designers

The culture of fashion: Alex Michon, shy punk (Part 2)



Alex Michon

Did you enjoy yesterday’s post on Alex Michon and her punk style evolution? If so, there’s more. I asked her to unearth some photos for me and as well as the photos (apologies for the bad quality – they’re not scans, but hey, it’s punk innit), she emailed more commentary that I couldn’t resist adding.

So here is Part 2.

I hope you’ll find it as fascinating as I do. Alex was adamant she wanted photos that showed her as she really was – a ‘shy punk’ and not a poser. However, a lot of her photos do show her posing in her designs as a way of documenting the work. So I couldn’t really not include them – sorry Alex!

Photos and commentary by Alex Michon unless stated in the photo credits at the bottom.

Alex Michon and Gina Birch from The Raincoats
Alex Michon: This (above) is probably 1977 or 78 I think, even before I was working with The Clash. It’s me and Gina (Birch) from the Raincoats. Us just hanging out, but it has the ‘touch of the ‘Androgynes’ I talk about; white shirt, black trousers, minimal dressing. No zips, no coloured hair, all just trying to be Patti Smith on the cover of Horses!

Alex Michon Goldsmiths
This is my Goldsmith’s student photo and will be either 1978 or 1979. I was still working with The Clash when I was at college but only part-time. The polyester cardigan is significant; I wore a lot of 1960s polyester cardigans. Don’t remember why; I think the cardigan was a sort of throwback to ‘kitchen sink’ films in the 60s sort of narrative. And also French New Wave. (I was always trying to look French New Wave.)

Alex Michon and Chrissie Atkinson
Here are me and Chrissie Atkinson rehearsing in Cannon Street Road, a decrepit old building in the East End where we would be sewing. (I was at Goldsmith’s, so this must be 79 or 80.) It was when I was at college and also still sewing for The Clash. Note the ubiquitous polyester cardigan which was probably pink. The shoes were pink pointed Mary Janes. I like it because I’m not posing but actually playing my Fender Telecaster – although we were playing ska not punk. Chrissie is my bestie to this day; she was an amazing singer and always thought my guitar playing was crap. I thought I was the best rhythm ska guitarist there ever was, of course. I loved being in the band more than anything. Sewing seemed so ‘girly’ and here I was, finally just like one of the boys.

Alex Michon 100 Club
And here I am on stage at the 100 Club. By now we had renamed ourselves as Club Mamzelle. We were sort of influenced by Cajun music; we had all gone to see Queen Ida and her Bonne Temps Zydeco Band. She had a female guitarist. We went backstage to see her; we all dressed up as sort of New Orleans madams, all in lace!

Shy punk Alex Michon by Krystyna Kolowska
Here’s me in a sleeveless Aertex top made for the band. I did however used to wear that studded bracelet a lot, but just with my usual black jumper and jeans. Forever sporting the rockabilly quiff thing. Rockabilly was a huge influence throughout. I made these great rockabilly shirts with coloured suede-type fabric fronts or striped front and black backs with pearl poppers. I wore a red one all the time but it’s difficult to find photos of the band wearing them. This is the nearest thing I can find (below) – Joe Strummer is wearing a yellow striped one and Mick Jones must be wearing a red one. I loved those shirts and as I say, I had a powder blue one and a red one, which I used to wear with jeans or a mini skirt.
The Clash by Jenny Lens

Alex Michon sewing New York - photo by Krystyna Kolowksa
This is one of my favourite photos of me in New York because it shows me actually sewing rather than posing and is very true to life. I didn’t really care much about what I was wearing. That’s a ‘Free Clash’ T-shirt from the time. My blonde hair, which I had dyed in the last year at Goldsmith’s when I was in my band, is growing out and I’m attempting (as I am doing nowadays) some sort of rockabilly-type quiffage. Just short, tapered trousers and flat ballet pumps – more for ease than for style. A working outfit but again, black slim trousers and pumps, a nod to French New Wave. Probably around 1980-81 or maybe 82. Straight after I graduated, Bernard [Rhodes, The Clash’s manager] got in touch and said, “you are coming to New York”.

This is in the Clash office in the Garment District of New York. I had a sewing machine in there, just working day and night as usual. We were supposed to be getting a range together for a shop Bernard was planning. But it never happened as The Clash and Bernard were in the process of splitting up – usual rock and roll machinations. I never saw the group in New York. Krystyna [Kolowska] was not there, I was doing it all on my own and also making clothes for tours. The most exciting thing was that I shared the office with Kool Lady Blue who was managing a lot of hip-hop bands and I nearly got to work with the Double Dutch girls, but that again never happened. But hip-hop was all around, dudes walking down the street with giant beat boxes with Kraftwerk samples blaring out. It was so exciting. Afrika Bambaataa and all that; graffiti was everywhere but the real, original thing.

Alex Michon lumberjack shirt
Here’s another unposed one. Rehearsing, wearing my father’s 1950’s blue and black blouson lumberjack jacket, for that authentic 50s rockabilly look.

Postcard to Alex Michon from Joe Strummer
Here’s a postcard from Joe relating to our silk-stocking type shirt. [Alex made a shirt for Joe Strummer with see-through black sleeves that were double-hemmed to look like stocking tops, a twist on the band’s perceived macho image]

Alex Michon mini skirt with zips
[L-R] This is taken from a contact sheet. A bit posy but more what I would wear. Charity shop jacket, Clash T-shirt (from the pile) and straight-legged black trousers. Then again from a contact sheet; me wearing my mini skirt design which would always be ‘played down’ with a charity shop mac etc. Here, I wish I was wearing thick black tights – the lacy ones were only for the photo!

Alex Michon in sewing studio
This is in my sewing studio. I’m wearing the zipped jacket we made for Joe Strummer. I think he gave it to me, or just left it lying around. I would wear this a lot; I like it because of the very dark tights with the dark mini and flat boots. More of what I would normally wear. The boots were green suede with a wedge from a charity shop which I dyed black. On the shelves are inks used for T-shirt printing.

Thank you Alex!

In case you missed it, read Part 1 here.

WORDS: Disneyrollergirl / Navaz Batliwalla
IMAGES: Rocco Redondo; 2-5 – Alex Michon; 6 – Krystyna Kolowska; 7 – The Clash by Jenny Lens; 8 – Krystyna Kolowska; 9-12 – Alex Michon
NOTE: Most images are digitally enhanced. Some posts use affiliate links and PR samples. Please read my privacy and cookies policy here

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