UMBRELLAS and sturdy – but fashionable – shoes were essential accessories for Saturday’s Ladies’ Day races at Glenview Park, with steady drizzle falling in Traralgon throughout the day.
Conditions are expected to be similar for tomorrow’s Melbourne Cup festivities at Moe Racing Club, with a forecast top of just 16 degrees.
About 3200 people attended Ladies’ Day, 400 down from last year, but Latrobe Valley Racing Club manager Brendan Blackshaw said he viewed the carnival as a success, considering the weather.
“People enjoyed themselves despite the weather and were still streaming through the gate at the normal time,” Mr Blackshaw said.
He said marquee numbers were the same as last year.
The Fashions on the Field final was moved undercover, with Melinda Lieshout winning the ladies category, Ashleigh Albanese claiming runner up, Luke Dabkowski scoring a double in the best dressed men’s category after winning at the Moe Cup last month and Warren and Lynette James winning best dressed couple.
Five year-old bay gelding Tough Future led the Albroys Subaru Handicap feature race, on a track that withstood the wet conditions.
Just two millimetres of rain was recorded at Latrobe Regional Airport, a far cry from the predicted 20mm to 40mm.
Races ran without a problem unlike Derby Day at Flemington Racecourse, where races were held up due to the 54.6mm of rain that fell across Melbourne.
While the Latrobe Valley again missed out on the rain that swamped much of the rest of the state it received more than 90mm for the month.
Parts of west and south Gippsland received up to 45mm while the Yarra Valley had about 80mm dumped on it to 9am on Sunday.
The Valley caught some rain on Sunday, with 10.6mm recorded at the airport, 21mm at Jeeralang North and 19mm at Moe South.
Article source: http://www.latrobevalleyexpress.com.au/news/local/news/news-features/race-fever-hits-valley/1984491.aspx
She’s back on the catwalk at 71, but Sixties icon Veruschka HATES today’s designers
By
Liz Jones
Last updated at 12:23 AM on 1st November 2010
That all-too-rare fashion moment when you are in the front row of a fashion show and something makes you sit up and take notice happened to me during the spring/ summer 2011 collections.
That stand-out moment came at the Giles show in London. It wasn’t the clothes, it wasn’t even the parade of the biggest modelling stars of the moment: Agyness, Amber, Karolina, Chanel . . .
No, what made me stare was the sight of the model who was given the honour of wearing the final outfit.
Magnificent: Veruschka in the Giles show at this year’s London Fashion Week, left, and in French
Vogue at the height of her fame in the late Sixties
She was tall, she had a huge red slash of a mouth and cheekbones that soared. No one seemed to know who she was, but to me the face and the body were unmistakable. She was 71 years old. She was Veruschka.
It’s no exaggeration to say that Veruschka changed fashion for good. She was the first superstar model of the Sixties. Her six-foot frame, with its improbably long limbs, was revolutionary, following as it did the more womanly shapes of the models that came before her.
When the director Antonioni came to London in 1965 to film Blow Up, the fashion movie that defined the decade, he cast Veruschka as the model who cavorts in front of the lens of the character based on David Bailey.
Veruschka single-handedly started the trend to be super- thin; Twiggy burst on to the scene only once the film was in the can.
When I track down Veruschka at her home in Berlin, a few weeks after her appearance at London Fashion Week, and ask if she feels responsible for the seismic shift in fashion that has never really gone away, she laughs — a deep, throaty laugh.
‘I was tall and I was thin. But just before shooting started I had been on a fashion assignment in Mexico and became terribly sick from drinking the water. I lost so much weight and was really ill and weak when I made the movie.’
Start of the super-thin trend: Veruschka admits she was too thin when she played a model who cavorts in front of the lens of the character based on David Bailey in the film Blow Up
Dysentery. Not the most glamorous of muses for a new look. I ask what she thought, at the Giles show, being surrounded by 16-year-olds.
‘I was in my 20s when I made the movie and found success. We were women, not children.’
But wasn’t her presence on the catwalk part of a wonderful new trend for fashion to be more inclusive . . . bigger models, older models?
Veruschka believes she was a gimmick and that designers no longer have the skills to dress women who are not children with bodies that look like ironing boards.
‘I didn’t like the make-up in the show, and didn’t think much of the dress. Now we are using the old ones, make them look great and show their power as well as their age.’
She is as dismissive of the trend for vertiginous shoes.
‘In the Sixties, fashion was about liberation. It was about setting women free; it wasn’t about being unable to walk.’
Veruschka was born Vera Von Lehndorff. Her father was Count Heinrich Von Lehndorff.
Blown away
Veruschka’s scene in the film Blow Up has been voted the sexiest cinema moment in history
During World War II, Hitler’s bunker was in the grounds of her home.
‘My parents led this double life. They were in the underground movement to bring down the Nazis. My father was hanged for being a traitor.
‘My mother, who was in her 30s, was left with four children. She was put in prison and we were thrown into a camp for children of resistance fighters. When the war ended, we were refugees. We had lost absolutely everything.’
Veruschka grew up wanting to be an artist and made her way to Florence, which is where she was spotted, aged 20, by a photographer and asked if she wanted to be a model.
She ended up living in New York and Paris, and was the Kate Moss of her day. It’s an incredible life story; she is collaborating on a biography, to be published next year, called Double Life.
She still has an incredible face, though she tells me she is ‘a few inches shorter’.
I ask Veruschka if it is harder to grow old when you have been a great beauty.
‘No, it has not been hard to grow older, because I believe if you have something you believe in that will keep you alive far more than plastic surgery or Botox,’ she says.
‘I know that there are many things I could do, but I’m not interested. It’s more important to be loving and to have a lively mind.’
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Article source: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-1325455/Veruschka-The-Sixties-icon-catwalk-71-says-HATES-todays-designers.html
Men’s shoes might not be analysed, idolised and fetishised in the way that women’s are, but that doesn’t mean they should be an afterthought.
Given that men’s clothes tend to be plainer, accessories are often all the
more important.
Shoes say a lot about the wearer, which is probably why bad ones are cited so
frequently as a serious turn-off. A pair of functional clod-hoppers – the
kind ordered from the back of a Sunday newspaper – warn any potential
suitors that the wearer’s idea of a good time is heading to an out-of-town
PC World to compare games console prices. Garish limited-edition trainers,
meanwhile, indicate latter-day Nathan Barleys. Long pointy shoes are pure X
Factor reject: avoid the approach taken by a groom at a recent wedding,
where one wag in the congregation noted his shoes were so pointy that they
entered the church five minutes before he did.
A streamlined pair of brogues or loafers says cocktails, power and fun. Hello,
Don Draper. At least they do on a date or at the office, but on holiday, not
so much. Shoe success is about matching the style to the occasion as well as
picking a good pair, as David Cameron showed last summer when he posed on a
cliff path with Sam Cam wearing slip-on loafers with jeans. Note to Dave,
smart-casual does not mean wearing something smart and something casual at
the same time. Fortunately such footwear faux pas can be avoided by having a
minimum of six carefully curated pairs to cover all occasions. Exercise
restraint, look for modern classics, and don’t just think in terms of smart
and off-duty. There is a whole spectrum in-between – which is where styles
such as desert boots and punched brogues come in.
Maintenance is also key. Sir Hardy Amies, in his classic ABC of Men’s Fashion,
made an elegant case for keeping shoes well-polished: “It should be
noted that the surfaces of the materials in a man’s costume … are
predominantly matt. The silk of his tie, and the leather of his shoe or
boot, are welcome light-reflecting contrasts. This is just one reason why
well-polished shoes are essential.”
Six essential shoe styles
Loafers
Popular since the 1950s, the loafer is synonymous with preppy Americana. Wear
with chinos or shorts, and team with the obligatory striped sock for a
timeless style. The ultimate loafer comes from Gucci. Launched in 1966, it
conveys both casual elegance and smartness.
Gucci loafer, 1,240, www.gucci.com
Desert boots
Beloved of film stars such as Steve McQueen and more recent rock royalty Liam
Gallagher, the desert boot is probably the most versatile footwear known to
man. Perfect with both jeans and shorts, it’s at its best when worn with a
rolled chino. Feeling bold? Then wear with a casual suit to the office.
Office desert boot, 56.99 www.office.com
Tennis shoes
White tennis shoes are timeless, and owning a pair should be actively
encouraged, if only to suppress the ever-increasing ubiquity of the
fanciful, try-hard sportswear trainer. Not all tennis shoes are created
equal; spend less than a tenner and they’ll fall apart in under a week.
Superga tennis shoe, 40, www.my-wardrobe.com
Brogues
Brogues earn maximum style points because of their versatility – they can be
suave and sophisticated, or add a twist of eccentricity. Brogues suit jeans
or a suit, and even brown brogues can work with black trousers – although
perhaps co-ordinate with a knitted brown tie to bring the whole look
together.
Oliver Sweeney brogue, 220, www.oliversweeney.com
Smart lace-ups
Choice is varied when it comes to the smart lace-up, so keep it simple by
selecting a good black pair. Team them with jeans or a suit and they’ll even
be useful for the occasional black-tie dinner. Invest wisely and they could
last you a lifetime.
Ndc shoe, 306, www.ndcmadebyhand.com
Deck shoes
As the name suggests, deck shoes were originally worn on boats, but they are
no longer just for Sloanes and extras from ‘Howard’s Way’. More of a summer
shoe, they can be worn comfortably with and without socks. Draw the line at
wearing them with a suit – they’re at their best when worn with skinny
rolled jeans or chinos.
Asos “Quoddy” boat shoe, 159, www.asos.com
Article source: http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/fashion/features/best-foot-forward-essential-shoe-styles-for-men-2121714.html
The High Street is wising up to shoppers who seek feelgood fulfilment along the way, says Mary Portas
BY Mary Portas
31 October 2010
TURN BACK TIME: The Devlin family recreate an Edwardian bakery on BBC One Photo: BBC
There’s a change in the air: something positive is happening in our shops. We are going back to traditional service values and specialism, and not a moment too soon.
The other day, while sitting in the Liberty of Regent Street café, 45 mostly middle-aged women marched into the room. They told me they were part of the department store’s knitting circle. For the past few years, Liberty has been organising knitting groups every Saturday, which are so popular they are booked up months in advance. These women – and some men – knit together in the Heritage Suite, Liberty’s old wood-panelled boardroom, chatting away and drinking tea.
You can also find knitters in the haberdashery department during the week, knitting round the table during their lunch hour. In fact, everyone who works in haberdashery, which has just been expanded, is an expert on knitting and sewing, and can pass their knowledge on to customers.
Clearly, Liberty realises that what people love about the store is its Arts Crafts heritage – and the fact that its staff really know their stuff. It’s rare these days to find a shop assistant who takes such pride in service and product knowledge, but this is changing.
Three things have contributed to this: the financial crisis, the environmental situation, and the digital revolution. The Noughties was a time of super-consumerism. We had money to spend and we spent it – buying for the sake of it. I used to say that even my 14-year-old daughter could open a suitcase on a street and make money within minutes. Yet our obsession with fast fashion killed much of what was great about the British high street: experience, service and specialisation.
Then the internet crept in and started producing great customer service. Online companies had to try really hard to be creative since they were going into a new market – something retailers had stopped doing. No wonder internet shopping is now worth £100billion to the British economy.
Retailers got lazy, our fashion and consumer goods shops started acting like supermarkets, with as little verbal communication with the customer as possible and a pile-it-high-sell-it-cheap attitude.
But stores cannot do this any more. Simply, the recession has forced retailers to raise their standards. Even though we are living in an increasingly atomised age, we crave proper shops and human interaction more than ever. Shopping, after all, is still the nation’s favourite pastime.
The problem for many retailers is that we’re over the fast fix – we now want experiences with real meaning. We have gone from fast fashion to considered consumerism. That “more, more, more” attitude is over. We don’t need “buy one get one free”. We don’t need three bags of lettuce. What we want now is value – although not just in a monetary sense. We want the value of what an experience means to us. How will this product improve my world? My life? Was the shopping experience an enjoyable one? Value now has new meaning in a consumer’s life.
The shoe brand Toms understands this brilliantly. For every pair of shoes bought, it gives another pair to a child in need. Instead of “Bogof” – buy one get one free – we now have “Bogoa” – buy one give one away. My 16-year-old son wears Toms and he came home after buying a pair saying, “Isn’t this great?” The store has created a new empathy with the shoppers – and found success.
So how can shops lure us, the consumers, away from our computers and back to the high street? Certain stores have been thinking smart for years. Apple, for instance, is one of my favourite brands. Electrical goods are easier than anything else to buy online, but Apple has created stores that are basically playground experiences for adults. You go in and see all these 35-year-olds with babies on their knees while playing with the gadgets, or hanging round the Genius Bar, where Apple’s staff answer technical questions and teach you for free.
Then there’s Abercrombie Fitch – aka Gap in a nightclub – which has nailed the teenage market. Even in New York, where the firm started, and where I was last week, people still queue around the block to get in.
Anthropologie, too, upped the bar when it opened its first UK store earlier this year. It’s another American brand – the older sister of Urban Outfitters – but it completely understands the shopping “experience”: three floors of vintage-inspired women’s clothes and the quirkiest, most fabulously individualistic homeware under one roof, all with a seductively feminine feel (world music, handmade signposts and garden installations on the wall).
Nike is also going out of its way to create a sense of community. It has just opened a running shop in Covent Garden, its first running-specific store in the UK, and as well as having expert staff on hand to help with gait analysis and the like, it is also hosting weekly running clubs. Now, runners can meet up, run, and chat over a glucose drink afterwards. Nike is making shopping a social experience, not the quick, homogenised bore we’ve had for the past 15 years.
In New York, they’re way ahead of us. They really understand the importance of the shopping experience and of catering to consumers’ desires – the “being and buying” – but we’re catching up. The recent profusion of pop-up shops is proof of this.
Pop-ups, temporary shops often in unusual spaces that can last from a couple of hours to a couple of weeks, are great. They’re new, exciting and emotional – and the antithesis of a uniform and uninspiring high street. Hermès is about to open a pop-up shop in Spitalfields, for instance, selling its signature high-end silk scarves to East End hipsters.
Over the past few years, we’ve put convenience and value before community. But now we are finding we like good service, and we want advice, plus an authentic and stimulating shopping experience. We don’t want shopping to be mindless any more.
The real winners in this shift should be our local shops. The butcher near my house in west London, for instance, has people queuing up to get in, especially around Christmas and Thanksgiving. People want that specialised knowledge. We owe it to these shops to hunt them out.
A pal of mine, the historian Juliet Gardiner, has been advising on a new BBC show,
Turn Back Time
, which I feel will further whet the public’s interest in local shops. As part of the programme, the producers are opening a series of pop-up shops in empty stores across the country, from Paisley to Poole, to allow the public to experience the feel – and service – of an old-fashioned 1930s grocers.
The G-spot has moved. We’re over the greed and the gain. We’re over the gloss, the glamour and the hype. Now we want generosity and giving. So I welcome a return to tradition, service and knowledge – but with a thoroughly modern kick.
* Mary Portas is London’s leading retail consultant and her agency, Yellow Door, advises several global and high street retailers.
Article source: http://fashion.telegraph.co.uk/columns/mary-portas/TMG8099047/Mary-Portas-from-fast-fashion-to-a-more-considered-consumerism.html
Article source: http://www.bworldonline.com/main/content.php?id=20376
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A stoush between a local fashion retailer and an Australian shoe chain over similar names has gone in favour of the Kiwi company, with the Australian operator being told its trademark is invalid.
The Intellectual Property Office of New Zealand has ruled the trademark Rubi Shoes is to be treated as if it had not been registered, and an application by locally owned fashion business Ruby should be accepted.
Rubi Shoes is a chain of nine budget footwear stores owned by the Australian retailer Cotton On Clothing.
Ruby Apparel is the owner of four Ruby Boutique stores and three fashion labels. It sells clothes and shoes.
Ruby complained to the IPONZ saying the Rubi Shoes trademark was invalid because Cotton On didn’t own it, that the name and logo were likely to deceive shoppers, and that it breached the Fair Trading Act.
It argued Ruby was a well-known fashion brand in New Zealand. The IPONZ agreed with Ruby that it was a well-known brand, that registering Rubi Shoes was likely to cause confusion and that it breached the Fair Trading Act.
However, it said the logos were not similar and it dismissed the argument that Cotton On did not own the name Rubi Shoes.
Cotton On argued “Ruby” was not a trademark but a descriptive term for ruby-coloured clothing and that it had no distinctive character in relation to the goods.
The IPONZ dismissed most of Cotton On’s arguments. It said Ruby had acquired distinctiveness through use of the name.
It declared Rubi Shoes’ trademark application invalid, and that Ruby’s application in May last year to trademark its name should be accepted once the appeal period had expired.
Ruby had previously only trademarked its logo. Ruby told the IPONZ that use of the Rubi Shoes trademark would tarnish its brand, disrupt its business and take unfair advantage of its reputation.
In their evidence, sales assistants at Ruby’s boutiques told of numerous occasions when customers had rung the stores wanting location and other details about Rubi Shoes.
Cotton On argued Rubi Shoes’ market was affordable footwear for young women.
However, assistant commissioner of trademarks, Jennie Walden, said the Rubi Shoes trademark only referred to “retailing of footwear” with no limitations on price points, gender or age. Ruby had established itself as a fashion brand for women, including a collaboration with well-known local shoe designer Kathryn Wilson.
“It is my view that a potential purchaser who heard Rubi Shoes would be triggered into thinking about Ruby shoes.
“I consider that, on the evidence before me, use of the relevant marks would be likely to prejudice the interests of Ruby Apparel because the use of Rubi Shoes is likely to deceive or cause confusion.”
The Herald on Sunday understands Ruby Apparel has spent up to $200,000 on the the case. The IPONZ awarded it costs of $7700.
Fashion Industry New Zealand executive officer Mapihi Opai said it was an area of wider concern for the industry.
Most small Kiwi fashion businesses did not have the resources to defend their name against a large overseas operator coming into the country.
“This sort of thing can pretty much put a New Zealand brand out of business.
“The general feeling is that IPONZ needs to protect local brands. Rubi should probably never have been allowed registration in the first place.”
By Maria Slade | Email Maria
Article source: http://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/news/article.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=10684169
Choices. The ability to make them is one of the most valuable gifts that we have as human beings. In all strata of life, we are faced with choice. In big things, in little things and in all things that concern us, including our moods, we have the gift to make a choice. Fashion is no exception to this rule and if you take a look around, you will see that the style stakes around us have gone very high. In our dear Naija today, colossal sums of money are spent daily on the maintenance of style and looks of our various societal cadres. Also, women in general, regardless of their societal position, are known to happily spend whatever little or much they have on their looks. Don’t ask why; there’s just something in our genetic makeup that causes this as this trait is not limited by tribe or nationality. Female spending is most on hair, face and body in that order!
The tricks and processes applied to beauty are many. With the growth of science, more processes abound. Each person is therefore faced with a myriad of choices in every area of their personal care and beauty/grooming regimen. Marketing gimmicks promise all manner of miracles and women and men of all ages fall for the promises in droves. Caution must be applied, though. There’s an increasing number of processes and products which eager patrons apply and buy that aren’t too good for the health. There are also some seemingly basic regimens and products applied daily that can adversely affect another precious gift we all treasure good health. Below are samples of beauty regimens, applications and processes that may rebound on good health. If you didn’t know before, please take note of them.
Some cream ‘mixtures’ are dangerous. By this, reference is made to the potions sold in our major cities by beauticians and many self proclaimed aestheticians. These creams are usually touted to lighten the skin dramatically and maintain its luminosity when the desired degree of ‘yellow’ has been attained. Because light complexions are so desired in our societies, this is probably the single most silent inducer of skin cancers in women. The market for it, though largely silent (many women will not own up to purchasing these creams, but they do), is in droves. It is quite amusing that one would buy what is essentially a mystery product because what goes into it is neither stated nor known to the buyer. Indeed, its ‘secret’ potency is made to be its attraction! Take heed, that some of these ‘potions’ have been found to contain a wide range of dangerous chemicals, high mercury levels and heavy metals. Many of these elements are well known carcinogens. Amusing but scary is the story of the ‘producers’ of some of these creams who are said to add toothpaste, hair gel, washing liquids and all manner of ‘ingredients’ to their ‘potent’ potions! While it certainly will not be all of them who will be so uncouth, Style’scape’s advice is that if you don’t know what’s inside it, avoid it.
-Platform shoes can be dangerous. Reports of very serious injuries have been increasing worldwide, as shoe heights increase. Very high shoes are now the order of the day either as platforms or wedges and the higher they go, the more dangerous they become. Should you wear them, beware of cobbled walkways, marbled or polished floors, staircases and uneven terrain. While the fit forward may be comfortable, should they twist to the side, there’s trouble for the ankles! In recent times, legs have been placed in casts, hip operations carried out and severe wounds treated because a fashionista wore a pair of shoes that became her albatross!
-Heavy earrings you stand the chance of tearing your ear lobes with each pair of heavy earrings you wear. More women are reporting in with this ailment now, so if you don’t feel comfortable in those earrings, take them off. You can buy another pair, but you’re only given one pair of earlobes for life.
-Girdles and tight belts dangerous for asthma patients as the constriction can induce attacks.
-Black eyeliner stick with only the good names. Some dodgy ones and some locally made ones are said to contain everything from bird poop to bat droppings to get the blackness and the thick consistency that are basic qualities of eyeliner. These can then cause eye irritation and disease. Is there any beauty regimen that’s worth you putting bat droppings on your eyelids?
-Tooth bleach now widely used, but not advised for prolonged use. Why? It’s the easiest self induced cause of tooth sensitivity. Can’t drink hot tea or take a cold drink without feeling a sharp pain in your teeth? That’s tooth sensitivity.
-Hair relaxers can cause serious wounds and blisters on the head if applied for too long or if the quality is bad. Be careful what you buy here. Apart from the intense burning pain that takes over your head when you apply bad relaxer, it can seriously break your hair and leave you looking like baby geese.
-Beware the new fads teas that promise everything from detoxifying your body to helping you lose weight to giving you great skin……. Again, stick with a good brand that has a name and heritage to protect and whose processes are strictly regulated. Stay away from dodgy products with funny print and cheap covers, no matter what they promise. Apart from the fact that you do not know what is really inside, you expose yourself to the risk of serious intestinal injury.
-Waxing for your own good, only do this at a good spa with well trained personnel. Also always insist that the wax applied is not too hot, especially when being used on the eyebrows or any other sensitive area. Why? Ever seen waxed brows gone wrong? One wrong application of too hot wax and you’ll never be the same again. Burnt, singed, puckered eyebrow skin is the result and really, who needs that?
There you have them. Various ‘simple’ and everyday processes, products and applications that can cause damage to health. While the pursuit of beauty is good, it must be done with safety in mind and the realization that there are dubious people lurking in the shadows, making all manner of crazy products because they want to take advantage of the desire for good looks that most people have.
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Article source: http://www.vanguardngr.com/2010/10/when-fashion-is-bad-for-your-health/
Dr Martens boots were first introduced into this country 50 years ago, a half-century that has seen Britain transformed, as musical movements have emerged and declined, and fashions come and gone. Yet DMs have been the footwear of choice for everyone from punks to policemen, skinheads to socialists.
They may only be boots, but somehow Dr Martens have left a hefty footprint on style, music and politics. Which would probably have surprised Klaus Märtens, the young German army doctor who created the original design. The story goes that Dr Märtens set about creating a boot that had an air-cushioned sole after injuring his ankle skiing. His sole provided comfort as well as absorbing impact from walking and running.
For the first few years after their introduction to Britain, Dr Martens were very much working men’s boots, worn in factories and by postmen. According to Martin Roach, author of the definitive history of DMs, Doctor Martens: The Story of an Icon, it was not until Pete Townshend, wind-milling guitarist and songwriter with the Who, wore them in around 1966 that they became fashionable. Townshend recalls buying DMs because he was tired of the foppish clothes that were so popular during the 1960s. “I was sick of dressing up as a Christmas tree in flowing robes that got in the way of my guitar playing,” he says, “so I thought I’d move on to utility wear.” The air-cushioned soles helped him bounce around on stage, and wearing the boots, Townshend explained, reminded him of the working-class surroundings in which he had grown up.
Having helped catapult Dr Martens into fashion in the 60s, Townshend was then instrumental in helping create one of the defining images from 70s popular culture, with 1975 rock opera Tommy featuring Elton John in an outsized pair of DM boots. The boots stand four and a half feet high and John had to wear them attached by callipers that allowed him to move as if he were on stilts. Today the boots are on display in Northampton Museum whose shoe collection is the largest in the world.
By the 70s Dr Martens had been taken up by a cluster of subcultures all intent on brandishing their individuality but all of whom made DMs part of their uniform. Mods and glam rockers, psychobillies and goths all adopted the boots, but it was members of the emerging skinhead movement who would be the most feared wearers. Gavin Watson was a teenage skinhead growing up in High Wycombe. He was also an avid photographer, and his images from the period, many showing shaven-headed young men in gleaming Dr Martens, are compelling and disturbing. “I was 12 when I bought my first eight-hole DMs,” Watson told me. “And the rule was that you had to christen them by kicking someone with them. It didn’t matter who, and if you got some blood on them that was even better.”
It was because of the actions of some skinheads that the Dr Marten became associated with violence. Watson recalls: “The way we cut off the leather at the front to reveal the steel caps – those boots were seen as weaponry and you felt safe wearing them.”
As a young Asian boy growing up during that time, I was both attracted to and repelled by Dr Martens. I coveted them hugely and envied my older brother who owned a pair that he would place next to his bed so as to be able to go to sleep gazing at them. And yet the association with skinheads and racists was so strong that if I saw anyone wearing the eight-hole or, even worse, the 14-hole boot, I would walk warily past them and assume that they meant me harm.
And yet the irony was that even as the DM was being co-opted by skinheads – only a minority of whom were racist and violent – the boots were also being worn by the police they were clashing with. “When I joined the police in 1978 Dr Martens were a popular choice of shoe-wear,” recalls Mick Clyne. “I had a black pair with yellow stitching – but I had to use black boot polish to darken the yellow for when we were on night patrol.”
Dr Martens even managed to step inside the House of Commons. when Tony Benn was photographed wearing them in Parliament. When I met him in his west London home Benn, 85, was wearing black DM shoes. “My sons told me about Dr Martens back in the 70s and I found they were very comfortable,” he said. “I have been wearing them ever since.” Benn is among the oldest wearers of Dr Martens, but the boots are finding a new generation of fans. These days they are as likely to be worn by models such as Agyness Deyn and “celebrities” such as Pixie Geldof as they are by rock stars. Fifty years on, the enduring appeal of DMs is that, despite all the success, the brand remains unshakeably cool.
Doc Martens At 50, written and presented by Sarfraz Manzoor, will be broadcast on Radio 4 at 11am on Wednesday 3 November
Article source: http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/2010/oct/31/dr-martens-at-50
DALLAS, Oct 30, 2010 / FW/ — The brainchild of designer Jada-lee Watson, the eco line Nixxi is inspired by natural elements and cohesive contrasts.
Read the original:
Nixxi: Inspired by Natural Elements | FashionWindows Blog
