But as with any pioneering trend, it wasn’t theirs for long and the rest of the world soon followed. In 1977, British designer Zandra Rhodes started using elements of the punk aesthetic in her collections. Switching secondhand pins and rusty studs with gleaming gold safety pins and chains, she connected uneven hems and slashed holes with delicate embroidery to create refined, elegant pieces. And soon the rich and famous began to sit up and take notice – and voila, a new style was born.
After Rhodes opened the floodgates, elements of punk could be seen in high-end fashion all the way through the 80’s, 90’s, noughties and beyond. The phrase ‘punk luxe’ was coined because of its glossy, body-forming look with a distinctive rock edge, and it’s impossible not to ignore punk’s influence in some of our favourite trends from the past few seasons. There’s Balmain’s skin-tight ripped jeans and studded leather bags, Jean Paul Gaultier’s PVC, tartan and fishnets, and the skull scarves and bondage undertones of Alexander McQueen. Alice Dellal is its willing heroine. And let’s not forget that Versace safety pin dress Liz Hurley wore to the 'Four Weddings and a Funeral' premier...
