November 21, 2006

East Village style in the 80's: interview and photo gallery. "On The Street" was a photo-column by Amy Arbus that ran in the Village Voice during the 80's. Here is a brief interview with her and a sample of some of her photographs. Journey back to the time when leggings, asymmetrical haircuts and skinny pants were new and exciting.

Where’d you find these people? I’d wander around the Village, mostly, and look for people that were doing similar things. You know, something that would make sense visually—a lot of polka dots, or stripes, or everyone wearing hats in the summertime. At the time, there was nothing else like it. Now there are lots of similar things, but there hadn’t been any kind of record of the East Village scene when it was this particularly promising, hopeful group of talented, interesting people.

posted by mandyman 17 years ago
  • Awesome. I heart NY.
  • Nice photos. Interesting story.
  • Am I the only one faintly disturbed by how.. well, *current* some of those fashions look again? Damn them for bringing the legging back. DAMN THEM TO HELL!
  • And also: Madonna just wandered along like everyone else. I recognized her as the girl who went to my gym—as the girl who would sit around naked longest in the locker room. Heh.
  • There's a really interesting mid-80s book by Robert Hofler called Wild Style that is worth looking up if anyone is interested - it covers the fashion, hair, and makeup of this scene really well, through color photos with a few tutorials. It's a thin book, as though it were made for teenagers.
  • ...when the sun goes down all the weirdos turn crazy! Very cool!
  • I'd wear leggings, but only if I could look like Audrey Hepburn in them. In other words, never. There's something vaguely Vermeer-like about the last photo, of Miranda Pennell. Maybe it's just her expression. It's sort of timeless, that photo.
  • Wow. I was just a kid from Queens at the time, and with barely a working knowledge of English, but hoo boy does this make me nostalgic! Totally makes me wonder just what the heck else I was missing at the time... Thanks for the trip, mandyman.
  • That is ace. I briefly lived just off the Portobello Road in London, which was full of fashion spotters with Polaroids snapping street looks so they could rip 'em off and flog them back to the public.
  • Great link.
  • Amy Arbus is Diane Arbus's daughter. Great link, by the way.
  • Ahem!
  • Wolof, I never knew! Were you not yet banned from this country when that pic was snapped?
  • Nope, I got a big pic of my lumpy dick-bits in a pair of short shorts mememmorated on some dumb website. I mean, most people get a statue, or at least a plaster cast.
  • Short shorts=a sock? Don't flatter yourself, btw, I doubt Cynthia is interested in the likes of you.
  • You seem to be very sure of yourself.
  • Death by bananas by Daniela Edburg at The Morning News.