The Original Punks: Punk From Newsweek's 1977 Archives
In anticipation of the MET’s new exhibit: Punk: Chaos to Couture, we’ve dipped into Newsweek’s 1977 archives for insight into the real punks.
Allan Tannenbaum/Polaris
The Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Costume Institute will open its newest exhibit, Punk: Chaos to Couture, on May 7. The exhibition will explore punk’s origins and its continued impact on fashion, even extending into present day. Ahead of its debut, we dipped into Newsweek’s archives in search of some true insight into the punk movement’s pivotal years. It’s there that we found a 1977 feature by Tony Schwartz that catches the subculture in its prime. From explaining the origins of Sid Vicious’s safety-pinned pants (and their resulting mass-market adaptation), to pointing out the (now practically mainstream) stinging shock of pink hair, Schwartz illustrates punk as it was in its true glory days: a culture of devil-may-care, irreverent vagabonds. Most surprising is a quote from designer Vivienne Westwood, then 36, who described the group's interest in swastika-laden clothing: “They like the Nazi things because they are interesting decorations.”
See more of our coverage in your search results.
Got a tip? Send it to The Daily Beast here.
Register below to read this article for free or subscribe
to unlock unlimited access to The Daily Beast.
Monthly
$1
First month then $5.99/month
Annual
$35
First year then $59.99/year
Premium
$79
First year then $119.99/year
*Substack access provided by the next business day, using your subscription email. Choosing the Premium plan constitutes your permission to share your subscription email with Substack and your agreement to Substack’s Privacy Policy.
Already have an account? Sign In
Looks like you already have a subscription!
You're all set!
Thanks for subscribing.