The battle jacket remains
I read this article on the BBC today about bepatched denim jackets.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/in-pictures-41723065
In the post, some photos by Dan Giannopoulos are shared along with his insights into his project to capture one of the long established style statements of the rocker/biker societies.
In my younger years, 16-21 (1987-1992), I was a regular wearer of a battle jacket (though until I read the article above, I never knew that is what they are known as). As an owner of the “uniform” (my choice of adjective) and a stalwart, lifelong supporter of the punk and heavy metal scenes, I thought I’d reflect, reminisce and then share my personal experiences and thoughts.
As a teenager, for me, the patched denim jacket was an important way to associate with and, arguably, be accepted into the rock scene. Having discovered punk and heavy metal and found my niche, I wanted to broadcast my allegiance. I was part of a small group of friends and we all wore patched denim, biker style leather jackets, sturdy boots, studded belts, chains and grew our hair long. In the town I grew up in, the place I went to school, the environments I worked in etc. the uniform was not actually that common at all - the rock attire earmarked you as a nerd or a trouble maker, though in truth I was neither.
It was only when arriving at places like the Hammersmith Odeon, Brixton Academy, Wembley Arena etc. that what marked you out as different at home, became rather more clichéd. Football fans turn up to games in club shirts, hats, scarves; rockers turned up at gigs in battle dress. Patched denim was de-rigueur.
I bought my patches primarily from a market stall in Hitchin or from various locations in London. They varied over time, the longest serving back-patch was the album cover from Metallica’s “Kill ‘em all”. As I couldn’t sew at all, my sister or my mum stitched the things on to my jacket. It’s not very “rocker” to admit to that I guess, but hey, that’s how it was.
In regular use, the denim jacket was less practical than the leather, the denim, which needed cleaning more often, was harder to clean and less resilient to cleaning when you did (your patches got ruined). When the jacket needed replacing, you had to get all your patches off in order to get them stitched on to the replacement – that was a right faff for my sis. As such, and as I aged, the overall volume of patches displayed came down and eventually the denim jacket was abandoned altogether.
It was like I grew out of it. Once I stopped living in jeans and heavy metal t-shirts, the denim jacket was less complementary. As my hair cut was tamed and my working responsibilities increased, the patched denim was just less “me”. Though, all these years later, I still have some of my favourite patches, see photo, I thought that the battle jacket was more suited to the teenagers than the adults.
Also, once I had been immersed in the scene long enough to have served my rocker apprenticeship, I didn’t need a patched jacket to feel a sense of belonging. The music collection, the connections made and the sheer volume of gigs attended were all the badges of honour that I needed.
That stated, I never turned away from the biker style leather jacket, in fact I still have the one I bought in Carnaby Street in 1987 (like me, it is grey and knackered). I never turned away from the music either, I am still a regular gig goer even now in my middle age.
For the full grown adults that have the kinds of job that still allow them to have long hair, have the kinds of wives/partners/kids that are happy for them to have long hair and, most importantly, still have enough hair follicles to enable them to have long hair; the bepatched denim battle jacket will still suit. I am accepting that I’d look stupid in one now, but I am happy for those that can carry the look off.
To any of my old buddies out there (Mike, Chris, Ritchie D or Hughesy for example) that read this post, you had battle jackets too, why not add your sentiments to this post. Did you think the same things? Do you/would you wear one now?
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/in-pictures-41723065
In the post, some photos by Dan Giannopoulos are shared along with his insights into his project to capture one of the long established style statements of the rocker/biker societies.
In my younger years, 16-21 (1987-1992), I was a regular wearer of a battle jacket (though until I read the article above, I never knew that is what they are known as). As an owner of the “uniform” (my choice of adjective) and a stalwart, lifelong supporter of the punk and heavy metal scenes, I thought I’d reflect, reminisce and then share my personal experiences and thoughts.
As a teenager, for me, the patched denim jacket was an important way to associate with and, arguably, be accepted into the rock scene. Having discovered punk and heavy metal and found my niche, I wanted to broadcast my allegiance. I was part of a small group of friends and we all wore patched denim, biker style leather jackets, sturdy boots, studded belts, chains and grew our hair long. In the town I grew up in, the place I went to school, the environments I worked in etc. the uniform was not actually that common at all - the rock attire earmarked you as a nerd or a trouble maker, though in truth I was neither.
It was only when arriving at places like the Hammersmith Odeon, Brixton Academy, Wembley Arena etc. that what marked you out as different at home, became rather more clichéd. Football fans turn up to games in club shirts, hats, scarves; rockers turned up at gigs in battle dress. Patched denim was de-rigueur.
I bought my patches primarily from a market stall in Hitchin or from various locations in London. They varied over time, the longest serving back-patch was the album cover from Metallica’s “Kill ‘em all”. As I couldn’t sew at all, my sister or my mum stitched the things on to my jacket. It’s not very “rocker” to admit to that I guess, but hey, that’s how it was.
In regular use, the denim jacket was less practical than the leather, the denim, which needed cleaning more often, was harder to clean and less resilient to cleaning when you did (your patches got ruined). When the jacket needed replacing, you had to get all your patches off in order to get them stitched on to the replacement – that was a right faff for my sis. As such, and as I aged, the overall volume of patches displayed came down and eventually the denim jacket was abandoned altogether.
It was like I grew out of it. Once I stopped living in jeans and heavy metal t-shirts, the denim jacket was less complementary. As my hair cut was tamed and my working responsibilities increased, the patched denim was just less “me”. Though, all these years later, I still have some of my favourite patches, see photo, I thought that the battle jacket was more suited to the teenagers than the adults.
Also, once I had been immersed in the scene long enough to have served my rocker apprenticeship, I didn’t need a patched jacket to feel a sense of belonging. The music collection, the connections made and the sheer volume of gigs attended were all the badges of honour that I needed.
That stated, I never turned away from the biker style leather jacket, in fact I still have the one I bought in Carnaby Street in 1987 (like me, it is grey and knackered). I never turned away from the music either, I am still a regular gig goer even now in my middle age.
For the full grown adults that have the kinds of job that still allow them to have long hair, have the kinds of wives/partners/kids that are happy for them to have long hair and, most importantly, still have enough hair follicles to enable them to have long hair; the bepatched denim battle jacket will still suit. I am accepting that I’d look stupid in one now, but I am happy for those that can carry the look off.
To any of my old buddies out there (Mike, Chris, Ritchie D or Hughesy for example) that read this post, you had battle jackets too, why not add your sentiments to this post. Did you think the same things? Do you/would you wear one now?
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