(punk fashion)

whether you want to admit it or not, fashion has always been a big part of what defines "punk". i wouldn't say it's IMPORTANT, but it is a good way to pick out another punk from the rest of the crowd. a punk with good fashion sense may look over-the-top to people in the norm, but to us it just means he takes pride in being punk.

usually, if you did a good job getting dressed that morning, you're gonna make alot of people nervous. mainly old people and women with small children with them. generally everyone else is just going to look at you funny. if this kind of thing bothers you, i suggest you wear tommy hilfiger or ambercrombie or whatever the fuck else you people wear to be "normal", and leave punk rock the fuck alone.

i always get a kick out of people who vear away from me when im at the grocery store. i'm just minding my own, walking around, picking up a few items like toilet paper and depends for grandma, and here comes middle-aged-mommy with her 6-year-old daughter. she makes eye contact with me, gives a little inner shudder (i can see it in her face), looks down at her kid real quick and turns around, saying "this way, honey. let's go THIS way." hahahaha sorry to disturb you.

i get this kind of thing all the time. in my earlier days it used to bother me. the last couple of years though, i've learned to take it in stride and find true humor in it. people actually think i'm some hoodlum or a pedophile or something, and i find that funny. so i roll with it.

i'll follow mommy around the store, pretending not to notice her, looking at the shelves at various items just to fuck up the safe little world she has pulled over her eyes. and since i'm not doing anything wrong there isn't a damn thing she can do about it except feel uneasy about the guy with the safety pins through his ear. if she'd only open her mind a little, it wouldn't bother her that i look different. but oh-fucking-well. i guess she'll just have to run around scared the rest of her life.

now let's talk about MY personal favorite items i wear almost on a daily basis, starting at the top and working our way down:

* pork pie hat: you know, one of those shaped hats that old people wear all the time. the brim goes down in the front and curls up around the sides and back, with the dome having 2 dimples on the sides towards the front and concaved on the top... thats the best way i can describe it. looks like a 1940's ganster hat. mine is navy blue and tan plaid.

* safety pin earrings: i usually sand off the points (i used to get jabbed alot) and put two through the same hole.

* thin-link dog chain: i like to make it as tight as possible with out actually hugging my neck, so that it's still v-necked, but not extremely. held together with a little padlock, the kind you'd use for luggage.

* cheetah print windbreaker: i got this at GOODWILL for a buck-fifty. it's a really light grey with black cheetah print and it zippers down the front. found it in the lady's jackets section. hahaha

* denim vest: a must for any punk. this is where you put your safety pins, badges, and patches to good use. the back can have your favorite band logo painted on it, or if you have a crew put that on there. used to be a jean jacket but i ripped the sleeves off to show off my fatty arms. i wear this even if have the windbreaker on. i wear it all the time.

* offensive t-shirt: be creative.

* handcuffs: get em at any toy store. cuff em to your two front belt loops and tuck in your shirt to show em off.

* wristbands: i wear a torn sock ankle that i stitched up to look like a wristband and a leather snap bracelet i took all the studs off of cos i thought it was cliche at the time. oh well. rubber bands, real wristbands, chains, etc. work as well.

* pants: dont wear baggy pants for christsake! you look like some little skater fag or a rap thug. i like to have snugger-fitting jeans or work pants, not exactly TIGHT, but not baggy in the least bit. my favorite pair are ripped horizontally at the thighs, kness, and ankles, and i wear a pair of plaids underneath em. the seam in the back right above my ass is ripped open and held together with safety pins. i cuff the ankles of both pants together so that the bottom of the jeans have a plaid cuff.

* braces: get some cheap black suspenders (black goes with anything) from k-mart or something. i like to let mine hang down. they dont serve a purpose, but neither do the handcuffs or the holes in my jeans. chew on THAT for a while.

* boots: fuck doc martens. who the hell wants to pay that much for boots? get some cheap fucking black leather boots. they dont even have to be real leather. aw, fuck it. get whatever you want.

so thats how i dress on a typical day. punk fashion is fun and there are so many variations on it. be creative and shop cheaply whenever possible and youll never go broke buying new clothes again!!!