People

29th September 1980
Pages 26-27

Punk pizzazz

“In 1965 Iggy Pop was thought of as a living idiot,” reports Betsey Johnson. “But Iggy was just ahead of his time.” Today, in the Age of Punk, that may mean pouring hot wax over his torso or impaling it with lead pencils. But to the permissive, 33-year-old Iggy’s harlequin trou and neon orange slashes are the sartorial New Wave. Likewise, Blondie’s Deborah Harry, 34 – who pranced on stage in a plastic trash-can liner. In more sedate moments, it’s jump suits and miniskirts by Montana, Mugler or Yamamoto. Noting her impact on a generation of girls, critic Johnson says flatteringly: “Debbie is pure ’60s Barbie doll.”