London Calling

 I was at All Points East this June to see Patti Smith and Nick Cave and had an amazing day. It was part of the fun to check out what everyone was wearing. Still stunned by the efforts some people make to look fantastic in a red hot London, when the temperature was most unEnglish. Men seemed to be mainly in the summer uniform of knee length shorts and either a polo or short sleeved shirt. Flip flops or trainers. Band tee-shirts were mostly a bit disappointing and worn by the older chaps – I didn’t see a single woman wearing one. I wouldn’t have been bragging about seeing some of the represented musicians. But some very cool – the rule here is you can only wear band tee-shirts if you totally love that band. Somehow it shows if you don’t. 
 
Women have more scope – was surprised how little this has changed, how much we still conform to gendered dressing. I was expecting to see far more non binary choices. I loved some of the vintage– a stand out was a beautiful 1950s dress with large yellow cabbage roses, summery and sexy. I also love the look of tall people dressed purely in black with perhaps a very red lipstick and some interesting shades. I am not tall and sometimes wish I was – it would also help in terms of seeing over everybody when the band is on. 
 
But who wins the JC Fashion award? I offer several: Patti Smith of course – the long black jacket with the cuffs rolled back so you can see the boney wrists, her amazing hands, her long grey hair. St Vincent, a sexy glory in orange rubber, beautiful matching elbow length gloves. 
Nick Cave should have been clad in a long robe as he whipped the crowd up with his Jesus act, but in fact looked very good in his suit, dapper and sexy.  Did some of the young girls he pulled up onto the stage look more bemused than delighted in a what just happened kind of way? Kylie looked fragile and beautiful. Skeleton Tree is an amazing album, and NC is a poet at heart, as you can read here.
 
I’ve always noticed what people wear – and I can’t forget Roger Daltry in fringed suede over naked torso, or Richie Havens in his long kurta – but really? It’s the music that matters.  

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