New Romantic Movement

The “New Romantic” movement was a new and distinctive music and fashion genre that sprang up in Britain in the early 80s as a reaction to the anti-fashion of punk.

After all, anyone could slap on a T-shirt, write “Destroy” across the front and rip their jeans with a razor. But to look like a New Romantic you had to really try hard, and spend a lot of time with a hairdresser – most of whom were New Romantics themselves anyway.

The look was completely overblown and the main rules were ‘big hair’ and ‘lots and lots of make-up’ (even for the girls!). Pirate costumes, Kilts and plus-fours were especially favoured, while some folks (like Duran Duran) took it all a little too far and added leg-warmers and headbands in a sort of mondo-aerobic cross-over.