ABSTRACT
Punk fashions took root in Great Britain during the second half of the 1970s as an offset of the music revolution spawned by the Sex Pistols and their mentor, boutique owner-turned-singer Malcolm McLaren. The punk look reflected the anti-establishment stance held by British youth faced with diminished economic prospects and a repressive caste system. The strong political overtones of this movement were lost upon American youth who faced brighter economic prospects than their brethren across the Atlantic. Lacking the core impetus of British punk fashion, the American version, allowing for a small-scale radical fringe, featured a toned-down look, termed by some "Aiming Toward Punk" (ATP). This chapter provides some of the more general ground rules which could be ascertained included: spiked hair for both sexes, black for evening wear and shirts and jackets with the sleeves ripped out, so on.
