NEW ROMANTICS/ RESEARCH
So the New Romantic scene kicked off in late 1970s London clubs when everyone was super bored with punk rock and sick of how depressing England was under Thatcher. It didn't last that long (like 1979-1983), but it basically invented the whole '80s vibe we still reference today.
It all started in these cool London clubs, especially The Blitz. The bouncer was Steve Strange (who later became famous with his band Visage) and he wouldn't let you in unless you looked absolutely all over the top. People like Boy George and bands like Spandau Ballet hung out there and basically competed to see who could look the most extra.
The music was way different from punk. New Romantic bands like Duran Duran, Ultravox, and Visage were all about synthesizers instead of guitars. They were super into David Bowie, German electronic stuff like Kraftwerk, and the whole glam rock scene from earlier.
But honestly, the fashion was the most beautiful part. These people dressed amazing and completely different from the mainstream society. They'd wear military jackets with crazy shoulder pads that made them look twice as wide, with all this gold braiding and embroidery everywhere. Guys would wear frilly shirts with massive ruffles like they were time travelers from the 1700s. Everything was made from expensive-looking fabrics like velvet and silk, covered in sequins, beads, and metallic thread.
The makeup was next level too. Everyone guys and girls wore tons of it. Bold eyeshadow that went all the way to their temples, dramatic blush, and perfectly contoured faces. Their hair was backcombed into these crazy shapes, often with these dramatic swoops like Steve Strange had. Guys dressed like girls, girls dressed like guys, and nobody really cared about gender rules.
The whole thing was basically a big middle finger to how depressing Britain was at the time. Unlike punk which was all angry about society's problems, New Romantics just created their own fantasy world in nightclubs where looking fabulous was the only thing that mattered.
By 1983, most of these bands went mainstream and toned down the crazier stuff to sell more records. But the New Romantic style basically defined '80s pop culture it influenced music videos, fashion magazines, and movies.
FASHION DESIGERNS
Alexander McQueen's work has been deeply influenced by the New Romantics aesthetic, though he evolved it into something much darker and more theatrical. His collections consistently feature that perfect blend of historical references and fantasy elements that defined New Romantics. Look at his Fall 2008 "The Girl Who Lived in the Tree" collection – it's full of these dramatic silhouettes, rich fabrics, and historical references that feel both Victorian and futuristic at the same time.
What makes McQueen's connection to New Romantics so interesting is how he took their love of drama and theatricality but pushed it into these emotionally intense territories. His runway shows weren't just fashion presentations they were complete artistic experiences with elaborate sets and narratives, exactly like how New Romantics approached their music performances as total art. His Highland Rape collection (Fall 1995) used historical Scottish elements but twisted them into something provocative and challenging, similar to how New Romantics took historical elements and subverted them.
Alessandro Michele's revival of Gucci from 2015-2022 is probably the most obvious contemporary example of New Romantics influence! His maximalist approach brought back all those elements that defined New Romantics style gender fluidity, rich textures, historical references, and theatrical presentation.
Michele's Gucci runways featured models of all genders wearing ruffled shirts, velvet suits, metallic fabrics, and bold color combinations that looked like they could have stepped straight out of a Visage music video. The Fall 2018 collection even featured models carrying replicas of their own heads exactly the kind of theatrical, slightly unsettling presentation that New Romantics would have loved.
David Bowie was absolutely central to the New Romantics aesthetic, serving as both inspiration and catalyst for the entire movement. His Ziggy Stardust era (1972-1973) completely redefined what was possible in music and fashion years before New Romantics emerged. If you watch performances like "Starman" on Top of the Pops in 1972, you can see how revolutionary his approach was the flame-red hair, cosmic jumpsuits, and theatrical makeup created this alien persona that challenged all conventional ideas about how male performers should present themselves.
His Aladdin Sane character took things even further with that iconic lightning bolt face paint and more elaborate costuming. The "Life on Mars?" music video shows this perfectly with his bright blue eyeshadow and turquoise suit creating this otherworldly, almost painterly vision. Bowie's collaboration with Japanese designer Kansai Yamamoto for the Aladdin Sane tour brought these structured, asymmetrical designs that perfectly captured what would later become the New Romantics' love for dramatic silhouettes and gender-fluid styling.
