Heavy metal fashion
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding reliable references. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (December 2007) |
Heavy metal fashion is the style of dress, body modification, make-up, hairstyle, and so on, taken on by some fans of heavy metal, or, as they are often called, metalheads.
Contents |
[edit] Origins
The clothing associated with heavy metal has its roots in the biker, rocker, and leather subcultures. Heavy metal fashion includes elements such as leather jackets; hi-top basketball shoes (more common with old school thrash metallers); motorcycle boots (harness and engineer boots), work boots or combat boots; blue or black jeans, flannel shirts or vests, and denim jackets or kutte vests, often adorned with badges, pins and patches. As with the bikers, there is a peculiar fascination with Germanic imagery, such as the Iron Cross.
Distinct aspects of heavy metal fashion can be credited to various bands, but the band that takes the most credit for revolutionizing the look was Judas Priest, primarily with its singer, Rob Halford. Halford wore a leather costume on stage as early as 1978 to coincide with the promotion for the Hell Bent for Leather album. In a 1998 interview, Halford described the gay biker and leather subculture as the inspiration for this look.[1] Shortly after appropriating the leather look, Halford started appearing onstage on a roaring motor bike. Soon, the rest of the band followed.
It was not long before other bands appropriated the leather look; Iron Maiden's original singer Paul Di'anno began wearing leather jackets and studded bracelets, Motörhead innovated with bullet belts, and Saxon introduced spandex. This fashion was particularly popular with followers of the NWOBHM movement in the early 80's, and sparked a revival for metal in this era. The influence of the leather subculture, as opposed to the biker culture, is particularly evident in the prevalence of the codpiece in heavy metal fashion as worn by performers.
The original hippie look with satin shirts and bell-bottom pants was out; some believed Halford's style of dress more appropriate to the music. His look, and those he inspired, became fashion among metalheads around the world, whether it be the wearing of combat boots, stud belts and bracelets, bullet belts, spiked gauntlets, etc. The codpiece, however, appears to have been less popular among the general public.
[edit] Other influences
The style and clothing of metal has absorbed elements from influences as diverse as the musical influences from which the genre has borrowed: modern metal fashion is an amalgamation of punk, goth (particularly for female metalheads), military fashion and even various historical fashions. It is from this linking of different sub-styles of clothing and music influences that one can sometimes determine a person's specific taste in music simply from overall appearance. However, such signs are not, in the majority of cases (we will discuss the peculiar and extreme fashions associated with black metal below) hard and fast rulings. This uncertainty is what makes the first key aspect of the metalheads' identity below so important.
The influence of modern military fashion on heavy metal fashion is significant with metalheads been known to wear modern military clothing like field jackets and articles of camouflage and olive drab green uniforms like shirts and/or trousers to wear alongside their black T-shirts and black combat boots. This influence could be due to the impact of the Vietnam War on popular culture in the United States during the 1970s and the 80's, with images of American Vietnam veterans wearing their old combat uniforms in civilian life, as well as the fresh memories of the conflict were still in the minds of many Americans. Some of the influences of modern military fashion and the Vietnam War can be seen by the fans and bands of thrash metal, with the members of thrash metal bands of the 1980s like Metallica, Destruction, and Megadeth wearing bullet belts around their waists on stage (It is likely that the thrash metal bands got the idea of wearing bullet belts from NWOBHM bands such as Motörhead, who have incorporated the bullet belt as part of their aesthetic since their inception, since the majority of thrash metal bands in the 1980s were influenced by Motörhead and the like).
The imagery and values of historic Celtic, Viking and Chivalric culture is reflected heavily in metal music, by bands such as Blind Guardian, and has its impact upon the everyday fashion and especially the stagegear of metal artists. The independence, masculinity and honor of the warrior ethos is extremely popular amongst metalheads, as is the rejection of modern day consumerist and metrosexual culture. Folk metal, viking metal and to a lesser extent black metal and power metal fans often grow long thick hair and beards reminiscent of a stereotypical Viking and Celt, wear Thor's Hammer pendants and other neopagan symbols and carry mead horns. On stage, in photoshoots and in music videos it is very common for bands of these genres such as Turisas and Moonsorrow to wear chain mail, animals skins, warpaint (such as woad) and other Dark Ages themed battle gear. Power metal fans and musicians such as Rhapsody of Fire often wear fashions reminiscent of the Renaissance and the Middle Ages including tight black or brown leather trousers and wide sleeved, buttonless shirts of various colors. The imagery of bards and minstrels as well as knights is a popular part of power metal fashion.
[edit] Fashion in detail
A key and basic element of metal fashion is the outward display of one's musical taste, which frequently takes the form of imitation of the attire worn by the bands, or other less drastic means of sartorial association.
[edit] Band shirts
| This article or section may contain original research or unverified claims. Please improve the article by adding references. See the talk page for details. (September 2007) |
The band shirt is a common article of clothing in heavy metal culture. These come in two varieties: the normal T-shirt, and the longsleeve T-shirt, which will often feature designs down the arms as well as on the back and front. These shirts display on their front the name of a band, often accompanied by the band's logo or an album cover, and the back some tour list, lyrics, slogan, or another image. This is standard uniform for fans of the band emblazoned on the shirt.
[edit] Other shirts
| This article or section may contain original research or unverified claims. Please improve the article by adding references. See the talk page for details. (September 2007) |
It is less common, but not at all unknown, for metalheads to wear T-shirts other than band shirts. Brands of alcohol (particularly Jack Daniel's whiskey), makes of Motorcycles, cigarettes, and humorous or obscene epithets are the most common. Even the "Union Jack" t-shirt is common. Patterned t-shirts featuring morbid images or mythical imagery are also common attire.
It must of course also be noted that not all metalheads wear T-shirts: some may wear sleeveless shirts, wifebeaters, longsleeve shirts, work shirts, collared shirts, or even no shirt, depending on taste and geographical location.
[edit] Patches
Patches are small shaped pieces of fabric that carry a design: normally, at least in terms of metal fashion, a band logo or album cover. They are normally displayed on kutten. The traditional "patch jacket" is a black jacket, usually long sleeves, though denim jackets (More common in the UK and with traditional metal fashion) are also used, often with the sleeves cut off. Backpacks, shoulder-bags, messenger bags etc. are another popular place on which to display them. A more unusual location is on another article of clothing, particularly jeans.
[edit] Jackets
The most commonly worn types of jackets that metalheads wear are black leather jackets, blue/black denim jackets, trenchcoats and army combat jackets like field jackets (e.g. the Feldjacken of the German Bundeswehr and the M-65 field jacket of the U.S. Armed Forces). In warmer weather, metalheads have been known to wear button-up flannelette shirts and button-up army shirts (usually in olive drab, black, or in camouflage patterns) unbuttoned so it acts a de-facto jacket.
When seen at concerts, metalheads are typically seen showing off their patch jackets and leather vests. It has become a tradition for some to do so at every concert, especially for those who follow in the older styles of metal, with groups like Judas Priest, Motörhead and Iron Maiden, who have encouraged this look. Thrash Metal and "old-school" (or traditional) metal fans often wear denim jackets usually with the sleeves cut off, also known as vests.
[edit] Legwear
The most common form of leg-wear is tight (although in recent years, this has become more identified with the "emo" or "scene" style), semi-loose fitting or even baggy black or blue denim jeans (sometimes ripped), although leather trousers are also popular, as are camouflage-patterned combat trousers and kilts. Some legwear is typically associated with particular styles of metal, for example: spandex trousers with NWOBHM and glam metal fans, tight black or blue acid-washed jeans with thrash metal fans and bell bottoms with doom metal fans.
[edit] Codpiece
The codpiece, a garment that reflects the origins of some heavy metal fashion in the leather subculture, is an element of metal bands' attire that has not been widely imitated by fans. It has, however, influence the fashion of entertainers beyond heavy metal strictly defined. Kiss often wore black and silver costumes with codpieces; Blackie Lawless, leader of the group WASP, wore a codpiece that featured a saw blade and was capable of shooting out flames and sparks; King Diamond incorporated a codpiece into his performance attire; and more recently, Electric Six lead singer Dick Valentine wore a brightly flashing codpiece in the music video for the band’s 2003 single Danger! High Voltage.
[edit] Hairstyles
The most popular hairstyle associated with metal is long, natural hair which adds to the experience of headbanging and reflects the non conformist attitude of metal. Other trends include:
- Simply long hair, this is the most common style on metalheads.
- Extra long and curly hair among fans of power metal reflecting the medieval warrior image.
- Black hair dye among fans of gothic metal, black or death metal.
- Dreadlocks (possibly inspired by Rob Zombie, Mike Bordin, Jonathan Davis, Max Cavalera, and Anders Fridén) among alternative metal fans.
- Baldness, very short hair, or shaving receding hair used to not be accepted by fans of heavy metal, but these days it's perfectly acceptable, thanks to lots of famous metal musicians sporting the look, like singer Daniel Heiman (former) singer of the power metal band Lost Horizon, singer Rob Halford of Judas Priest, Phil Anselmo of Pantera, Tim Owens of Iced Earth, Frank Mullen of Soffucation and guitarists Scott Ian of Anthrax, Muhammed Suicmez of Necrophagist, Shavo Odajian of System of a Down and Kerry King of Slayer.
- The mullet hairstyle is associated with fans of heavy metal music, mainly by 80s glam metal musicians and fans but it is largely considered kitschy in recent times.
[edit] Accessories and jewelery
Jewelery is popular for both genders. Almost always silver, popular items include rings (often adorned with metal imagery such as skulls, flames, spikes, iron crosses etc.) Also Egyptian Jewelery such as the Ankh, Birds and the Scarab (although this motif borders more on goth fashion). Silver neck-chains (thin when compared, for example to bling Jewelry) or pendants, often of a religious or anti-religious nature: crucifixes (inspired by Black Sabbath and Ozzy Osbourne), pentagrams and Thor's Hammers are popular. This taste in pendants offers a marked difference between the metal and goth subcultures: goths will often wear crosses even if they are not Christian, and will wear the benign, inverted pentacle. The wearing of inverted Pentacle (also called a Pentagram) jewelery has been pointed to as an indication of Satanic practices by the wearer, and has been a topic of great debate inside and outside the Heavy Metal culture. More often than not the wearer is simply adorning themselves with jewelery, regardless of their religious practices, and does not indicate anything more than the desire to decorate ones person.
Headgear is rare among metalheads but some (especially fans of traditional heavy metal or thrash metal) sometimes wear bandanas, tuques, leather biker caps like the one worn by Marlon Brando in The Wild One or black or camouflage-patterned patrol caps.
Leather fingerless gloves are common accessories among heavy metal and thrash metal fans and are often adorned with metal studs or spikes. Popular in the extreme metal scene are military surplus items such as bullet belts and dog tags. Within the Viking Metal and Black Metal scenes many fans wear accessories reminiscent of warriors, such as leather vambraces (often studded or spiked) and various heathen symbols.
The alternative metal movement has its own take on jewelery and body modification. Metal Chains are also common, normally two are worn, one longer than the other. This has recently been popularized by front men such as Alexi Laiho and Matt Tuck. It should also be noted that Kerry King, guitarist of Slayer, has been seen many times to have an extremely long industrial sized chain at concerts as well as photo shoots. Baseball caps and trucker hats are inherited from the hip hop and skater fashions. Studs and metal stars decorating bags and such bought from shops such as Hot Topic are common amongst younger alternative metal fans.
[edit] Body modification
Metalheads often engage in some form of body modification, the most popular being tattoos, which will often adopt the imagery of metal, metal lyrics or even band logos or mascots. Piercings are also not uncommon, although facial piercings, especially amongst male metalheads, are not particularly common, especially when compared to other groups such as punks, goths, or emos.
[edit] Women's metal fashion
Clothing for the female metalhead shares much in common with elements of goth and punk fashion, combined with what is simply a feminised version of male metalhead fashion. The heavy monochrome makeup of goth is relatively popular among female metalheads, far more so than it is amongst the male metal fan, and jewelry and accessories can be similar as well, although female metalheads tend to borrow from the classic goth look, rather than Cybergoth, Victorian, Goth etc. In recognition of the increasing number of female fans which metal increasingly attracts, many bands, especially larger ones, have started doing babydoll versions of their shirts, or even new designs specifically for the female market. Skirts are normally black of some sort (sometimes leather), or punk-style kilts.
Romantic depictions of Arthurian or pre-Christian Northern European peoples are reflected in the dress of many female fans of folk metal and power metal. This is typically reflected in long skirts and dresses of natural materials, often in bright colours, that has similarities to female Hippy fashion.
It is also more common for female metal fans to sport facial piercings and more elaborate ear work such as scaffolding.
[edit] Links
[edit] External links
Heavy metal | |
|---|---|
| Alternative metal · Avant-garde metal · Black metal · Christian metal · Classic metal · Crust Punk · Dark metal · Death metal · Doom metal · Extreme metal · Folk metal · Funk metal · Glam metal · Gothic metal · Grindcore · Groove metal · Industrial metal · Metalcore · Neo-classical metal · Nu metal · Post-metal · Power metal · Progressive metal · Rap metal · Sludge metal · Speed metal · Stoner metal · Symphonic metal · Thrash metal · Viking metal | |
| Regional scenes | New Wave of British Heavy Metal · Norwegian black metal · Scandinavian death metal · Bay Area thrash metal · Brazilian thrash metal · Teutonic thrash metal |
| Other topics | Fashion · Subgenres · Bands · Festivals · Umlaut |
