A new book explores the Beatles as
style gurus as Jade Wright discovered
THE Beatles changed popular music as
we know it. They were musical pioneers who created new genres and advanced the
way music was written and recorded. But a new book by music and fashion author
Paolo Hewitt says they were also fashion icons, who inspired a generation of
fans with their on and off stage outfits.
Fab Gear: The Beatles and Fashion
takes readers on a tour of the Beatles years and the trends they created.
From their Hamburg debut in
sunglasses, leather, and black sweaters to the conservative suits they were
ordered to wear by their manager Brian Epstein, from their infatuation with
Pierre Cardin collarless jackets to their more casual corduroy and from their
Mod madness to psychedelic spaciness to faux-military attire to hippy-chic,
each style is revealed as a reflection of the music they made and the world views
they embraced.
“I loved writing the book,” says
Paolo. “It was a real pleasure to find a new way of writing about The Beatles.
So much of what they did was tied in to what they wore.
“Pete Best said that when he met the
Beatles, he knew John was the leader, just by what he wore.
“Paul didn’t dress like a teddy boy
because he didn’t want to upset his dad. Hid mum hadn’t died long before, and
he didn’t want to give his dad any more stress. There are so many little
stories like that.
“I came to Liverpool for a week to
research. I visited Walter Smith, the man who made the Beatles’ first suits. He
said how much he liked them, and how Paul was a nice lad, but they all swore a
lot. It was great to be in Liverpool. I met so many people who had stories.”
The Beatles knew how much image
mattered in the 1960s, and whether it was Nehru jackets, skinny ties, granny
glasses, or the Cuban heel boot. And if John, Paul, George, or Ringo wore it,
the rest of their millions of fans followed.
“They had the same ideas with their
clothes as with their music,” says Paolo. “As soon as another bands started to
copy their look, they’d move on and wear something else. they were innovators,
and they hated following the pack.”
The book offers insights into how the
band's meteoric rise and enduring success shaped their fashion choices. There's
even a chapter devoted to their hairstyles.
“It was such an interesting book to
research,” says Paolo, a former NME journalist and author of more than 20 music
books. “Of all the books I’ve written, this was the one where I felt that I
could have carried on researching and writing it forever. I found it so
fascinating I didn’t want it to stop.”
Fab Gear: The Beatles and Fashion by
Paolo Hewitt is out in mid-September. He will be talking about the book at The
Beatles convention in the Adelphi this Sunday.
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