the start he quotes Shakespeare’s ‘Apparel maketh the man’ and then discusses his wardrobe of suits and memories. Who hasn’t been unable to throw away a favourite item of clothing because it brings back so many memories?
He discusses his upbringing in West London and reveals that Steptoe and Son were actually based on a real person, a Notting Hill totter based in Latimer Road, Arthur Arnold. Elms looked up to his older brother who was a Mod, the ‘60’s dandies who still live on in Bradley Wiggins. A pair of Tuff Wayfinders with a compass in their heels are fondly recalled – I just about remember TV ads for them – and Oxford bags. I don’t think they’ll be making a comeback soon.
Elms has a neat turn of phrase and made me laugh out loud at some comments. Of Sid the Tricel King who sold fabrics, bedding and clothes Elms claims ‘….of manmade fabrics so inflammable that its customers crackled and sparked as they left the premises. ‘ Obviously a man vying with
Brentford Nylons. Remember them?
Then came Bowie in 1972 and that’s when some of us became peacocks. He recalls as do I Bowie’s seminal appearance on a 1972 edition of Top of the Pops when a large proportion of the young viewing audience assumed that Bowie was pointing at them and they couldn’t resist the call to arms. As Elms observes ‘ Going Bowie – meant going to the back of the bus to sit on your own. ‘ and for some of us that was just what we wanted.
Elms wore many outfits – soul boy, new romantic, Blitz devotee in the great fancy dress ball that was the ‘80’s. This is an affectionate book written by a man who knows that he might at times sound ridiculous but it seemed a good idea to wear it at the time. Mind you I don’t think batwing sweaters are due for a revival
I’m not sure that someone growing up today would be able to write such an evocative book of memories of dancing in dapper threads and the odd fashion mistake. Somehow shopping at Primark just doesn’t have the same ring to it. A good, uplifting read and for those of us of a certain age a chance to relive the fashions of our youth.
Mr Elms was a social commentator and writer who coined the phrase ‘Hard Times’ chic for achingly hip style bible The Face and this book is a wander through his fascination with clothes over the years. A ‘My Life with Mohair’, ‘Showroom dummy’ or perhaps ‘My Life as a Mannequin’ . At the start he quotes Shakespeare’s ‘Apparel maketh the man’ and then discusses his wardrobe of suits and memories. Who hasn’t been unable to throw away a favourite item of clothing because it brings back so many memories?
He discusses his upbringing in West London and reveals that Steptoe and Son were actually based on a real person, a Notting Hill totter based in Latimer Road, Arthur Arnold. Elms looked up to his older brother who was a Mod, the ‘60’s dandies who still live on in Bradley Wiggins. A pair of Tuff Wayfinders with a compass in their heels are fondly recalled – I just about remember TV ads for them – and Oxford bags. I don’t think they’ll be making a comeback soon.
Elms has a neat turn of phrase and made me laugh out loud at some comments. Of Sid the Tricel King who sold fabrics, bedding and clothes Elms claims ‘….of manmade fabrics so inflammable that its customers crackled and sparked as they left the premises. ‘ Obviously a man vying with
Brentford Nylons. Remember them?
Then came Bowie in 1972 and that’s when some of us became peacocks. He recalls as do I Bowie’s seminal appearance on a 1972 edition of Top of the Pops when a large proportion of the young viewing audience assumed that Bowie was pointing at them and they couldn’t resist the call to arms. As Elms observes ‘ Going Bowie – meant going to the back of the bus to sit on your own. ‘ and for some of us that was just what we wanted.
Elms wore many outfits – soul boy, new romantic, Blitz devotee in the great fancy dress ball that was the ‘80’s. This is an affectionate book written by a man who knows that he might at times sound ridiculous but it seemed a good idea to wear it at the time. Mind you I don’t think batwing sweaters are due for a revival
I’m not sure that someone growing up today would be able to write such an evocative book of memories of dancing in dapper threads and the odd fashion mistake. Somehow shopping at Primark just doesn’t have the same ring to it. A good, uplifting read and for those of us of a certain age a chance to relive the fashions of our youth.
May 11, 2021
I loved this book. I've been enamored of the mod, skinhead, punk, and soulboy fashions for many years. What is so great about this book is that Elms was there experiencing all of this first-hand. Elms' writing style is engaging and self-effacing in the way that only someone with the benefit of wisdom and hindsight can be. His curiosity and fearlessness with experimenting with sartorial splendor is infectious and has me looking up all sorts of long gone styles and looks wondering how I would look if I tried that out.
I especially loved the stories of his childhood and working so tough to get the right gear to look at smart as his older skinhead brother, who was a "real one." The focus on the details is so important as markers of unspoken symbols of belonging. Being an old metalhead, I get that. It's all about having the right band shirts, the right patches on your denim vest, the right records in your collection. It's silly and pretentious, but it's important for a sense of belonging.
I didn't know much about the Blitz kids scene and New Romantic. I've always liked the dour post-punk and indie-pop more than electronic dance music and clubbing. That being said, it was still cool to read about that final push of fashion play before everything became horrid tie-dyes, casual smiley faces, big jeans, and stupid bucket hats. 90s fashion was fucking terrible and acid house sucks. Fight me.
What I loved most about this book is that through it all, he still feels the rush of trying on something sharp, focusing on the details that make it "just so."
I especially loved the stories of his childhood and working so tough to get the right gear to look at smart as his older skinhead brother, who was a "real one." The focus on the details is so important as markers of unspoken symbols of belonging. Being an old metalhead, I get that. It's all about having the right band shirts, the right patches on your denim vest, the right records in your collection. It's silly and pretentious, but it's important for a sense of belonging.
I didn't know much about the Blitz kids scene and New Romantic. I've always liked the dour post-punk and indie-pop more than electronic dance music and clubbing. That being said, it was still cool to read about that final push of fashion play before everything became horrid tie-dyes, casual smiley faces, big jeans, and stupid bucket hats. 90s fashion was fucking terrible and acid house sucks. Fight me.
What I loved most about this book is that through it all, he still feels the rush of trying on something sharp, focusing on the details that make it "just so."
December 4, 2007
Robert Elms was one of the editors of the much missed FACE Magazine, and here's a memoir told through his closet of sorts. From Mods to new romantic, this is a remarkable book and fascinating social history as well as Elm's personal story via his clothes and his brother's clothes.
April 1, 2024
An engaging social history from someone born at the same time as me. We differ in our interest in fashion. I found a Chaplinesque vagabond style that suited me throughout the late seventies. Robert Elms went through a couple of dozen ways of keeping up with the Burnt Oak Boys. But even without any great interest in clothes as status symbols I enjoyed the book. The boy can write and he takes us on a journey of gentle nostalgia. I followed some of the same musical tastes that went alongside the fashions but found it disappointing that all roads eventually led to Spandau Ballet; surely a bit of a disappointing crock of gold to find at the end of your rainbow. Mind you I envied him Sade.
If you were born in the late 50s early 60s you’ll find much to enjoy in this book. If you are the dedicated follower of fashion, then pull your frilly nylon panties way up tight and prepare to wallow in the glory of your prime.
If you were born in the late 50s early 60s you’ll find much to enjoy in this book. If you are the dedicated follower of fashion, then pull your frilly nylon panties way up tight and prepare to wallow in the glory of your prime.
September 25, 2014
I enjoyed this book, a lot. I grew up following the New Romantic London scene through The Face from my early teenage Central Valley, California home in the early 1980s. Just subscribing to The Face back then involved not only begging my mother for hard-earned money (hers, not mine, shamefully--like Elms' mum, mine was also all about supporting my youth culture dreams), but getting international money orders drafted in Sterling at the local bank, which was a real ordeal at the time. Nevermind the back issue orders I would place...
Robert Elms' book is an interesting reflection on personal working class identity in mid-century London. This is the kind of book that very clearly illustrates that clothing, football, and music are not merely disposable elements, but political choices and personal markers of what we want to be and who we think we are. I think he really captured the whole pre-internet and pre-credit cards thing about youth at that time, too; the era when you had to work really hard to find what you wanted, whether it was information or records or clothing. You had to really want it, and you had to feel passionate about how what you found was going to transform and transport you. That seems mostly lost in many parts of the world today. (Let's not forget, though, that there are still billions of unconnected people, still, who don't have everything they want because of these mod-cons.)
Some people have approached this book as, "why would this tosser care so much about clothes?" Have they read it? It's about social and cultural markers, class and race, post-war/postcolonial decay and, in the name of Steve Dagger's label, Reformation. The final paragraph was perfect, reading it as I am now 43. I really, really recommended to anyone who knows about British youth culture in the 1960s-1980s.
Robert Elms' book is an interesting reflection on personal working class identity in mid-century London. This is the kind of book that very clearly illustrates that clothing, football, and music are not merely disposable elements, but political choices and personal markers of what we want to be and who we think we are. I think he really captured the whole pre-internet and pre-credit cards thing about youth at that time, too; the era when you had to work really hard to find what you wanted, whether it was information or records or clothing. You had to really want it, and you had to feel passionate about how what you found was going to transform and transport you. That seems mostly lost in many parts of the world today. (Let's not forget, though, that there are still billions of unconnected people, still, who don't have everything they want because of these mod-cons.)
Some people have approached this book as, "why would this tosser care so much about clothes?" Have they read it? It's about social and cultural markers, class and race, post-war/postcolonial decay and, in the name of Steve Dagger's label, Reformation. The final paragraph was perfect, reading it as I am now 43. I really, really recommended to anyone who knows about British youth culture in the 1960s-1980s.
April 5, 2020
Brilliantly written account of growing up in the UK, and the importance of wearing the right clobber. Giving a nod to Teds, and Mods, the book really kicks off with Skinhead, and the importance of looking smart. It then charts Roberts life through being a Soul Boy, Punk, Blitz Kid and New Romantic... with many tales told along the way.
Fans of Roberts Radio London show (I count myself among this number ( will have an idea of what to expect, and almost hear his voice as they read it.
I'll give this book six months, and then read it again.
Fans of Roberts Radio London show (I count myself among this number ( will have an idea of what to expect, and almost hear his voice as they read it.
I'll give this book six months, and then read it again.
December 11, 2016
Possibly my favourite book ever ...
March 27, 2020
Enjoyed the book. A look at popular culture, particularly fashion but takes in music and football, focusing on all the major style trends from 1970- 1988 that emerged in London. The author highlights his own Working Class background continually.. Certainly very self -referential, but witty and keeps the reader's interest . His accounts of early punk gigs, Futurist clubs such as The Blitz, his time at 'The Face' magazine, being Sade's boyfriend and living together in a London squat , when she suddenly becomes famous, are entertaining. As a reader I was bemused by a lot of the book. Being from a Middle Class provincial background , and zero interest in fashion, enjoyed reading what I missed out on during these years. Liked the ending when Mr Elms returns from working in Barcelona, finds London taken over by Acid House and his horrified by the music and even worse - the lack of dress sense.
April 5, 2020
Brilliantly written account of growing up in the UK, and the importance of wearing the right clobber. Giving a nod to Teds, and Mods, the book really kicks off with Skinhead, and the importance of looking smart. It then charts Roberts life through being a Soul Boy, Punk, Blitz Kid and New Romantic... with many tales told along the way.
Fans of Roberts Radio London show (I count myself among this number ( will have an idea of what to expect, and almost hear his voice as they read it.
I'll give this book six months, and then read it again.
Fans of Roberts Radio London show (I count myself among this number ( will have an idea of what to expect, and almost hear his voice as they read it.
I'll give this book six months, and then read it again.
October 1, 2019
The language is evocative and brilliant, conjuring pictures and my own memories. Taking us on his journey guided by fashion through youth styles as he followed them, Mods - Skin - Southern Soul - Punk - Blitz, including nods to styles he despised, justifiably dismissive while contextualising Oi Skins, arrogant about late 80’s ravers - the lack of sharp fashion crushed his sensibility.
He pieces together history that I experienced in a detailed and exciting way.
He pieces together history that I experienced in a detailed and exciting way.
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March 26, 2025Robert Elms z perspektywy dorastającego w Burnt Oak chłopca, opisuje fascynujący świat brytyjskiej mody ulicznej. Jest to pasjonująca, osobista relacja, owładniętego obsesją na punkcie ciuchów autora, przedstawiająca trendy i modę na przestrzeni lat 1950-1990. Autor nie tylko szczegółowo opisuje poszczególne subkultury(między innymi teddy boys’ów, modsów, skinheadów, soul boys’ów, punków…), ale równie dobrze nakreśla tło historyczne i wydarzenia tamtych lat.
June 9, 2017
Delightful! A combination of memoir and sartorial history of North London between 1960s and mid-80s. I am one of those that was both too young and too far away to experience this whirlwind of youthful creativity. I'm now trying to think how I can get some middle-aged schmutter and have a look that is just so.
May 27, 2023
A trip down a memory lane of clothing styles but as I am a couple of years older than the author and grew up on the eastern end of the central line I have slightly different memories and allegiances. At the end of the book is a playlist of contemporary music which I used as inspiration for my own personal playlist.
April 11, 2020
The writer is my age almost to the day. He used to live with Sade. I didn't. But our other common experiences and attitudes made this a delightful book to read.
September 17, 2022
Such fun! And such attention to detail when it comes to threads. A real eye-opener.
December 18, 2025
Writing about style is a paradox. The moment you try to define it, it evaporates... too corny, too self aware, too easily ruined by explanation.
Style is unspoken.
And yet one has to make a living and Mr. Elms makes his by writing about clothes with real verve. His enthusiasm is infectious, nostalgic and futile.
I remember him from The Face magazine and as a face on 'yoof' TV back in the day.
Elms shares a conviction that I hold strongly : that genuine style, true cool, has always sprung from working class creativity.
Where is that energy now? It's not in the art schools anymore, and it's disappearing from the streets, now dominated by the Middle Clarses who are accomplished at being snotty and elitist, but that’s not quite right.
Having only money can buy you clothes not style.
They lack the originality, anger, energy and drive of working class kids, only wanting to look as affluent as their chums.
Conformity is the 21st Century style.
Blame the Internet, the least stylish invention ever!
Elms recounts his own entry into journalism as an effortless slide (very '80's, that).
As his story progresses his fetish for labels and status, comical at first, begins to seem a bit desperate. But he must’ve at least briefly stopped thinking about the way he looks as he has three children.
His love of clothes, particularly handmade suits tips into what can only be described as cloth porn!
Ultimately the book captures both the pleasure and absurdity of obsession.
Style is unspoken.
And yet one has to make a living and Mr. Elms makes his by writing about clothes with real verve. His enthusiasm is infectious, nostalgic and futile.
I remember him from The Face magazine and as a face on 'yoof' TV back in the day.
Elms shares a conviction that I hold strongly : that genuine style, true cool, has always sprung from working class creativity.
Where is that energy now? It's not in the art schools anymore, and it's disappearing from the streets, now dominated by the Middle Clarses who are accomplished at being snotty and elitist, but that’s not quite right.
Having only money can buy you clothes not style.
They lack the originality, anger, energy and drive of working class kids, only wanting to look as affluent as their chums.
Conformity is the 21st Century style.
Blame the Internet, the least stylish invention ever!
Elms recounts his own entry into journalism as an effortless slide (very '80's, that).
As his story progresses his fetish for labels and status, comical at first, begins to seem a bit desperate. But he must’ve at least briefly stopped thinking about the way he looks as he has three children.
His love of clothes, particularly handmade suits tips into what can only be described as cloth porn!
Ultimately the book captures both the pleasure and absurdity of obsession.
June 23, 2013
This is a book about clothes. Plain and simple. About kids growing up, adapting a style, peer pressure, in the playground. Group taunting, West London style baiting, craving, playing, wanting, lusting, genres, bell bottoms, wing tips, brothel creepers, jeepers creepers. You did get beat up for wearing the wrong belt, the incorrect pair of slacks, left behind tracks of your soul, your style, your vision, your passion of pulling on a shirt, starched by your mother, your current girlfriend, boyfriend, housekeeper, brothel creeper. It's all unimportant, what is important is looking slick, looking hot, feeling great as you pose in front of the mirror before you leave your stinky flat before you venture out for a night on the town. Fever Pitch don't even begin.
February 28, 2021
I.e.
Was right there with him from the Johnny 7 gun, through Budgie jackets, tassel weave loafers and tonics to Bowie trousers and studded belts. Felt sad as the book approached the end but the epilogue cheered me up and know he is right - if you care about clothes you will always appreciate a well cut jacket. A great catalogue of the changing styles and scenes I remember!
Was right there with him from the Johnny 7 gun, through Budgie jackets, tassel weave loafers and tonics to Bowie trousers and studded belts. Felt sad as the book approached the end but the epilogue cheered me up and know he is right - if you care about clothes you will always appreciate a well cut jacket. A great catalogue of the changing styles and scenes I remember!
January 6, 2013
a well cut whistle is equal to a well dressed head _
Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews