How to Make a Punk Rock Outfit

Oi! Capture the irreverance and in-your-face look of punk rock.

Punk rock was not only a music genre but also a fashion statement. Originating in the mid 1970s, this hard-edged music had the clothing to match, with an anti-establishment philosophy that translated into never-before seen clothing styles. Simulating the original punk rock look usually involves taking mainstream clothing and changing it in unexpected ways, resulting in a combination of '50s greaser and Mad Max post apocalyptic untidiness, playing with proportion and propriety.

Things You'll Need

• Old t-shirt
• Medium and large safety pins
• Fabric marker
• Old jeans
• Suspenders
• Belt with grommets
• Bleach
• Dog chains/padlock
• Jean jacket
• Combat boots or high top sneakers
• Colored hairspray

Instructions

1. Shred an old T-shirt. Cut off the sleeves, rip the neck so it falls off the shoulder, or make diagonal rips through the body. Safety pin the pieces together in a haphazard way.

2. Tie dye or simply splash a pair of old, narrow legged jeans with bleach. Let sit for a few hours then wash. Feel free to rip the jeans in all areas: knees, thigh, front or back. Hold rips together using safety pins.

3. 

   The anarchy symbol is popular with the punk rock movement.

   Remove the sleeves of an old jean jacket. Write graffiti on the jacket, including an anarchy symbol on the back panel (a capital letter "A" with a circle around it). Scribble popular punk band names on the jacket such as Dead Kennedys, Sex Pistols or Ramones.

4. Purchase a pair of used combat boots from an army surplus store. The more used looking the better. Or, as an alternative, wear red or black high top canvas sneakers.

5. 

   Borrow your dog's necklace.

   Accessorize the outfit with a variety of heavy industrial chains to create choker length necklaces and bracelets. Use a small padlock to attach the chain around your neck. Add a belt with lots of grommets (check at the army surplus) and a pair of red or black suspenders. Bt don't wear them properly; instead, let them hang down around your legs.

6. 

   Hair-raising style.

   Tease your hair until it can't get any higher. Spray generously with a colored hairspray. For punks, hair can't get high enough, stiff enough or colorful enough.

References

• Punk77.co.uk: Punk Rock in the U.K.
• "Punk Rock"; How To Look Punk; Marliz