When I was a kid, coming home every day from school just to sit in front of the TV with the VCR remote control, waiting for the next rad thing to come on TV so I could document it, collage it, mood board a la video it, love it, preserve it...I can see that my obsession with fashion, pop culture and art has always been a huge part of who I am. I look at what I do now (magazine editor, art director, trend forecaster, culture/creative consultant) and then I look through my elementary school scrapbooks and the video "scrapbooks" and I realize I was doing then what I do now. :)
One style or term or fad which has always fascinated AND eluded me has been the BUFFALO GIRLS/GALS. Of course my first exposure was Malcolm McLaren's BUFFALO GALS song off his DUCK ROCK record. Yes the song is and was and will always be amazing. But what got me most was the styling of the girls dancing around in the video. From a tiny age, I thought McLaren was literally talking about those dancing girls with their "Buffalo Gal style". But years later, I wonder why no one really dresses like a Buffalo Gal. Why I've never seen any shoot or video or fashion trend quite capture the Malcolm McLaren video dancers. I'm doing some research on it. (Yes it's probably a branch of Hip Hop AND the New Romantics.) There's a much much older song that you might have heard in the lovely holiday film IT'S A WONDERFUL LIFE called Buffalo Gals by John Hodges from the 1800s. They sing the song quite a few times throughout the film:
One style or term or fad which has always fascinated AND eluded me has been the BUFFALO GIRLS/GALS. Of course my first exposure was Malcolm McLaren's BUFFALO GALS song off his DUCK ROCK record. Yes the song is and was and will always be amazing. But what got me most was the styling of the girls dancing around in the video. From a tiny age, I thought McLaren was literally talking about those dancing girls with their "Buffalo Gal style". But years later, I wonder why no one really dresses like a Buffalo Gal. Why I've never seen any shoot or video or fashion trend quite capture the Malcolm McLaren video dancers. I'm doing some research on it. (Yes it's probably a branch of Hip Hop AND the New Romantics.) There's a much much older song that you might have heard in the lovely holiday film IT'S A WONDERFUL LIFE called Buffalo Gals by John Hodges from the 1800s. They sing the song quite a few times throughout the film:
buffalo gals won't you come out tonight
come out tonight
come out tonight
I'm going to do this post like a collage I'd do as a kid...about what BUFFALO GAL/GIRL style is to me. I've been thinking about it for 20 years...at least. I think I have some idea of what it might be. Anyway...there's too much to cover in one post, so I'm breaking it up into parts.....this is part 1.
First...watch the Malcolm McLaren (do you know of his connection to Vivienne Westwood and Agent Provocateur?)...the girls appear straight from the beginning behind the kid pop-blocking. They're wearing really maxi, cowgirl-like skirts and hats:
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| all that scratchin' is making me itch...UH HUH... |
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| that's 1983 styling. and still killing it. i have to find out if Vivienne Westwood styled it. |
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| dosey do your partner |
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| so 1983. |
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| buffalo gals |
i Love that buffalo gal look...big cowgirl skirt. cap and a hoody and then that adam ant make up. LOVE. Even though they are kind of scary.
part 2 of this Buffalo Gal (Girl) Style post...and probably a few other parts, too....stay tuned. (Uh-huh.)♡
more girl friday ♥ ivana helsinki film
images are screen captures...and they're not that great, either. but the video quality wasn't too good.
The Girls and Boys was dresses after Vivienne Westwood's & Malcolm Mclaren's LATE '82 FASHION STYLE CALLED: "BUFFALO", i got the whole BUFFALO SHOW ON MY PC - ALSO THE PUNKATURE (HOBO's and more)
ReplyDeleteregards Ds-ARt