A Clockwork Orange, drughs have influenced fashion for 50 years

Fifty years ago, in 1971, what will become not only a milestone in filmography of all time, but also, and without his knowledge, was released in cinemas. a source of aesthetic and stylistic inspiration for fashion designers and music artists in the seasons to come: Clockwork Orange by Stanley Kubrick, based on the 1962 dystopian novel of the same name by Anthony Burgess. The costumes worn by the protagonist Alex DeLarge (Malcolm McDowell) and his gang of bad boys, i friends, they have in fact had a huge impact on the fashion world.

The clothes they show off to commit crimes and violence of all kinds are the simplest there is in circulation, and for this reason destined to become iconic. Alex and the others, in fact, all wear total white looks complemented by black bowler hats and sticks. But, in that simplicity there is a sea of ​​communication. It was this costume that launched the international career of Milena Canonero and, 50 years and 4 Academy Awards later, it may still be his most famous hit.

The then 25-year-old costume designer was inspired by the London street style of the time for her outfits. The black ankle boots worn by the drakes, called Bovver boots , were known to be worn by the trendy rogues of the time. The bowler hat, never gone out of fashion in England, was associated with something retro for young people in the 70s, while the suspender were a feature of the skinhead look. The Italian costume designer has therefore exploited and combined the trends of the moment to build the aesthetics of the protagonists of the film that turns into an effective and alienating uniform. The white color, in fact, represents at the same time purity but also asepticity.

After the exit to the cinema Clockwork Orange sparked a craze in London, leading to the rise of the Bovver Boys, street gangs who knowingly dressed like the characters in the film. Shortly after ithe look of the film began to be picked up by the major rockers of the time such as Led Zeppelin e David Bowie who even built the costumes of entire shows around the style of the film.

On the fashion side, although several designers have been influenced by Clockwork Orange right away, perhaps no one has been so deeply and consciously as Jean paul Gaultier. The French couturier has drawn on the drughs look several times in his career. In 1990 he clearly took inspiration from them to accomplish the costumes of the Blond Ambition Tour of Madonna which he transformed into a kind of dominatrix with a conical bra and bowler hat.

Gaultier’s clear homages to Kubrick’s film are then found in his own Fall / Winter 2008 menswear collection which brought the film style of the 70s to the fore for generations at the beginning of the new millennium.

In turn, this show then influenced a new wave of drughs on the runway, from Alexander McQueen Fall / Winter 2009 collection to that of Limi Feu from Spring / Summer 2011.

The trend continued both in terms of fashion shows and street style. Contemporary interpretations of Alex’s gang have come from KTZ Autumn / Winter 2015 collection and again in that Spring / Summer 2018 from the streetwear label Undercover.

Today, wherever sartorial subcultures are growing, there seems to be room for at least a shade of drugo. Bowler hat and suspenders they are now indispensable accessories for any artist who wants to show his rebellion aesthetically. So, in addition to being a must have for Halloween, we can recreate thethe look of Alex, simple but with a strong impact and, last but not least, from genderless DNA, in a few steps.

In the gallery some shopping tips for a stylish look Clockwork Orange than for 50 years returns to the cinema from 29 November to December 1st.

Other stories of Vanity Fair that may interest you:

– David Gandy and the others: when models make fashion
– Men prefer velvet
– Surprising Måneskin: in a tuxedo for the AMAs