Era Magazine by Kate Irwin

Era

The D Is rom eath O an f ce de

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JUNE 2009

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Vintage Fashion & Culture Magazine

E D I S IN

Audrey Hepburn

Her son remembers the cultural icon

EXCLUSIVE

Interview with

Vivienne Westwood HOW TO STYLE YOURSELF VINTAGE PERFECT

Sexiest Men Of All Time

W in A

Weekend Shopping Spr ee In Madrid

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EraCONTENTS FEATURES 9.

20.

ON THE COVER THE DEATH OF DATING We mourn the passing of good, old-fashioned romance

ON THE COVER AUDREY HEPBURN The Breakfast at Tiffany’s star, through her son’s eyes

38. DAY IN THE LIFE OF A 70s VOGUE MODEL

A behind the scenes look into the world of modelling

FASHION

26. A CINDERELLA STORY Be enchanted by our fairytale vintage fashion shoot 32. NORTH/SOUTH WHERE TO SHOP This month we’re bargain hunting in Bristol and Sheffield 35. IF YOU ONLY BUY ONE THING THIS MONTH Let it be one of these funky retro tees 40.

ON THE COVER HOW TO GUIDE Tips & tricks for putting together a stunning vintage look

58.

ON THE COVER VIVIENNE WESTWOOD The infamous designer talks about the fashion industry

EVENTS

WHAT’S ON GUIDE The hot events to check out in June

12.

REVISITING PROHIBITION We kick up our heels in Sheffield at a 1930s speakeasy

LIFESTYLE 14. VINTAGEAHOLICS Why these three fashionistas can’t get enough of vintage

32.

ON THE COVER ERA VISITS.... We hunt for the hottest places to see in Madrid

46.

ON THE COVER TOP TEN VINTAGE HEARTTHROBS 20th Century boy, I wanna be your toy

FILM

18.

TOP MUSICAL FILMS A countdown of the all time greatest musicals

50.

FILM NOIR An in depth look at this sultry genre of film

MUSIC 50.

BAND INTERVIEW MTV award winners The Volt answer your questions

52. LONG LIVE PUNK ROCK Mohawks, scandals & the Sex Pistols, a look at 70s punk

ON THE COVER

Visit m a r e w.

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FOR:

BLOGS, EVENT LISTINGS, VINTAGE SWAP SHOP, FORUMS, POLLS, REVIEWS, VINTAGE FAIRS, DESIGN YOUR OWN ERA COVER, SUBSCRIPTIONS, GAMES, VINTAGE NEWS, COMPETITIONS

“AUDREY HEPBURN BECAME MORE THAN A MOVIE STAR. SHE BECAME A LEGEND, FIRST ON SCREEN - AND THEN ON THE ARID PLAINS OF AFRICA” IAN WOODWARD

EDITOR’S LETTER

Anyone for Breakfast at Tiffany’s? This month we’re all about Audrey Hepburn. Check out our interview with Sean Ferrer on page 20. Her son lets us in on the private side of the Hollywood star, sharing his childhood memories of the woman famous for her little black dress and elfin looks. If Helen of Troy was the face that launched a thousand ships, Audrey Hepburn was the star that launched a thousand copycats. Her effortless poise and glamour have made her a fashion icon. We sent Kim to Madrid to check out Miss Hepburn’s famous dress from Tiffany’s along with the best of the rest in fashion at El Rastro, the famous vintage market. (check out our website for a chance to win a trip to Madrid and experience it for yourself) If flying out to sunny Spain is a bit out of your price range then we have the perfect remedy to those credit crunch blues. We show you how to mix and match the best in vintage clothes and accessories for style on a shoestring. Browse pages 40-43 for our how to guide and pick up some tips for thrift store finds. To celebrate the start of summer our June issue’s hotting up with Era’s top ten sexy men through the decades (totally gratuitous photos included). Also this issue, Vivienne Westwood talks Naomi Campbell, Queen Elizabeth and credibility. Enjoy,

Era would like to thank Guy Brown Vintage love & Adrian Richardson for their great photoshoots

Kate Irwin

Catherine Miller

a r E Team

Kim Ardern

Ingrid Ots

“The 80s were without a doubt my favorite era, think Maverick, Hi-tops and multi-coloured leggins. Oh yeah, Save Ferris!”

“I love the 20s. Short hair, shapeless dresses and cigarette holders stormed into fashion changing the look of woman forver.”

WHAT’S YOUR FAVORITE ERA?

“50s petticoats and poodle skirts epitomise my favorite era. The sword and sandal films were some of the greatest movies ever made”

“Forgetting the war, I’d go back to the 40s right now if I could. Elbow length gloves, femme fatals and men who would treat a girl right.”

June

DIARY th

Mon e h T f O e uot

“I don’t know who invented high heels, but all women owe him a lot.”

Exhibition:

Between the Covers: Women’s Magazines and Their Readers

Marilyn Monroe

Designer: tte o l r a h C n Daffer

heck out wearable art and jewellery from designer Charlotte Daffern. She combines new and vintage materials and her client list ranges from art collectors to pop stars. Her latest collection explores what it is to be British. “I want to revive nostalgic glamour in contrast with an insurgent and contemporary style”, says Charlotte. “A sense of humour and a naivety is a common thread within my work”.

View Charlotte’s art at www.crafthaus.ning.com/profile/ charlottedaffern

hey offered advice, gave inspiration and were their readers’ most loyal companions. Women’s magazines survived everything from wars and the suffragette movement, their covers and topics changing with our aspirations. The exhibition shows how writing about love and relationships, looking good, house and home, and the wider world has been evolving since the first issue of the 1728 almanac The Ladies Diary. Modern success stories such as Cosmopolitan and Take a Break are also featured. Admire the naivety of 1960s teen weeklies or read the feminist pamphlets warning their readers, “You start by sinking into his arms and end up with your arms in his sink”. The Exhibition runs at the Women’s Library, until 29 August. Visit www.londonmet.ac.uk

Interior: London cafe ‘E. Pellicci’ W

alk past the long line of Subway chain shops and kebab take-aways in Bethnal Green, East London, and you will stumble upon E. Pellicci, a tiny pocket of living history and one of the few remaining vintage London cafes. Opened in 1900 its interior hasn’t changed much since. It is run by the same family of Italian immigrants and invites everyone to indulge in a daily gossip with a latte or two. It was visited by the notorious twin brothers Reggie and Ronnie Kray who dominated the crime scene in London’s East End throughout the 50s and 60s, dropping in for the occasional esE. Pell icci is presso here. With sepia family pictures on the walls, and menu homemade at 33 2 Bet shepherd’s pie and spaghetti napoli on the menu this original greasy hnal G reen R spoon is well worth a visit. o

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very fashionista knows that the Fifties are experiencing another style revival. Michelle Obama, already touted as a style icon to rival Jackie Kennedy, is just one of the high-profile personalities to take on the trend, wearing a high-waisted, full-skirted dress on her first day in the White House. Fifties aficionado Mike Brown’s The 1950s Look: Recreating the Fashions of the Fifties is a guide to the trends and signature styles of the era.

Book release: The 1950s Look

The 50s Look is priced at £16.99 and is available online or through major UK bookshops.

Cocktail of the Month

Alabama Slammer Shot Amaretto Shot Of Vodka Dash Of Soda Cranberry Juice Squeeze Of Lime

Location: Camden Town

intage clothing, art and ephemera nut? Thought so. Camden Town is the place for you. It has one of the biggest concentrations of vintage in Europe and attracts a diverse crowd of visitors every day. The most exciting place to browse is the Stables Market. Crammed under a Victorian railway viaduct, each outlet has its own distinctive character. Punk rock meets Californian folk in Lost n Found while Hide Out has lots of tongue in cheek pieces from spandex to oriental kaftans. If you are looking for an exotic gift, then head to 844 Vintage Clothing. Open only at weekends, it has shelves of antique porcelain, toys, and post-

cards as well as more quirky items such as worn out leather suitcases. For comic lovers, Camden has the biggest and best stores in London including Mega City Comics and Forbidden Planet. Whatever your passion, Camden will have something to tempt you. Find time to relax on the Camden Lock beaches and observe the most eccentric crowd anywhere in the world. Nearest underground station is Camden Town, on the Northern Line. The station is normally closed on Sundays.

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LIFESTYLE

“Love looks not with the eyes, but with the mind; and therefore is winged Cupid painted blind.”

orget the year of the Ox, 2009 is the year of the hook-up. The date has been pushed aside in favour of one-night stands and friends “with benefits”. A dozen red roses plus dinner and a movie are things of the silver screen. In short, the date is outdated. The signs that romance might be on the rocks are everywhere, not least on the worldwide web. Modems and broadband connections have opened up a new world of possibilities, but it’s more like internet shopping than

William Shakespeare, 1594 promiscuous as men. It also debunked the myth that blokes are more likely to end up with several children by different partners. “The study shows that women are just as likely to seek out just as many partners as men,” said Dr Gillian Brown, a sexual psychologist at St Andrew’s University. “It really does question the idea that there is one universal sexual rule that applies to men and women. The conventional view of promiscuous, undiscriminating males and coy, choosy females doesn’t seem to be true."

breakfast. Goodbye gentlemen, hello players. For the wannabe ladies man there are tons of websites and even several books - all claiming to make any guy a babe magnet. Trust me, we’re rolling our eyes here at Era too. Online, these lotharios can join a “seduction community”, where men can discuss tactics and pulling techniques. The Maniac High Pickup Guide is one such place for sad, pathetic...err socially challenged individuals. “Maniac lives in Tokyo, Japan and likes to pick up chicks,” it begins.

“Don’t expect to exchange phone numbers, get walked to your door or invited to dinner with this new breed of man.” heartfelt passion. Google “dating” and you’re hit with a tidal wave of matchmaking sites, forums and chat rooms each promising relationships, love and a lifetime of married bliss with your very own Prince Charming. But contrary to popular delusion, not every woman’s looking for a ring on her finger and 2.4 children. In fact many want the opposite. Promiscuity’s back in a big way and it’s not just the males of the species partaking. A recent study of over 10,000 people showed women are currently just as

So now some women are starting to behave like the guys, how are blokes changing to keep up? Lots of us know PDA means public display of affection, but are you familiar with the term PUA? Well, it stands for ‘pickup artist’. Don’t expect to exchange phone numbers, get walked to your door or invited to dinner with this new breed of man. The pickup artist does exactly what it says on the tin, picks up women for sex and vanishes in a cloud of smoke before it’s time for

“This site is devoted to that endeavour…you will learn how to find out what chicks REALLY want (rather than what they say they want), how to be that man they want, and how to get them dying for you to screw them.” Charming. Although an amusing and sometimes disturbing read, what comes across is the site’s total lack of interest in women other than as a way to get off. “Chicks” are to be “picked up” and disposed off. And clubbing is more like a trip to the...u

supermarket to grab a pint of milk. Go back just 30 years and the dating protocol was very different. It was February 1973. John danced up to Jean at the village disco, swaying in time to Rod Stewart, wearing twotone faded green denim jeans and a fisherman’s knit jumper. A vision in green, he asked her to dance. The night ended with John walking Jean home and asking for her phone number. Sunday night he called and invited her out to dinner. They courted for eight months before an engagement, marriage and children followed Leap forward to the 21st century and we’re surrounded by tawdry, disposable relationships. “Why isn’t he leaving?” hisses my housemate under

a touch of awkwardness, and if it’s really good, a sweet (almost Splenda) kiss at the end of the night.” But the campaign’s a non-starter with just nine people signed up. Worryingly the “Friend with Benefits” group is thriving, with nearly a thousand members - and it’s just one of over 50 groups with similar names and aims. In a world of casual work and casual clothes it seems casual sex might just be the next step. Marnia Robinson agrees. Her book, Cupid’s Poisoned Arrow looks at sexual relationships. According to her after being hit by Cupid’s arrow “creeping disillusionment, born of Cupid’s poison, then motivates us to merge our genes with exciting new partners as well (even

“Clubbing is more like a trip to the supermarket to grab a pint of milk” her breath as she boils the kettle out of courtesy for her one night stand. He didn’t take the hint because she didn’t think she had to give it. The boy in question spends several more awkward hours in our lounge, unaware that his presence is no longer required. He tries to hold her hand (her eyes widen) and then an uncertain arm is rested round her shoulders. Finally, three hours and seven minutes later he leaves. Cue sighs of relief all round. It’s a touch painful to watch - the final nail being hammered into the coffin of romance. There is, however, a glimmer of hope. There are still people out there yearning for good, old-fashioned heart-fluttering . People like Brigid Greenway. Brigid is on a crusade to bring back dates with her Facebook group “Is traditional dating dead?” Her plea is simple: “I don't consider myself oldfashioned - but am I the only person out there who wants an honest date? One that makes butterflies in the stomach, with

though we may choose to grit our teeth and resist temptation). “Why? Our genes are programmed for their own immortality, and they don’t politely wait for opportunity to knock. These little wisps of DNA urge us toward lots of pregnancies and a variety of partners.” So, is love dead or is it just our primal urge to procreate re-emerging? Did we ever really need dating? Well there are no definite answers, but I know I, for one, would welcome the return of a little bit of chivalry. Not just because it would mean fewer awkward hours on the sofa with my housemate’s latest fling

Marnia Robinson’s Cupid’s Poisoned Arrow is available to buy at a discounted price of £13.99 to all Era readers (RRP £17.99).Visit our website www.eramagazine.com for details.

Lost in Translation The slang and buzz words surrounding dating and sex have certainly changed over the years. So are you going steady or hanging out? Friends with benefits or just good friends? Why not take a lesson in the latest phrases from Mr Maniac High. For your enjoyment (and ours) here are just a few of his choice abbreviations. NRFR - “Not Ready For a Relationship”, a statement uttered by women which essentially indicates that although she’s not in a current relationship, she wouldn’t want one with you, let alone go out with you. FMAC - “Find, Meet, Attract, Close”, the search and destroy nature of a pickup artist illustrated in four words. HB - “Hot babe” LJBF - “ ‘Let’s Just Be Friends’, a slammer statement uttered by women which essentially closes the door on any chance of you ever sleeping with her.” MCDS - “Most Chicks Don’t Suffice”, a feeling in a guy that most chicks don’t interest him enough. In extreme scenarios only being interested in chicks that are extremely beautiful. How awful for him.

KISS ME QUICK:The romantic image of a sailor sweeping a nurse off her feet the day Japan surrendered in World War II.The photo, taken by LIFE Magazine, is their most reproduced image ever. The couple, presumed to be sweethearts separated by war, were actually total strangers. Noted by many as the “perfect kiss”. It seems this might have only been in a visual sense.

OQ - “Over Qualify”, the point where the chick rules herself out for not feeling good enough for any kind of relationship with you. UFEA - “Universal Female Excuse Archive”, e.g. “I’m washing my hair that night”, “My Grandma’s cat died”...etc. Well, with “master pick up artists” like this around, it’s safe to say my gran has a houseful of unwell cats that need caring for - oh and I just remembered I really need to wash my hair tonight.

EVENTS

Fat Sam eat your heart out, this is the new Grand Slam in town

hat a difference a day makes, 24 little hours - but in this case the difference is 80 years. We’ve stepped from 2009 to the 1950s and all just by walking through a bar door. Welcome to the Old House Speakeasy. This little cocktail bar sits between designer boutiques and vintage shops on Devonshire Street on the outskirts of Sheffield city centre. Fat Sam eat your heart out, this is the new Grand Slam in town. Well,

drinks with a mojito to die for. The floor length red drapes framing the big front windows fit perfectly with the purple facade on the bar front. A Bloody Strong and Northern Bloody Mary (with Henderson’s Relish, a spicy Yorkshire version of Worcestershire Sauce) adds a local touch to this cosy side street boozer. The interior may be a blast from the past but The Old House

“Gangsters and molls are dancing the Charleston in flapper dresses and braces” for tonight at least. The Old House has gone old school and for one night is transformed into a Speakeasy to rival the bars of Chicago in Bugsy Malone’s days. Manager Tim Taylor rushes around the bar almost losing his hat in the crush of people; a champagne tower behind him and a packed bar in front of him. Gangsters and molls are dancing the Charleston in flapper dresses and braces, high heels tapping on the dark wood floors. Reminders of prohibition are all around with figures on the wallpaper in flat caps, shot in sepia, holding placards saying “we want beer”. The Cocktail menu dubbed “the booze bible” has an array of decadent

is definitely the new kid on the block, winning Best Bar at last year’s Exposed Awards after being open less than two years. The place offers old school glamour and is a regular for trendy students and suits alike. So dust off your dancing shoes and get your headbands at the ready for the next prohibition crushing event scheduled for early next month

Got an event you want Era to cover? Get in touch via our website: www.eramagazine.com

CLOCKWISE FROM TOP: Dolled up and sipping mojitos; prohibition poster; Baker Boy braces; tassled flapper dresses; Tim Taylor (bar manager) and the rest of the Old House team

LIFESTYLE

Confessions of th Thought you were obsessed with vintage? fixation for vintage shapes their

awn, from Wisconsin, U.S.A, runs the infamous Timeless Treasures Boutique. It’s packed full of last century’s rarities and every vintage girl’s fantasies. Her pieces have graced the big screen in films like Titanic, and various American TV shows.

“My name is Dawn Steckmesser, and I am a vintageaholic.”

my own shop. The rest was history. I have had my store now 15 years. I opened in November of 1993. The store started small, we only had three rooms. Now we have expanded into three connecting store fronts. “I regularly “shop” the storage area, clean it up and in the store it goes. I get several fashion magazines so I can keep up with the trends. I like to carry vintage that can be trendy, but I also carry classic vintage also. We even have some kitschy or cottage chic décor.”

How has this passion affected your life?

“Vintage clothing is a very personal thing to collect. Clothing can tell us a lot about the past. Take the dresses of the 1920s, a rebellious time for women. The dresses had drop-waists and flat on top, that way women didn’t have to show their curves. “I believe that I am a collector first and a dealer second. I develop a bond with my items. I r e s teckmes can look Dawn S at a fancy Dawn’s 1950s hat, on K athy Bate dress and s in Titan When did you first discover ic wish it could talk. vintage? Tell me who owned it, where “It was about 22 years ago, when my was it worn or why was it not worn. mother gave me an Edwardian handThere are times I wish I could go bag. I was dating my future husband back in time, to when women dressed at the time and we began going to like women and a man looked like a auctions and estate sales. We would gentleman. pick up tons of hats, shoes, purses and “I also like to teach people how to clothing. We then got married and blend vintage with what they already realized that we had been storing lots own in their present wardrobe, like of vintage items at my parents’ home. wearing a 40s suit jacket with a lace We never realized just how much we camisole and a cool pair of jeans. had until we had to move it all to our Vintage doesn’t have to be worn head new home.” to toe. Blend it, mix it, enjoy it.”

Why did you open a store?

“Since we had so much vintage I decided to follow my dream of opening

How did you start working with Hollywood?

“When the movie Titanic was being made, the costumer found she needed lots of vintage from the 1912 era. We sent her items for each shoot. The movie then came out and we went to see it. At first it was difficult to recognize anything. But then a scene with Kate Winslet and Kathy Bates came on. They were sitting around a table with other people, Kate was smoking, and there sitting atop of Kathy Bates head was my hat. A very large black ostrich feather with red rose hat, I nearly fainted. “From there we supplied other movies and TV like Seabiscuit, Mona Lisa’s Smile, That 70’s Show and lots of others.”

What is your favourite era?

“I adore clothing from the roaring 1920s through the 1940s. There is so much attention to detail with these items. I like the 1950s, especially items that have an I love Lucy look. So in a nutshell I can honestly say, I am a vintage clothing addict” Timeless Treasures Vintage Clothing Boutique 110-112 North 8th Street, Manitowoc, Wisconsin, 54220 (tel. 920682-6566). Her Ebay store is Slapsymaxi2’s Vintage Speakeasy.

he Vintageaholics Think again. meet three lovely ladies whose friendships, spare time and careers.

arah, sews her own clothes from retro patterns and promotes national vintage fairs. She collects buttons, old magazines and furniture, A college art teacher, she also tours the UK selling hand-made accessories.

How did your fascination with vintage start?

Scene from Confessions of a Shopaholic

“I always liked to hold on to stuff. I have more in common with retro magazines from the 50s than with modern ones. Now we are forced to upgrade our wardrobe every season and throw everything we have away. I like the idea that nothing is disposable, like 1940s “make, do and mend” approach. “My grandma was a seamstress, so I am used to making clothes. Sometimes it didn’t go well though, I remember once she made matching dungarees for my brother and me that were truly horrific.”

How did you become involved in Vintage Fairs?

“I have been a regular at the fairs for a long time, then I got to Sarah M know Judy [Berger - the orellor ganiser of Affordable Vintage Fairs. A Selfridges personal shopper in the past, she runs UK biggest clothes swapping website www.whatsmineisyours.com] “Now I have a stall with jewellery and do promotions. We have been to 15 locations up and down the country including London. “I am friends with people like stall holders –we are like one big family. People who like vintage tend to be a certain kind of person, they are very enthusiastic about what they do. “It seems like all of a sudden vintage is becoming more popular. Once people discover the thrill of finding a little gem that nobody else has got they get hooked “My name is Sarah Mellor, to it.” and I am a vintageaholic.”

What’s in your collection?

“My shelves are filled with jars of buttons and I’ve got rails of vintage clothes. Dresses made in a post-war period suit my pear-like body shape more than any high street garments. “But one have to be careful, I once bought a gorgeous 1940s dress and after washing it shrank to a tiny size overnight. It was handmade and made from rayon, a material that has got everything in it even woodchips. Magically, it stretched back again but since then I am afraid to wear it. “My house has been largely furnished with the stuff from charity shops. I’ve even got a 1962 suede sofa from Ebay for a tenner. A man I got it from bought it for his wife and had to pay for it for six years. It was their pride and joy. I also like rummaging through car boot sales – they are good for vintage home ware. I bought a 1970s sunburst Metamec clock at one of them.”

Is vintage the next big thing?

“It’s not strange to wear second hand clothes anymore and it’s becoming very important to recycle and reuse. “People assume that it is very expensive to have their clothes made. When Christian Dior shows their collection why get one of their patterns and make your own couture dress? “We should bring back the same liberty in fashion again.” The next Affordable Vintage Fair will be held in York on Sunday, 19th July. Check out www.vintagefair.co.uk for more details.

Isla Fisher in Confessions of a Shopaholic

nne, aka Lulu is an online vintage store owner, stylist and blogger based in Portland, Oregon. Every day she updates her website with the best selection of vintage, inspiring thousands of online fashion fanatics. She interviews vintage junkies from all over the world on their love of anything from Art Nouveau to 1940s aprons. When did you first discoverer vintage? “When I was a little girl I would play dress up and I distinctly remember wearing Lucite heels and some of my grandmother’s vintage bracelets. “Ever since then, I can remember my mum taking me with her to garage sales and thrift stores. There was a phase when I was trying to fit in and refused to do it, but I got over that and began going to thrift

“My name is Anne Weiland, and I am a vintageaholic.” stores again in high school. This was when I started paying attention to the quality, detail and uniqueness of vintage clothing and I’ve been hooked ever since.” How did you start your collection? “I started collecting vintage clothing for myself in 1990. Lulu’s Vintage on-line store and blog was designed by my brother. “I’ve been selling vintage clothing and accessories online since 2006, around the same time that I started blogging. Whether it’s looking for items to resell on my store site, or just for me, I love the thrill of the hunt when I am out shopping for vintage. I thoroughly enjoy collecting and selling vintage clothing and accessories.” What’s the best thing about your job? “I love sharing my passion for vintage, and with being a vintage blogger I can share that passion with people from around the globe.”

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If you had to have clothes from one era which would you pick? “It’s hard to choose just one era. I like the feminine details of the Edwardian era, the beading and other decorative details of the 1920s, the bias cut sleek gowns of the 1930s, the cute rayon prints of the 1940s and the

Anne We

full skirted look of the 1950s.”

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Who are your favourite designers, and what are you most precious pieces? “My favourite vintage designers are Leon Baskt, Erte, Paul Poiret, Ceil Chapman, Christian Dior, Oleg Cassini, Hubert de Givenchy and Elsa Schiaparelli. “My favourite vintage items are Twenties beaded flapper dresses, Thirties satin and floral chiffon gowns, a Forties Christian Dior coat and dress, and whimsical vintage purses from the 1920s to the 1960s.” What are your plans for the future? “I want to add more stock to Lulu’s Vintage Store. I’m also planning on starting to sell on EBay, as well as opening a proper store in the next few years ”

Check out Lulu’s vintage blog at www.lulusvintage.com

FILM

10. Cabaret The first, but not the only, entry of a musical about Nazis. Set in 1930s Berlin just before Hitler’s rise to power, this Oscar winner isn’t just a bit of light entertainment. A young Englishman finds himself in the chaos of Berlin and the arms of nightclub dancer Sally Bowles, Liza Minelli. It’s a tale of decadence, love and great Fosse routines.

9. Little Shop of Horrors A boy, a girl and a giant man-eating plant from outer space. An absurd and instantly lovable film - Little Shop tells the story of a nerdy florist and his chance to grab the chipmunkvoiced object of his affections. All he has to do is keep an enormous, ravenous talking plant well fed, but the plant, Audrey II, has some grotesque eating habits. Will good triumph over evil, or will the plant end up chomping its way around the entire world? There’s only one way to find out.

8. The Lion King Where would any top list of musicals be without a little Disney? Ridiculously catchy songs and the loveable Timon and Pumba and other cutesy animal cast are a hit with adults and kids across the globe. The Lion King’s lining the pockets of Disney execs to this day with an incredibly successful stage show still alive and kicking on Broadway and in the West End. The musical duo of Elton John and Tim Rice provided some unforgettable songs - and to think, Elton worried it would be a new low point in his career.

7. Mary Poppins Just a spoon full of sugar and the terrible “Cockney” accent of Dick Van Dyke, help the medicine go down. Mary Poppins was the first film for stage performer Julie Andrews, who nearly missed out on playing the kindly nanny due to pregnancy. Disney were so enamoured with the star they waited for her, and a shrewd decision it turned out to be. The film catapaulted Andrews into stardom and didn’t do Disney badly either, netting them 13 Oscar nominations, the most they’ve ever received for a film.

6. The Rocky Horror Picture Show This singalong cult hit first flopped when it hit cinemas in the 70s, only to bounce back years later. Written by Richard O’Brien (yes, that baldy bloke from The Crystal Maze) it stars up-and-coming stars Barry Bostwick and Susan Sarandon as Brad and Janet, the wholesome couple turned bad by transvestite mad scientist Dr Frank N Furter, the delightful Tim Curry. It’s guaranteed to have you doing the Time Warp again and again and again.

5. Singin’ in the Rain Described as one of the best musical films of all time, this 50s favourite is as loved now as it was back in the day. Gene Kelly’s famous dance routine where he splashes through the puddles, getting utterly soaked along the way, was actually done in milky water so the droplets would show up on film. It was filmed in just one take, with a feverish Kelly barely able to stand. But like a true professional, his sizzling performance doesn’t show it.

Top 10 Musicals of All Time THE MUSICAL MUST-SEES GUARANTEED TO GET YOUR TOES TAPPING

4. My Fair Lady The infamous story of a Cockney flower girl who takes speech lessons so she can pass as a lady. Based on George Bernard Shaw’s Pygmalion, the popular stage play spawned an even more popular film starring Audrey Hepburn (although not her own singing voice) as Eliza Doolittle. There was a casting controversy with littleknown Broadway Eliza, Julie Andrews, being passed over in favour of a well-known star. The film is packed with charm and witty lyrics and Audrey Hepburn is as cute as a button, even though the dubbed singing sounds nothing like her.

3. The Sound of Music An escapist film about, well, escaping. Nuns, governesses and Nazis seem an unlikely recipe for one of the most popular musicals ever made. Throw in a handful of cute kids and some stick-in-your-head songs and it’s no wonder this 1965 film has earned our number three spot. The plot is very loosely based on the real life Von Trapp Family Singers, who fled Austria to escape the Third Reich. Sure the story is a little sugar-coated but if you aren’t even slightly charmed by this then you may have a heart of stone.

2. The Wizard of Oz Truly one of the greatest musicals ever made; The Wizard of Oz has an enchanting story, gorgeous visuals and high-pitched munchkins. The role of Dorothy went to 16-year-old Judy Garland, who knocks your socks off from the very beginning with Over The Rainbow. In the spirit of the Tin Man, if you’re feeling in the mood to sing with all your heart, grab your hairbrush and go to town on this perfect fantasy fairytale. A night in filled with sparkling red shoes, melting witches and epic ballads, you couldn’t ask for much more.

1. Grease It’s still the one that we want... If you’ve not seen Grease then it is possible you’ve never lived! The tale of goody two shoes Sandy who wins over the rebellious high school heartthrob, Danny, by donning the tightest pair of pants you’ll ever see and wiggling provocatively. Grease is the sort of high school experience we all wish we’d had. OK, the moral message of “change everything about yourself so guys will like you” isn’t the greatest, but damn those songs are catchy.

Olivia Newton-John and John Travolta as high school sweethearts Danny and Sandy

COVER

Audrey Hepburn

HER SON REMEMBERS THE FAIREST LADY OF FILM

ean Ferrer, the eldest son of Audrey Hepburn, is followed by the ghost of his mother wherever he goes. Glimpses of her face peek out at him from the most unexpected places. A poster in a cafe in Florence, eyes twinkling, watches him whenever he takes a stroll across the Piazza della Signoria. Her voice drifts from the television set left flickering in the corner of his room. “It’s something I never really get used to,” he says. “She’s been gone 16 years and all of a sudden I hear her voice and I’m back in our home in Switzerland and she’s calling to me from the other room.” Tall, solidly built Sean looks nothing like his mother. Where she was delicate and wispy, he’s broad and powerful - but the voice, gentle and well pronounced, is tinted with her. “We have the same eyes too, so I’m told,” he says fondly. “My father always said the Ferrer genes managed to overpower everything except the

Her uncle and a cousin were shot and killed before her eyes for being part of the Resistance. Days were spent curled up in bed aching with hunger - eating dog biscuits and green bread because the only flour available was made from peas. “I think that those experiences, living in the country which was the longest occupied during World War II and other difficulties she faced throughout her life, ultimately made her into the person that she was,” says Sean. But the horrors of the war also robbed Audrey of a lifelong dream - to be a prima ballerina. She had trained for years in the Netherlands and later in London under the renowned Marie Rambert. “My mother one day asked Marie ‘When will it happen? When will I be ready to be a prima ballerina?” and the woman was honest with her,” says Sean. “She told my mother she was very

She’d won major acting awards including an Oscar for Roman Holiday and was a fashion icon - her chic, elfin appearance much admired and imitated. “People always ask me: ‘What was it like to be the son of this famous movie star?’ ” says Sean. “I have no idea because to me she was just my mum. She came shopping with me for socks and books for school, and woke up with a sleepy head in the morning to help me with my homework.” A year after Sean was born his mother was to make the most famous of all her films, Breakfast at Tiffany’s. He was too young to remember being on set, but recalls, years later, his enjoyment when seeing the film for the first time. “Every actor has their sacred film and that was the one for her,” he says. “It perfectly unites the essential themes and fashions, the look, the style, the kind of story, the humour. “As she always said about it everything was there, you have an extraor-

“I’ve no idea what it was like to be the son of a famous movie star, because to me she was just my mum.” eyes.” He is speaking from an office of the Audrey Hepburn Children’s Fund in Italy - a country where Audrey lived for many years. Since her death in 1993, Sean and his brother Luca have helped establish and run the charity organisation. Together they continue helping starving children across the world, the work that consumed the final years of Audrey’s life. “She dedicated her last five years to helping others,” Sean tells me. “In fact it’s probably the second career with UNICEF will remain her legacy - a way for people to feel reassured that the lovely twig they all fell in love with in the 1950s turned out to be this wonderful human being.” But this “lovely twig” knew a great deal about growing up hungry. Her early childhood was spent in Holland during the war, at the time of the German occupation. Twelve-year-old Audrey watched Jewish families being loaded into cattle cars and taken from their homes.

tall, which made it difficult for male ballerinas to lift her and the lack of proper nutrition, lack of muscle development, lack of proper training because of the war had robbed her of that opportunity. “She could have had a lovely career as a second ballerina, teaching at Marie’s school, but my mother really wanted to do something well, so as heartbroken as she was she decided ‘If I can’t be best at this then I’ll do something else’.” If it weren’t for this Audrey Hepburn the actress might never have come to be. Modelling jobs and bit parts followed and soon the spotlight swung her way and she swiftly became famous across the globe. Sean was born at the height of his mother’s fame. It was 1960 and her Hollywood star was shining bright. Audrey had appeared alongside all the top leading men - Humphrey Bogart, Henry Fonda and, her favourite, Fred Astaire, whose movies she had adored when growing up.

dinary director, you’ve got a great story, a great script, fantastic theme, songs, music…all of it, it’s not just her. It’s a fabulous film and she’s in it. “She always believed in that and always operated under that. It’s like a chain, it’s only going to be as strong as the weakest link and so she always wanted the best cameraman, make-up person and she really paid attention to detail…and it paid off.” But having her first child slowed and eventually stalled Audrey’s acting career. She had a happy marriage to actor and director Mel Ferrer and she had become a mother. Life was good. Sean’s early childhood was scattered across the world. Where his mother went, he followed - America, Spain, Italy and France - film sets, premieres, parties and award ceremonies. Although she made a few screen appearances in the 1970s and 1980s, the last of her major films Wait Until Dark, was made when Sean was seven. “I ended the career of Audrey Hepburn,” says Sean, pausing for...u

TOP LEFT TO BOTTOM RIGHT; Young Audrey in Gigi, her first major stage role, 1951; Roman Holiday’s Gregory Peck, Audrey and Sean at an award ceremony, 1989; make-up touch up on the set of How to Steal a Million, 1966; (L to R) Humphrey Bogart, Audrey, William Olden in Sabrina, 1954.

effect. “Well, at least that’s what people might think. When I couldn’t travel any more and go to the sets and be with her she pretty much gave up her career and became a full time mum. “She purposefully chose to live in Switzerland because she wasn’t interested in the celebrity. She was very thankful for having had the opportunity to be a self made woman, independent, have a home and raise her family and be self-sufficient.” Audrey gave her son a continental upbringing at their family home in Switzerland. They played in the sunny garden, picked flowers and cooked simple meals together in the large, airy kitchen. Her film career was on hold indefinitely. “I think she liked the movie business but I lived with her for this whole period where she felt too old to be a wife and too young to be a grandmother that was the line she always said. “She waited it out until she could play a role again that she would be comfortable with. She turned down a few important roles, which I think were mistakes. She turned down The Turning Point, a lovely film, a story about a dancer. She turned down Out of Africa too. But maybe it was the right thing, maybe she didn’t want to

do that any more. “She liked a private life and she couldn’t bear the thought that she might fail as a mother. She happily swapped film sets for coming down to the school gates religiously every day to pick me up. She just wanted us to have a normal life.” The two of them were inseparable Sean was her best friend and she his. It was at this time when his parents’ dreams of love and happiness fell apart. In 1968 they got divorced. A year later saw the start of her second marriage to Italian doctor Andrea Dotti. Audrey dreamed of a quiet life in Rome as a doctor’s wife and the pair had a son together, but this partnership too was doomed to fail. After the split Sean tried to follow in his father’s footsteps, moving to America and pursuing a career as a film director. Unlike his parents before him, he met with little success in Hollywood, only finding occasional work as an assistant director or associate producer. But for now he has

his hands full managing his mother’s estate. “It’s fine with me,” he says. “I like doing what I’m doing, particularly what I do for the Fund. It may have been charming to be an aspiring film director in my twenties but now I’m about to hit forty the charm has worn off. I don’t regret giving it a go though.” But did his mother, with two exhusbands gathered along the way, have any regrets? “I think, if she had any regrets, it was the failure of her marriages,” says Sean carefully. “Don’t get me wrong, there were so many happy years - no, maybe regret is the wrong word. She must have been disappointed at not being able to complete them. She wanted to heal the hurt and feed the emotional hunger

of everyone she met.” It was this drive to help others which led to her five-year association with UNICEF. She travelled throughout the third world, bringing back horror stories and a disappointed look in her eye. But it was after a trip to Somalia that the bottom fell out of Sean’s world. “I remember her calling me saying she’d been to hell and back. There was something dark and chilling in her voice. She said she’d tell me more when she got back.” But it wasn’t to be. As soon as Audrey returned to Los Angeles, where she and Sean were living, she was rushed to hospital complaining of stomach pains. Exploratory surgery revealed cancer spreading through her abdomen. Tests revealed the cancer was inoperable - she was going to die. “I was the one who went into her room to tell her the bad news. I told her what the doctor had told us. I’ll never forget her response. She just looked out of the window and said ‘how disappointing’. That was that. We took her home to Switzerland and she died a few weeks later. “I guess the best that modern medicine could offer was an early enough diagnosis that we had some precious time left,” says Sean. Sean’s life fell apart when she died. They were so close that he has never quite got back on track. He married, divorced and married again, choosing

to raise his two sons in Italy as it’s the place him and his mother were happiest. He devotes all his time now to continuing the work Audrey was doing toward the end of her life. “A few months after she passed away,” he says, “my brother Luca and I went into her dressing room. It was a nice sort of room, the size of a child’s bedroom with closets all around. We opened one after another and all the closets were empty and when we got to the last two there was her entire wardrobe. “What had happened over the last few years of her life as she travelled for UNICEF, she had to leave with two suitcases and be ready to do a trip to Somalia, to Vietnam, go to Washington DC and have breakfast with a senator, go on The Larry King Show and attend a fundraiser in New York and then come home. “She really had to boil down and create an essential wardrobe and that’s really all she had left. She really focused on the necessary things. After a while you have to have the courage to chuck stuff out and keep just a few pieces that work. I’ve had myself a difficult time with that because I like to hang on to things - it’s hard to let go.” Whether he means hard to let go of things or hard to let go of her, I don’t know

To visit the website of the Audrey Hepburn Children’s Fund go to: www.audreyhepburn.com

Once upon a time...

VINTAGE CINDERELLA STORY: dresses and shoes provided by Bang Bang Vintage and Freshmans, jewellery by Antiquarians, menâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s clothing by Syd and Mallory

FASHION Bang Bang Vintage 19 Westfield Terrace S1 4GH Tel: 0114 272 4842

ow: The bright yellow shop front of Cow is glaringly different to the mostly mediocre, even mundane facades of the rest of West Street in Sheffield. And the clothes inside continue the theme. A pair of gold stilettos in soft leather with a rounded toe sit proudly on top of a wooden crate display. These are a one off, perfect to accompany that little black dress when those Topshop platforms are just out of your price-range and nothing in Office seems quite right. This particular pair now sits in a different wooden crate, my wardrobe. No surprise then that the window display changes on a weekly if not daily basis at Sheffield’s newest edition to the vintage shopping scene. The shop boasts a collection of shoes to rival that of Imelda Marcos. Add to that a collection of belts and bling that would give any high street store a run for their money and Cow has put itself firmly on the map as the place to go for the perfect outfit update. You can be sure that any purchase from this fledgling retailer will, like the paint job on the outside, not fade into the background.

Sheffield 32

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eadowhall. The first out of town shopping centre in the UK definitely deserves a visit

amas and Leonies on Norfolk Street. The small cafe just outside the city centre would give Happy Days a run for its money with its feel good vibe and friendly table service. And if you’re feeling really retro we recommend the ice cream float to bring back those childhood memories and quench your thirst after a hard days shopping.

ang Bang Vintage: Struggling to find that cute cocktail dress for the summer wedding? With crazy prints and retro stylings any dress plucked from the rails of this little boutique is a definite conversation piece. Failing that, name drop style icon Alexa Chung who was seen recently perusing the pretty little pieces the shop has to offer and you’ve got an instant injection of cool. For those who fancy exploring a little further afield there is the out of town shopping Mecca of

while in the Steel City. All of this is bound to get you working up an appetite so Era suggests

a de ge’ at no h lo an n d ge we r re car fo rie un s d the by s ro tigm ot a in o gr f ou clo nd the ch s t ar ha ity t s sh me op ll bi fain ns tly .

reshmans: You’d be forgiven for thinking that you had walked into a shop from the stomping ground of Grease’s Sandy and Danny as you enter Freshmans on Carver Street. Not just an outlet for American style circa 1950, Freshmans covers all bases with prom dresses of the 80s and the student favourite, the cut off denim skirt. Constructed from old Levi jeans the sometimes miniscule skirts are made of stronger stuff than your River Island pelmets and an investment buy for under £20 in most cases.

Meadowhall Attercliffe S9 1EP Tel: 0114 25688

Freshmans 6-8 Carver St S1 3DU Tel: 0114 272 8333

Mamas and Leonies 111-115 Norfolk Street, S1 2JE Tel: 0114 272 0490

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Cow West St, S1 4ES Tel: 0114-272 6276

Bristol

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you know you’re getting one-offs. Rummage through the overflowing shelves and rails and you’ll also find jeans, some amazingly psychedelic retro print dresses, shirts and skirts, as well as mad accessories, old telephones, buttersoft leather boots, old-skool sportswear, leather bags and some bling old lady jewellery - all funky, kitsch and lots of fun. In fact, the decor alone in this pimped up thrift-shop makes it worth a visit, think Austin Powers and you’re not far off. This haven isn’t for the faint hearted, it attracts young funky people who dance to their own tune. Expect to encounter lime green flares and dresses that look like 80s curtains.

ncle Sam’s : This shop is dedicated to the country that brought us the American Dream, think Grease mixed with Ferris Buellers Day Off, Saturday Night Fever and Top Gun and you might be close. The smell of leather hits you when you walk in, it’s no wonder considering the vast amount of vintage cowboy boots and leather jackets this shop holds. 50s pilot jackets, heavy-duty 60s fur-lined coats and 80s Thriller-style jackets, you couldn’t ask for much more, and if you did it would be cheeky. Uncle Sam’s is Park Street’s last surviving independent shop, and when they import vintage tees from LA every couple of months, it’s easy to see how they have kept up their huge fan base in the city. The downside to both of these vintage shops is that you have to endure some very painful moments when skirts are too big, jackets too tight and boots too small. You might find yourself wishing you were fatter and your feet were smaller, but maybe you could just chop a few little toes off in the name of fashion to squeeze into those exquisite leather boots.

ePsycho : This fabulous shop sells an awesome array of original vintage and is well placed on the most bohemian of Bristol’s streets, Gloucester Road. Anyone looking for a leather jacket should make their way here first. RePsycho has racks of them, alongside suede, wool, faux-fur, cord and denim ones, all exuding 60’s and 70’s groovy chic. Lots of them are imported from America and Europe, so

Uncle Sam’s 54 Park Street, BS1 5JN Tel: 0117 929 8404

abot Circus: For those essential items you didn’t find in the vintage stores, this massive modern glasshouse building in the city centre is an oasis of high street and upmarket stores – for those clothes that will with time be the next vintage treasures. A well-earned lunch break is a must after all the hard work shopping – and we at Era found the ideal spot, boasting a huge selection of juices, loose-leaf teas and Fairtrade coffee,

oston Tea Party on Park Street offer greatt food.Why not sit outside in the terraced garden with a glass of wine? Perfect

Repsycho 85 Gloucester Road, BS7 8AS Tel: 0117 983 0007

Boston Tea Party 75 Park St, BS1 5PF Tel: 0117 929 8601

Cabot Circus BS1 3BX Tel: 0117 952 9360

FASHION

VintageTees 1

Make a statement with our choice of the best vintage inspired tops...

1. Beauty School Dropout Tee £19.99 Goodie Two Sleeves 2. Sweet & Sour Ants Tee £18.00 Topshop 3. Guitar Print Longline Tee £19.99 River Island 4. Grace Jones Tank £18.00 Topshop 5. Lennon & Yoko Tank £18.00 Topshop 6. Pop Art Tee £10.00 New Look 7. U Can’t Touch This Tee £19.99 Goodie Two Sleeves

5 6

7 35

BEAUTY

“Whatever you do, don’t iron your hair” WISE ADVICE FROM BRIDGET JONES’ PAL JUDE, BUT OTHER THAN THE HUMBLE IRON, WHAT PECULIAR BEAUTY TIPS HAVE WOMEN USED OVER THE YEARS?

cut and colour at the hairdressers can be pricey, and that is why God invented home hair colouring kits. Colouring at home is one thing, but how about a DIY perm? Enter Twinks Home Perm Kit. A staple for any self respecting housewife in the 60s. Happily, along with the perm

itself, this was a short lived beauty fix, disappearing without a trace by the mid 70s.

carlett Johansson would have been in trouble with the clergy a few centuries ago for her latest Dolce and Gabanna ad. Not just for the lingerie she’s wearing, but also the lipstick. Red lips were taken to be an “incarnation of Satan”. Modern stars are bringing back the devilish look with Gwen Stefani, Madonna and Dita Von Teese regularly sporting red lippy.

here are an array of different perfumes available to modern women, but did you ever consider eau de Sunday roast? This old time beauty solution will definitely make you popular with every dog in your neighbourhood. Step back to the 1940s and Bisto was the weapon of choice when it came to colouring your legs. Stockings were hard to come by during WWII so gravy was

smeared onto the legs with a line drawn down the back giving the illusion of a stocking. However, the gravy trend can be thanked for at least

one modern convenience, legs needed to be smooth for an even basting - and so the womens’ razor was born.

e all know that sickly, pale look when you’re under the weather (or had a few too many G&Ts). But pale was a craze in the early 1900s.

When TB was at its height many women looked ghostly white with sickness, but even the healthy ones wanted to look like they had consumption. Women well enough to wear make-up doused themselves in white powder in an attempt to get porcelain skin. Nicole Kidman is a fine example of the look that almost makes you want to hand her the Bisto.

Model B

“OK girls you’re on in one minute,” the stage hand dress, ready to face the rumbling Manchester crow stand up show, masses of fans were laughing and

ith one last

glance into the mirror she swept her manicured hand through her cropped golden blonde hair. Checking her lipstick she stood up onto her four inch peacock blue couture heels. Years of experience assured her she was catwalk ready. Walking onto the stage the lights blinded her, she could only make out the faces of several people in the front row. Her purple satin dress moved delicately when she walked out across the stage. Something was wrong. People were beginning to laugh. Quietly at first, but getting louder with every step she took. Dreading that her dress was falling down, or not done up properly, she moved her hands over the front and back of her outfit, ready to feel a tear or her dress completely missing. Nothing was wrong with the clothes. Thoroughly confused she turned around, hoping to get the attention of the stage hand. Behind her, tip-toeing along with no shoes on, displaying bright red socks and a cheeky grin, was Bruce himself. Mimicking her every movement and making the crowd laugh in hysterics. Smiling along with them, Bruce gave her a hug and they left the stage to ear splitting applause. That was the summer of 1961. Today Katarina sits in front of me, real name Margareta. (“Nobody could pronounce my real name back then) You wouldn’t know looking into her face, but the former Swedish fashion model turns 75 this year and is fitting me into her hectic social schedule to tell me about her days as one of Britain’s top models and taking over from actress, former Miss Sweden and cult sex symbol, Anita Ekberg, as Bauhaus’ in house

model. “After being here six months learning English and au pairing for three children, I went to a cocktail party a friend was hosting. There was a model scout there and she came up to me said ‘You are just the sort of person we could get a lot of work for’ I didn’t think much of it but a few months later, when I was back in Sweden, I was asked again, so thought I may as well give it a try. “I realised when I arrived at the company that I was taking over from former Miss World competitor Anita Ekberg, which completely shocked me, I was literally standing in the actress’ shoes, modelling the clothes she would have been wearing for buyers, I worked there for six months before I decided to go back to England and pursue my career there instead. “I went on a training course to learn how to walk a catwalk and pose for photographers, back then my measurements were 36,24,36 and I was 5’7. We were like proper women, we were allowed curves then.

Behaviour

d shouted. Katarina adjusted the strap of her couture Dior wd. Bruce Forsythe was about to finish the first half of his cheering loud enough for the models to hear backstage. “Auditioning was very competitive, masses of girls all wanting to do shows. There were 700 models in Manchester between the two top agencies, Maxine Claire and Lucy Clayton. “I was picked for my first show and the ball rolled from there, I did shows all over Manchester and the North West. With the cotton industry in Manchester they made a lot of clothes so there was always work for models showing clothes at different events. “I did many wholesale events for buyers in fashion houses, so I was wearing the up and coming trends ahead of season – I was known as being very fashionable. The strangest part was that I was modelling swimsuits when it was freezing and woolly jumpers in the heat. “In the early 60’s I modelled at the interval of Bruce Forsyth’s show at the Opera House in Manchester for the French rooms at Kendals and lots of fur and mink coats – that sort of thing. It was a twenty minute interval where

we would show couture garments from Dior. There was no space backstage at all, it was so chaotic – we were changing in the corridors. During the day we did a practice run through of the show, each of the five models had someone to dress them and there was just no room for us all. I was stood by my clothes and Bruce walked past. He said ‘my God you can’t do all this in the corridor – you come with me and you can share my dressing room’. I was completely swept off my feet. “When we got to his dressing room it was beautiful, champagne and flowers everywhere, he told me to help myself to anything, and told me to change here and do whatever I like. He gave me a rail for all my clothes as well. “It was a really great time in my life, meeting so many brilliant people, and doing lots of amazing shows. “Kendals was the fanciest shop in Manchester at the time, and I used to model Dior for their French Room shows at Candle Mill. There were lots of balls and high society events in the area as it was very wealthy. These events really made me start earning a lot of money and it was a real breakthrough. “The Manchester Miss Show was the show of the year, hundreds of girls tried out for it, and I was picked to be one of the six girls involved. It was a show for young, modern clothes and lasted a whole week. We did three shows a day and one each night. “During the show we went down the runway dancing to the Bill Hayley song The Twist, with our skirts flying around, it was an incredible breakthrough in music, nobody had heard anything like it before. “The following summer I was hired to do shows all over seaside resorts in Britain as advertising for boutiques in the areas for The Daily Express newspaper. Each show would have a different celebrity to promote it, and the one in Bournemouth was hosted by comedian Benny Hill. “Part of his job was to go out onto the streets in a horse driven car-

riage and give out invitations to well dressed women – who were lining the streets waiting to be picked. He wanted one of the models to come with him to hand out the invites and for company, and he picked me. He was a laugh a minute and so sweet. “Later in the day we had dinner for all the models and people involved in the show, and I sat next to Benny, he turned and whispered to me ‘Now Katarina – pretend I can speak Swedish” and started talking complete rubbish, in a totally believable Swedish accent, and I spoke back to him in Swedish as if I understood every word. People were amazed at him and were saying how clever he was with this second language, he completely fooled them all”

FASHION

WITH DECADES OF INCREDIBLE CLOTHING, JEWELLERY AND SHOES TO PLAY AROUND WITH, ERA’S FASHION TEAM GIVE YOU SOME TIPS FOR CREATING A TOTALLY UNIQUE LOOK.

How ke e ma tag to vin your k for wardrobe MAKE IT FIT wor Adjust the clothes you according to your needs. Ask what the clothes can do for you, not what you can do for the clothes. Be ruthless. Remove outdated shoulder pads. Replace wornout, tacky buttons and zips with contemporary ones. Women used to be shorter and smaller in waist a couple of decades ago. A good tailor can sort it out for you.

ADD VINTAGE JEWELLERY

Buying old rings, necklaces and earrings is a cheap way to get into the world of vintage. A whole bunch of bracelets will cost you less than a 60s skirt. And don’t forget about treasures from your family closet. Pearls are excellent for creating a romantic and feminine look. A gold ring left by your grandma could be a little piece of history you can wear on your finger.

GO FLORAL

Fashion has been turning to floral now and again whether it was a discreet ornamental pattern from the 50s or a giant sun-flowers on hippie jeans. Nowadays designers add some flower power to their spring/summer collections every season. Retro floral dresses look excellent with a wide contrasting belt. Choose colours and shades that will benefit your skin type. Also try polka dots, checkers or paisley.

HIGH WAIST IT Clockwise from centre: 1. Jess is wearing vintage dress (Bang Bang Vintage), scarf and bag are designer’s own. 2. Necklace (Antiquarians). 3. Karus is wearing vintage brooch (designer’s own) and cardigan (H&M).

It’s chic, sexy and retro. It suits women of all shapes and heights. It helps to illuminate your natural curves and hide a little extra ones. High waist is en vogue now and you’ll be a fool not take advantage of it. Choose between high waist trousers, jeans or pencil skirts or simply wrap a wide vintage belt around your party dress.

SEEK N INSPIRATIO

START WITH ACCESSORIES

Poets, novelists and painters have all looked to their predecessors for ideas, and we can do the same in fashion. Be inspired by style icons, movie stars and fashionistas of the past. Flick through old magazines and pay attention to detail in old films. Keep a piece of paper next to your TV or computer to note down anything that grabs your attention. Visit vintage fashion fairs and ask advice from stylists and shop keepers you’ll meet there. They will be more than happy to help you.

If you are new to wearing second hand clothing, start with sprinkling an item or two of accessories to your casual look. A vintage bag, hat or scarf can give your whole outfit an unexpected twist. Take your mother’s satin purse to a party, or throw a psychedelic scarf over a plain T-shirt. Or stun your friends with a pair of velvet gloves. Add little by little until you are confident to start building your own unique style.

There aren’t any style rules NT E M I set in stone. Be daring and cast yourself out R of the crowd. Look for unusual fabrics and tailoring. Play around with hairEXPE

dos and make-up. If you’ve run out of ideas, make a doodle of your ideal outfit, then empty your wardrobe and mix and match everything together. You can recreate the various looks step-by-step. Or choose to reinvent them into your own personal collage of eclectic style. It’s only through trial and error that you’ll find a look you’re most comfortable in.

DISTRESSED LEATHER Slightly worn-out leather or suede coats, biker jackets and shoulder or saddle bags add a cool touch to your wardrobe. They can transform you from a shy office worker to a flamboyant rock goddess or a flirty cowgirl. Do take care of leather and keep it in a cloth cover applying protective spray regularly. If the colour of a garment becomes a bit dull, use a leather and suede conditioner to fix it.

STAY TRUE TO YOU Generally, you’re able to see whether this garment is right for you from the first sight. Some pieces deserve a second chance but do not wear something you’re uncomfortable in. Identify your favourite decades and recurring trends and pretty much stick to them. If you know that you’re not a disco wear person don’t try to lure yourself into wearing them. Leave it for a fancy dress party. Allowing yourself some room for creativity and general messing about with your wardrobe is a sure way to create your own unique style.

MIX

IT U

You can take full advantage of all that vintage has to offer without looking like an extra from Ashes to Ashes. Mix vintage, high-street and designer outfits and accessories. The key here is to keep your outfit balanced with 50/50 vintage and modern pieces. So if you’re wearing a woollen 50s cardigan, you may want to balance it with Topshop jeans or miniskirt. Or if you go for a vintage dress, a pair of stilettos will do. Same thing applies to patterns and colours create a combination of plain and bright, dark and faded etc.

LIFESTYLE

Mirror, mirror on the wall HERE AT ERA, WE’VE BEEN DEBATING WHO THE MEN ARE WE’D ALL LOVE TO HAVE GOT OUR HANDS ON. SO WE MADE A LIST. AND WE’D DO NONE OF THEM JUSTICE IF WE DIDN’T THROW IN SOME GRATUITOUS PICTURES...YUM

10. Marvin Gaye

he American born soul legend arguably penned some of the sexist lyrics and beats of all time, as notorious now as they were in his 70’s heyday. Songs like Sexual Healing and Let’s Get It On could be the reason many of us were conceived in the first place. I Heard It Through the Grapevine is the best-selling Motown single of all time earning him the nickname ‘The Prince of Soul’, and he inspired the likes of Michael Jackson, Stevie Wonder and Jay Z to name a few.

9. Clarke Gable G

able was the greatest actor of the 30’s, being called the ‘The King of Hollywood’ when films were becoming hugely popular. His signature moustache made women everywhere fall head over heels for his charms, even Doris Day said he had “a devastating effect on women”. His most famous role as Rhett Butler in the 1939 civil war epic Gone with the Wind, gave him the memorable and brilliant line “Frankly, my dear, I don’t give a damn”.

8. Tony Curtis G

irls love a boy to make them laugh, so it’s no wonder Curtis has made it onto the list, the veritable heartthrob was the star of numerous Hollywood hits such as Sweet Smell Of Success (1957) and perhaps most famously, the classic comedy Some Like It Hot (1959) where he wooed Marilyn Monroe. He turned knees to jelly in Spartacus (1960) and has had six wives (so far), the first being the star of Psycho Janet Leigh, with whom he had daughter and fellow actor Jamie Lee Curtis.

7. Sean Connery C

onsidered by many the greatest Scott alive, Sir Sean Connery was the first man to play Bond in Dr. No (1962) and has remained a sex symbol for decades. The recently retired twice married 78 year old was, in 1989, at almost 60 years of age voted People Magazine’s Sexiest Man Alive. When advised of the award, Sean seemed to be unaffected as he replied, “Well there aren’t many sexy dead men, are there.” Generations of men have wanted to be him, and countless women have wanted to be with him.

6. Richard Gere T

he man so confident he displayed all as the male escort in American Gigolo (1980) was later the sexiest curb crawler in history in picking up Julia Roberts in Pretty Woman (1990). Who could forget the iconic uniform he wore to perfection in An Officer and a Gentleman (1982) something many men have been requested to copy from their Gere loving partners. One of Hollywood’s best romantic leads, he has since proved himself a great singer in Chicago (2002) and is a practicing Buddhist.

5. Marlon Brando

amed by the American film institute the 4th greatest male star of all time, Malon Brado’s career spanned over half a century before his death in 2004 aged 80. Forget the incredibly large man he ended up being and remember him for his role as Stanley Kowalski in the 1951 film A Streetcar Named Desire. The Nebraska born sex symbol once famously refused his best actor Oscar award for The Godfather because of the way Hollywood depicted American Indians.

4. Robert Redford T

he Sundance Kid, Redford, was once the sexiest man on the planet, his all-American good looks have stayed put throughout his long career in film. He founded the Sundance film festival, which is of course named after his iconic role in the 1969 film. Redford has since then starred in many films as the man who makes gorgeous women want to have affairs with him. He famously offered Demi Moore $1m for one night with him in Indecent Proposal (1993), although we suspect she probably would have done it for free.

3. Elvis Presley

he King is undoubtedly still the most attractive man in pop history. The cultural icons legacy outweighs any other performer, with many still claiming Elvis Lives. The FBI files in the 50’s on the singer claimed Presley was a ‘definite danger to the security of the United States’ because his moves encouraged teenagers to be ‘aroused to sexual indulgence and perversion’. His actions and motions were called ‘a strip-tease with clothes on’ causing hysteria in a whole generation of teenage girls. Elvis had sold over 600m records by the time he died, and seduced nearly as many women.

2. Steve McQueen F

amous for playing the cool, brooding loner McQueen was once the highest paid actor in Hollywood. His electric blue piercing eyes coupled with dashing good looks brought him a fan base to rival The Beatles. One of the steamiest moments in cinema history was his sensual game of chess with Faye Dunnaway in The Thomas Crown Affair (1968). He was top of Charles Manson’s death list, was filmed by the FBI attending an orgy, did all his own stunts and was taught martial arts by Bruce Lee which all earned him the nickname “The king of cool”.

1. James Dean

he beautiful actor that spawned a hundred copycats. James Dean captured the hearts of millions and then broke them all when a car crash tragically ended his life in 1956, immortalising him as one of the sexiest stars in history. Exactly a week before his death Dean met fellow actor Alec Guinness outside a restaurant and showed him his new Spyder racing car. Alec said

the car looked “sinister” and told Dean “Please do not get into that car because if you do you will be found dead in it by this time next week”. The Rebel without a cause (1955) actor has stayed in the hearts of millions with his iconic good looks, flowing hair, troubled and sensitive persona and tortured stare which have left him a cultural icon of rebellion.

FILM

The female of the species is

FLUFFY HOLLYWOOD CHIC FLICKS HAVE GOT NOTHING ON THE DARK AND DANGEROUS WOMEN OF FILM NOIR. MOVE ASIDE SEX AND THE CITY AS WE REMEMBER THE GOLDEN AGE OF CINEMA THAT BROUGHT US THE ORIGINAL FEMME FATALE

moke billows from her crimson lips as she raises a gloved hand to take a drag of her cigarette. Standing in a dark, damp alleyway she waits like a black widow to murder her mate. She is a creature of little moral value and has her trigger finger ready. She is the femme fatal. “I’m poison, to myself and everybody around me,” Kitty Collins tells her lover, before leading him to his death in The Killers (1946). She is beautiful but deadly. Kitty, played by screen siren Ava Gardner, was everything a film noir leading lady should be. She was intelligent but played the fool

licate the sinister city streets. Computer graphics made it possible to exaggerate all the best known features of noir. The red lips, golden blonde hair of the femme fatale and the scarred face of the reluctant hero were captured to perfection in Robert Rodriguez’s 2005 creation. With the tagline, “walk down the right back alley in Sin City and you can find anything,” the scene is set. Step back to 1960s Hollywood and the

“Weaving a web of feigned innocence and batting their eyelashes, any man that gets in their way is a goner” and she captivated men with her smouldering looks (the dress split to the thigh helped too). The formula of noir was simple. Mean streets, ambiguous heroes with dark secrets and women using their sexuality to manipulate the man into taking the fall. The chiaroscuro of the cinematography mirrors the light and dark shades within the noir woman. It is a deadly cocktail of sex, cigarettes and murder in the shadows. Sleuthing private detectives and dirty cops captured the imagination of the 1950s audience. Noir was and still is a big hit with cinema-goers. Frank Miller’s Sin City put a modern twist on the genre, introducing the artistry of noir to a new, younger audience. Shot entirely in a studio, the film used green screen technology to rep-

visuals were just as powerful if not so advanced. Alfred Hitchcock’s Psycho was voted seventh scariest film ever made by Entertainment Weekly. The scene where Norman Bates stabs his unsuspecting victim in the shower lives in cinematic infamy to this day. Although shot exclusively in black and white, viewers leaving theatres vividly recalled the red blood swirling down the shower plughole. A testament to the horror imagery. Of his masterpiece, Hitchcock said, “In films murders are always very clean. I show how difficult it is and what a messy thing it is to kill a man.”

s more deadly than the male “With a streak of red lipstick and a flash of thigh they outshine the men and show them up for how fickle they are. A sucker for a The film deviates from the tradiyou have some of the pretty face” ofbestnoirloveandstories tional noir, relying on psychologiever played out. cal themes, as opposed to double crossing dames and detectives, for its central narrative. Even considering Anthony Perkins’ disturbing portrayal of Bates the real stars of this era were the women. With a streak of red lipstick and a flash of thigh they outshine the men and show them up for how fickle they are. A sucker for a pretty face. The art of seduction belongs to these women. Weaving a web of feigned innocence and batting their eyelashes, any man that gets in their way is a goner. Enter Barbara Stanwyck. As the seemingly doting wife Phyllis Dietrichson in Double Indemnity she deceives both husband and lover for financial gain. The insurance salesman making a routine house call walks right into the path of the sultry murderess. She sees dollar signs, he sees a beautiful woman throwing herself at him. These women are ruthless killers but reckless lovers too. It’s the old cliché of women not being able to separate sex and love. From the outset the femme fatale intends to dispose of the man when he has served his purpose and got her what she wants and where she wants to be. Noir is littered with men who get emotionally attached to the dangerous, promiscuous black widow type woman. But eventually the betrayal slips and the fatal woman proves not so cold-hearted. Phyllis shoots her man once, and buckles before she can take the fatal shot, saying she used him all along and never loved him, “until a minute ago, when I couldn’t fire that second shot.” Stories of doomed love affairs have always captured audiences whether through pages of novels, behind theatre curtains or on the silver screen. Lift the smoky veil

Black cinema worked so well because it left you in the dark. “I want to give the audience a hint of a scene. No more than that. Give them too much and they won’t contribute anything themselves. Give them just a suggestion and you get them working with you’, said Orson Welles, perhaps the most acclaimed director in this field. From the cell block tango of Chicago to the murderous rampage of Uma Thurman in Kill Bill, women have been formidable adversaries for their male counterparts. But who deserves the title of the ultimate femme fatale? Perhaps Rita Hayworth is a worthy nominee. Playing the title role in Gilda (1946) it is her promiscuity that makes her fatal. She teases her husband’s best friend, Johnny, endlessly by flirting with other men and being openly unfaithful to her marriage with everyone but him, knowing his desire for her. Her status as the definitive femme fatal was secured with the one glove striptease scene. Tame, by today’s standards when cinema is saturated with explicit sex scenes, but still tantalising to watch more than 50 years on. The power of these iconic women can be measured by the effect they have on the men around them. Like Johnny in Gilda, the noir man is doomed to be brought to his knees by the woman that he knows is trouble but can’t resist anyway

BACKGROUND poster from The Big Combo (1955)

MUSIC

Lightning Volt EX WINNERS OF MTV’S GET SEEN, GET HEARD COMPETITION IN 200B THE VOLT ARE SET TO TAKE THE INDUSTRY BY STORM. THE BAND CAN ALREADY COUNT THE SUBWAYS AMONG THEIR CELEBRITY FANS. CATHERINE MILLER MET BASSPLAYER PHOEBE PHILLIPS TO TALK ABOUT THEIR JOURNEY SO FAR... I think it was in a function room in the village we’re from (Bradford-on-Avon) where all our friends and family turned up. It was the only music venue in our town where everyone used to hang out. Unfortunately they don’t have that many bands on anymore and it has turned a bit chavvy with drum and bass nights instead.

Where did the band name come from?

hey describe their sound as “Indie-frock”, a diverse mixture of indie, rock and folk music. Newcomers The Volt are setting their sights for the bigtime, one festival at a time. How did the band get together? Well me and Jack have grown up together and we started The Volt about four years ago. It was just a hobby really at the start until we met Sam (singer) at an open mic three years ago. Then we started to write more and do more gigs. We added Dom (drums) two years ago and since then the band has been something we want to have a career in. We want to get our music across to as many people as we can.

What was your first gig?

Well we had to decide a name pretty quickly because they needed to put something down on the flyer for our first gig. It was around the time of bands like The Vines, The Hives and The Datsuns so we thought we just needed something punchy which explained our sound being electric with lots of energy.

How long have you been playing Bass?

For about five years now, my dad bought me a bass one Christmas and I didn’t touch it for about a year until I started listening to The Red Hot Chilli Peppers and Rage against the Machine. I started teaching myself their songs and completely fell in love with it.

What’s it like being the only girl in the band?

(Laughing) I hate this question. Well I’ve always been a bit of a tomboy so hanging around with boys isn’t ever a problem. To be honest it doesn’t matter what sex you are it’s all about how you connect as musicians. But there is a couple of times where I feel like their mother.

What influences your sound?

Well we all have lots of different influences from folk and funk to blues and dance. It was difficult at first to

CLU

SIVE

find our sound because every song we wrote together was sounding completely different every time. I don’t think we want to be like any other band but we definitely look up to bands in the ways that they perform and their stage presence.

Who writes the music? Is it a collaborative thing?

It normally starts with someone coming up with a riff or a drum beat and ends up with us all jamming hoping something good will come out of it. So we all write together then Sam tends to write all the lyrics.

Can you tell me a bit about the MTV Get Seen, Get Heard Competition?

Well, at the time we were doing lots of battle of the bands to try and build up our fan base so we decided to enter in the MTV competition not really expecting anything to happen. We couldn’t believe it when we made it through and then went on to win it. It was a great experience to have playing in a studio and working with cameras around the whole time. It was very surreal.

You got invited to support The Subways on the back of the competition, what was it like?

We had a great time supporting them, they’re really nice people and thecrowds at the gigs we did were crazy.

What’s the biggest crowd you’ve played to?

CLOCKWISE FROM LEFT: Phoebe Phillips on Bass Guitar; Phoebe live performance; the band - Phoebe, Sam Brookes on vocals and rhythm guitar, Jack Kendrew on lead guitar and Domenico Bartolo on drums; band rehearsal; promotional photograph.

It was the Bristol academy I think, with The Subways. We weren’t expecting it to be full when we came on stage seeing as we were only the support act but it was sold out and full.

You’re playing Glastonbury this year, what’s it like playing

keep our fingers crossed.

Finally, what era of music most interests you?

I love listening to all sorts but because I like funk I would say the 70s with bands like Parliament, Sister Sledge and Chic. The 70s was quite diverse in terms of music style as well

“It doesn’t matter what sex you are it’s all about how you connect as musicians” festivals?

I think our plan this year is to play lots of acoustic sets, so we’re playing on the bandstand on the Thursday around 5pm. We love playing at festivals, especially when it’s sunny, but it doesn’t matter where a gig is its all down to what the crowd is like in the end.

Download The Volt’s latest tracks on iTunes or visit their Myspace at www.myspace.com/thevolt

Your music is available to buy on iTunes but will we be seeing an album soon? Yes. Our double A side “Start again” and “Punches” are out on iTunes now, but we’ve been writing a lot this year so I think we’re going to do a tour and then think about recording at the end of the summer.

So what’s next for The Volt?

We’re just going to keep on working hard and get our name known around the UK by doing lots of gigs and getting our music heard. Who knows what will happen this year? Things seem to pop out of nowhere. We will

MUSIC

Y T T PRE

tomping feet and a thumping bass shake the floor of Ivanhoe’s nightclub. The place is packed, a heavy dose of anarchy in the air. Piercings, ripped t-shirts, leather, tattoos and a rainbow of hair colours whirl around the tiny club. Elsewhere families are settling in front of The Morecambe and Wise Christmas Special after polishing off second and third helpings of leftover turkey. But in Huddersfield the hardcore punks worship at the altar of Johnny Rotten and Sid Vicious – the Sex Pistols are in town. This day in 1977 is the third and final time hardcore punk Tony Cronshaw will ever get to see his idols play live. They’re heading out of the UK to take on the rest of the world, head on. The 50-year-old sits sipping a beer in a Sheffield pub in the present day, lost in thought for a moment as he folds a napkin into ever decreasing squares. He looks a very unlikely punk rocker, even while brandishing a photo of himself aged 18 with a green and pink mohican towering a foot above his head. “Me mum used to backcomb it for me,” Tony says. “Then I’d hang me head upside down and smother it with Hard Rock hairspray while using both hands to smooth it downwards, well upwards, you know what I mean. “In fact all that hairspray’s probably why I’m going bald down the middle now.” Tony was one of the first punk rockers in the North of England; a working class lad with a penchant for beer and punch-ups. And the way he tells it, for the Sheffield boys punk wasn’t political. “For us the music was the heart and soul of punk,” he says. “It weren’t about holding two fingers up at the world, making political statements or wearing the outfits or the crazy hair or nothing like that. “The Sex Pistols were everyone’s idols, we bloody loved their music and their attitude. They created punk rock.” It’s true, for many the Pistols epito-

mised punk, but were they much more than the manufactured pop bands of today? The Simon Cowell of his day was band manager and puppet master, Malcolm McLaren. He created the Pistols and kickstarted British punk after an inspirational stint in New York in ’75. By joining together musicians and auditioning for a singer with attitude (singing ability optional) the Sex Pistols were born. Tony is quick to defend them. “I don’t think it gives ‘em enough credit to say that McLaren made them what they were. “He might’ve brought the group together, but the electricity between them boys was what made it so exciting to watch. The first time I saw ‘em they were so raw and unpredictable, there was this edge of danger…it were exciting.” Punk was burgeoning underground in London and by early ‘76 it was spreading North. Tony and his gang were into footie and fighting. Trips to see Sheffield Wednesday, followed by kicking the crap out of the other team’s fans, were the weekend’s pleasures. This changed on the 4th of July with a trip to the Black Swan, a hotspot for up-and-coming bands. The Sex Pistols were headlining, The Clash debuting chaos guaranteed. “It was a right laugh,” Tony says. “We knew the doorman, so we got snuck in the back for free. Place was pretty empty, probably only half full and a good handful of people left when they heard it. “After the gig the bands stayed and we all got pissed together. That’s the way things were in those days.” Buzzing after the gig Tony and his gang decided to go punk. Diving headfirst into the new world they saw the birth of many bands who would become punk legends, the Buzzcocks, Siouxsie & the Banshees, the Damned, Joy Division. As the scene grew, press coverage of fights, drugs and scandals fuelled the reputation of punk as a social menace. It was a time when the wrong haircut and clothes could get you in trouble. Long hair and hippies were

PUNK the norm. Scruffy, shorthaired punks were soon bleaching and dying their hair, ripping apart clothes and pinning them back together, spitting and swearing. They stood out in the wrong way. Punk bands and fans alike found themselves chased from venues after the plug was pulled on gigs. An undercurrent of violence emerged as punk flourished, fuelled by a snarling, “don’t care” attitude. “There was definite safety in numbers when the first wave of punk was happening,” Tony says. “We travelled around as a group because you were liable to get beaten up on your own. “It was like gang warfare on the streets of Sheffield, we stood out a mile from everyone else and they were all looking for a good fight....u

“Of course we weren’t afraid to give it to ‘em.” By November the Pistols had been banned from their third gig in as many days for playing “inappropriate filth”. 48 hours earlier they had released their first single, Anarchy In The U.K. But it was a television appearance on the 1st of December 1976 that would turn British punk into a major national phenomenon. On Thames Today, a live early-evening TV show, Pistols guitarist Steve Jones turned the air blue with a torrent of abuse at presenter Bill Grundy. A media frenzy and public outcry followed the next morning. It propelled the Sex Pistols to fame and fortune, simultaneously killing Grundy’s broadcasting career. “God the Grundy incident is notorious,” says Tony gleefully. “Apparently one bloke even kicked in his TV set in with disgust. You’ve got to remember there were only two channels at the time and they were squeaky clean. It was totally shocking - probably exactly what they were going for.” Article after article followed in the British press denouncing punks. Punk music was banned from radio and television. TV and radio executives would discover there was no better way of adding fuel to the fire than banning the music. By February of ’77 punk rock was a national phenomenon. The up and coming punk bands were releasing their debut albums. The first of these was Damned, Damned, Damned by (unsurprisingly) The Damned, reaching number 36. The Clash’s self-titled album would follow two months later, reaching number 12. But again it was the Sex Pistols, shortly after acquiring new bassist Sid Vicious, who were stealing the spotlight when God Save the Queen smashed its way up to number two on the singles charts, the highest entry for a punk song so far. But persistent rumours even insisted it was the biggest selling single in the UK, but offensive lyrics kept it off the top spot. Many shops refused to sell the record and it was banned from the

airwaves. “It took weeks to get our hands on God Save the Queen”, says Tony. “It got banned everywhere the day it was released. We were even more excited to get our hands on a copy once that happened of course. “I think a big reason for the explosion of punk was the repeated banning. Anyone with a rebellious streak became 20 times more determined to get their hands on something once it was banned.”

mediate ban. “This tour was the second time I had a chance to see them,” says Tony. “But we only got half the set before the management twigged what was going on and booted ‘em and us out. As you can probably guess it caused a bit of a riot, people started hurlin’ glasses everywhere and we ducked out the back door.” Into this chaos The Clash and Generation X clambered their way into the charts with Complete Control and Your Generation respectively; and the highly controversial Sex Pistols album, Never Mind the Bollocks, soon followed. But their one and only album was the beginning of the end for the Sex Pistols and indeed for punk rock itself. The music was fracturing and fragmenting, as were the bands. The original punks declared the movement to be dead and buried by the end of the year and headed elsewhere. Some like The Slits and newcomers The Police took a heavy dose of Jamaican reggae. Many just split up and moved on. And what of the Sex Pistols? Well that Christmas gig in ‘77 turned out to be their last UK Tony Cronshaw in 1977, aged 18 date played (unless you count the lacklustre revivals of later Fuelled by their chart success, the years). In their subsequent American Pistols chartered a boat to perform tour Sid Vicious’ heroin addiction got while sailing up the River Thames the better of him and the rest of the past the Houses of Parliament. They band and they went their separate were mocking the Queen’s river proways. cession planned for two days later and “It could never last,” reflects Tony. the stunt didn’t go unnoticed. The “Too much of that kind of living will band and their entourage were hauled kill you eventually. They wore themoff the boat by the police and subseselves out and we grew up and moved quently arrested. on. But as the notoriety grew, violence “Tell you what though, I’m just glad directed at punks hit a peak. Johnny I were a part of it all ” Rotten was beaten up by a knifewielding gang and, like his idol, Tony For a chance to win a free copy of was discovering the danger of being Tony’s book Wednesday, Rucks & Rock ‘n’ too different. Roll visit: www.eramagazine.com “I nearly died one night, must’ve been that summer,” he says. “We’d been out late to a gig and I was on my way home, pretty pissed, when a gang of lads took an interest in me. “They started out shouting insults, I threw some right back at them and ended up being chased for near a mile by at least ten of ‘em, waving broken glass bottles and baying like bloodhounds. If they’d caught me they would’ve stabbed me, no doubt.” All the newly formed punk bands were pushed underground, the Pistols along with them, booking gigs as SPOTS (Sex Pistols on Tour Secretly) and other pseudonyms to avoid an imTony, 2009

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LIFESTYLE

Hola Madr ‘El Rastro’ - the best place in Spain to discover

t might seem extravagant, but we’re sure you’ve done crazier things in the name of fashion, remember faux-fur gilets? So you really have no excuse not to widen your shopping horizon, if only for one weekend of the year. Apart from tapas and sunshine, you can expect fantastic clothes from what is fast becoming the

very lively nightlife –diverse enough to satisfy every taste. The combination of parties and fashion make it the ideal place to spend a weekend hunting down some vintage one-offs. The best place to start your shopping holiday would be Madrid’s celebrated Sunday flea market. “El Rastro” or “the trail” established in the Middle Ages, it begins at the

dresses to electrifying 80s apparel. The shoe stands alone make it worth your trip, vintage one-offs and every famous designer worth their salt grace the stands. Sex and the City eat your heart out – but be prepared to pay a high price for the fanciest of items and the stock changes every week and the best get snapped up quickly, so get there early to avoid

“Get there early to avoid a catfight with a Spanish senorita” place to be seen strolling the streets in your retro Louboutin heels dressed to impress, and vintage attire is very much en vogue. As Spain’s capital for over 400 years, Madrid is a lively, thriving metropolis, famous for classic architecture and all-night fiestas. Its streets are always hopping, from sightseers marvelling over historic landmarks to partygoers darting in and out of noisy bars. The city is characterized by intense cultural and artistic activity and a

top of a hill and sprawls down for a mile. Although some people claim that the market has changed a great deal since its heyday during the 19th century, there are still plenty of locals, as well as tourists, who shop there – and for good reason. They come looking for a bargain from the stalls which sell a huge range of wares – anything from new furniture to second-hand clothes it’s the ideal hotspot for vintage enthusiasts. Think everything from 1950s

a catfight with a Spanish senorita. Once you have looked around the hundreds of stalls at the Rastro, the recently opened museum of costume is the ideal place to spend an afternoon perusing the vast collection of historical clothes. The museum is an attraction anyone with even a mild interest in fashion should visit at least once, if anything the stories behind the clothes are as fascinating as the exhibits themselves. Fantastic items any girl would

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Where to stay The Casa De Madrid is a boutique hotel in the centre of Madrid, with just 7 exclusive rooms. It’s the perfect individual place to catch some z’s. With views over the royal palace and the Royal Theatre out of your window this intimate guest house is hard to top. Expect beautiful decoration and luxury – each room has two balconies and a jacuzzi. There is even a library and art collection.

those vintage boots you always wanted

kill to wear include the black floor length Givenchy dress worn by Audrey Hepburn in Breakfast at Tiffany’s and the iconic Spanish designer Paco Rabanne’s dress made from sheets of metal. Rabanne’s fashion experiments were important in pushing the boundaries of acceptable clothing to wear on the street. He famously said “I defy anyone to design a hat, coat or dress that hasn’t been done before... The only new frontier left in fashion is the finding of new materials”. He formed his clothing by laying a woman on a table and shaping the metal parts directly on her body. This prompted Coco Chanel to remark that he was not so much a couturier but a metalworker. The museum explores that in the 1920s fashion was closely linked to the art deco craze and the emerging avant garde in art. Painters like Dali, Picasso, Matisse and Sonia became involved themselves in the world of fashion, designing fabrics and stage costumes and illustrating

Where to eat magazine covers. There is a special section dedicated to the flapper dresses of the time, which today looks decidedly modern and wouldn’t be of place in a fashionable cocktail bar, of which Madrid has many for you to explore. After all the excitement of the museum and exhausting your credit card in the endless shops of the city, where better to reminisce about your purchases than the famous Retiro Park, the biggest and most popular park in Madrid. Once the playground of the Spanish royal family, it is now open to the public to explore its vast monuments, galleries and pristine gardens. Popular activities include forgetting all about the money you spent on fabulous clothes, bags, and shoes by hiring out a rowing boat onto the manmade swan lake to enjoy the sunshine with a large cool glass of sangria

Botin, according to the Guinness Book of Records, is the oldest restaurant in the world dating back to 1725. Goya worked here before becoming a painter and Hemingway was a frequent visitor. He pronounced it as one of his favourite restaurants. They specialise in roasted meats like lamb and pork - a great place to soak up some atmosphere.

Who goes There isn’t a famous face that hasn’t lapped up the culture in this beautiful city. Expect Hollywood A list and footballers wives, Madrid was home to the Beckhams for years – and Posh Spice is one fussy customer.

COVER

Q&A Vivienne Westwood

ONE OF BRITAIN’S BEST LOVED DESIGNERS TELLS US ABOUT FASHION, PASSION AND NAOMI CAMPBELL What inspires you as a designer? Well there are all kinds of things you notice and realise that you can translate into something new. I always make my students copy things first. Imagine, for example, Queen Elizabeth. You’re used to seeing a very formal painting of her. But what if you were a rich person that was travelling along dirt tracks, in danger of being attacked by highwaymen, on your way to see her. Finally, you are granted an audience with her. She would be so glittering and exquisite, like a being descended from another planet. Imagine what that would look like. A classic example was where I reinterpreted an eighteenth century corset. It was so light with lovely panniers, like a flower. This is a much nearer example where I have taken something from the past and made it ready-to-wear for today. Usually, you don’t see the source of my translation.

How did you get started in fashion? I certainly didn’t always want to be a fashion designer. For a good half of my career I didn’t very much like it and wanted to do more intellectual things. It all started when my then partner opened a shop on King’s Road called Let It Rock. He asked for my help - I was always good at making bits and pieces. I’d made my own dresses and customised clothes while I was growing up and had a bit of a knack for it. We started out with 1950s Teddy Boy outfits. I’d make them or patch them back together, he’d sell them. Then the whole thing took off and I got more and more creative as time went on. What is the best thing about your job? Well, I get to wear fantastic clothes. I’m the centre of my look in the way that Chanel was the centre of hers. Through the way I dress, look and behave, I personify my brand, my business. It is much easier for a woman to do than a man. I am a very small company, without access to large funds to support advertising and promotion. I do have a level of respect from people that see that my clothes are real and not just hype. So, time has been on my side, I have a lot of credibility at this stage in my life and I’m very thankful for that. What’s your fondest fashion memory? Once, backstage before a show, I was hunting at the bottom of a rail of clothes for a pair of shoes. As I couldn’t find them I parted the clothes to step through. As I rose, I looked straight into the face of Naomi Campbell. She’d taken quite a fall at one of my previous shows and was trembling behind the railing because her outfit again included a pair of incredibly high shoes. The hair and make-up was a dream, she was exquisite. I was so astonished by her beauty, tears came to my eyes. I’d never seen anything like it. She stuns me every time I see her - what a gorgeous creature.

CLOCKWISE FROM TOP;Vivienne; her shop window on King’s Road, London; Swarovski strawberry brooch; a look from the spring/ summer 2009 collection; vintage zebra print boot

What do you need to work in fashion? We live in an age where young people are flattered into believing they can do anything they want. It’s not true, you have to have a real talent for something. The general syndrome regarding education is people are trained not to think and that thinking is dangerous. Nobody who’s a sheep is going to be a fashion designer. Next is discipline. The only important discipline is selfdiscipline. An example would be a girl training as a ballerina. A great teacher will know how to push her, but she has to learn technique by herself and have the drive to keep on learning. At the end of the day, you have to do it for yourself. You can read as many books about designing as you like, but you have to do it yourself. The only place to find ideas is by looking at what people did in the past. It’s the only way you can be original. You can’t be original by just wanting to do something. nothing comes from a vacuum. You have to find it from somewhere