Collage: This Year's Model (1958) / Punk style

RTomens, 2021

This collage is for sale. Price:£50 + £2.50 postage. Size: A4 on recycled art paper (140gsm)

Isn't she lovely? As Stevie Wonder asked. Talking of songs, the title for this collage came from the Elvis Costello album of the same name and he got it from knowing a lot of pop culture history, obviously. In retrospect, it was odd that Elvis and his Attractions should have such a 60s look to them, but then there was also The Jam, of course and Blondie members had that preppy 60s look too. At the time I don't think we really took much notice, by which I mean we didn't necessarily get the references or care. 

Nothing much surprised us regarding the various 'looks' during the Punk era since style was in freefall and post-modern before the term took hold. You could go high end (Kings Road) or DIY (yes, that school blazer with pins) or Undertones anti-style (any old jumper and jeans). Being the style junky that I was, I thought The Clash were the best-looking of the lot - slogans stencilled on jackets! In tune with their musical influences, they would fuse 'now' Punk with Rockabilly, quiffs, leather etc. The music wasn't bad either.

This Year's Model started with a fat man. I liked the image but suddenly wanted to slice him into three parts (call it drastic weight loss) and having done that opted to use just the chest and stomach. I had a nude model, laid her underneath and saw the her legs seems to fit just right onto the fat man, making his trousers double as a skirt. The head is from another photo and the background consists of three layers of print. If he/she had ambled on stage carrying a guitar in 1977, I don't think we'd have blinked an eye - just another crazy Punk rocker!