Summary
Children of Rock . For others a surprise bag, rich in styles and discoveries. In any case, you will find here other inspirations and ways to wear the Perfecto. Music, maestro."And if the sleeping rock critic could also wake up with a series on our old musical icons, it would remind me of the distant time when I was still of a decent age to open a Rock & Folk!"
Among all your many messages, there are those that share, question or comfort, sometimes all three at once. And it is very inspiring. Until recently, fashion was only a center of interest related to my primary passions. I learn quickly, partly thanks to you, and what I try to bring you in return is, for example, another look at clothing through my universe: it is first fashion and cinema with Bobine, then it is fashion and music through this first series called Pochette.
For me, music was love at first sight, declared one day in 1991 when I was still a child and entered a record store for the first time. That's how I came face to face with the cover of the album "Bossanova" by the Pixies. "So that's the band of the moment, my boy!" the salesman had basically said to me.
From then on, nothing was ever the same again and the all-consuming passion gradually moved behind the scenes even before I came of age.
The rest was fanzines, magazines, websites, concerts and more or less DIY festivals for a good fifteen years.
When someone talks about leather jackets, the first song that comes to mind is called... "I love my leather jacket" . It's a song by a confidential but cult New Zealand band called The Chills. You'll find a first Perfecto there.
There are many others: the artists and the Perfecto that you are going to (re)discover here still feature prominently in my record collection today. Ready for the visit?
1. PERFECTO & DENIM JACKET: PJ HARVEY
If the white t-shirt, jeans and boots form the perfecto's fantasy outfit, it is however possible to imagine other combinations, and in particular what you can wear underneath.
For once, my first example will be feminine, but you will see that the main idea of the outfit is mixed and universal. If the Perfecto is not the prerogative of men, it is especially because as far back as I can remember the first Perfecto in my record collection is none other than that of PJ Harvey.
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PJ Harvey in 1992, on stage at the Pinkpop festival, Netherlands.
It was 1992, on school benches, at a time when cassettes and magazines were exchanged under the counter to keep up with the latest trends. The young English singer had just released her first album "Dry": the songs were dry, the approach intimate, feminist and almost punk. It would resonate lastingly in the musical landscape, inspiring many women in its wake.
In my memory, PJ Harvey wears black jeans and a tank top, a Sheela-Na-Gig " and more generally remember the denim jacket and Perfecto combination for your own outfits: it works every time!
For our readers, besides pioneers Patti Smith and Françoise Hardy , we can mention two other inspiring musical icons who wore the perfecto: Kim Gordon and Debbie Harry.
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Blondie singer Debbie Harry in 1977.
The former played bass for the American band Sonic Youth for 30 years, distilling her vision of fashion and clothing in each of her appearances. All the music of the quartet is contained in its surname +.
If Kim Gordon, for example, wears the Perfecto in all sobriety with a dress and black ankle boots , you will find other variations among the characters in the video " Dirty boots ": t-shirt, plaid shirt, jeans or Scottish skirt and probably Converse on the feet .
The second is none other than the voice and main engine of Blondie. Coming from the New York punk scene of the mid-70s, the group will become famous with more openly pop songs like " Atomic ", " Call me " or " Heart of Glass ".
Music, clothes often found in thrift stores and then customized and platinum blonde: Debbie Harry will obviously arouse the interest of the fashion world. Her vision of the Perfecto? An example in video or image above: a scarf, a pink v-neck sweater under her leather jacket and pants that we suspect are a little dressed up .
To (re)discover
PJ Harvey: the album “Dry” (1992)
Sonic Youth: The “Daydream Nation” Album (1988)
Blondie: the album “Parallel Lines” (1978).
For our denim jacket tips:
© Monty Fresco/Evening Standard/Getty Images
Bruce Springsteen in 1975.
If Bruce Springsteen had to be summed up in two lines: propelled into the "new Bob Dylan" at the beginning, now subscribed to the status of Boss , he found a perfect group to bring his songs to life on stage and is among the best storytellers of contemporary America.
His black Perfecto, we discover it on the cover of his third album "Born To Run" in 1975. He has a beard, curly hair, jeans and a white t-shirt . At that time, it is not uncommon to see him also sporting this same outfit with various accessories, such as the hat, the cap, the scarf and... very often the bandana : a plus for the attitude, a plus also for the style.
For a glimpse of his America and his Perfecto in the spotlight, a moving clip from his concert at London's Hammersmith Odeon in 1975 here .
To (re)discover Bruce Springsteen: the album “Born to run” (1975).
For our advice on bandanas:
It's fun, easy-going, with an irremediably rebellious and adolescent spirit that obviously fits very well with the style and condition of their clothes. If you want to wear your Perfecto "New York style", you won't find better inspiration.
To (re)discover The Ramones: the album “Rocket to Russia” (1977).
For other looks with Converse:
4. PERFECTO & PUNK LEGACY: JOE STRUMMER (THE CLASH)
Let's now move to the other side of the Atlantic, closer to us. The path towards style often leads to discovering all sorts of universes and trends. The same goes for music: without punk, it's likely that I wouldn't have gone poking around on the side of dub, reggae or funk.
While the Sex Pistols are commonly the first band that comes to mind when people think of the punk movement, the word first appeared in the 60s in relation to garage rock bands. The rumor later spread with American bands like The Stooges or the MC5.
In the 70s, Richard Hell of the American group Television or the New York Dolls can be considered the first true punks in history. A skilled salesman and manager of the latter, Malcom McLaren will import the spirit to Europe, creating from scratch the uniform and the group Sex Pistols. We can prefer Public Image, the continuation of the adventures of the leader John Lydon, richer musically.
The punk movement exploded in any case in 1977, bringing in its wake a host of groups that are more or less forgotten today. The spirit, however, has remained, and in the particular case of fashion: the recycling, thrift stores and second-hand goods that made the punk wardrobe so popular are more relevant than ever.
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Joe Strummer and Paul Simonon, The Clash on stage in 1977.
Among the spearheads of the punk movement in England: The Clash. More interesting than the Sex Pistols, if only for their musical openness and especially their clothing style which mixes in a joyful mess rockabilly, military fashion and many other universes, the group has partly remained in the annals of clothing thanks to the song " Should I Stay or Should I Go ", associated with a famous Levi's advertising campaign in 1991.
But for fans, The Clash is above all albums like "London Calling" and the charisma of guitarist Joe Strummer, a big fan of military-inspired shirts.
In the band's wardrobe, the perfecto is obviously in the spotlight, whether on the shoulders of its bassist Paul Simonon or those of Joe Strummer . Boots, jeans, t-shirt, Perfecto, with hints of denim here and there or casual reminiscences of the tie-shirt combo . If you're short on budget and resourcefulness doesn't scare you, you'll find plenty of ideas for inspiration for your style at Joe Strummer.
To (re)discover The Clash: the album “London Calling” (1979)
For other looks with Perfecto jacket:
For fans, a glimpse of Alan Vega in black and a Perfecto, here live on French television at the very end of the 80s. It's a song originally produced by Ric Ocazek of the Cars, and it could easily appear on the soundtrack of the third season of "Twin Peaks". As for the black armband that Alan Vega sometimes wore on the arm of his blazers, it's up to you to decide.
To (re)discover Suicide: the album “Suicide” (1977).
For the little history of the Perfecto:
To learn more about this incredible character, I invite you to read "I Want More", a fascinating little autobiography of the leader of the Stooges. Another interesting resource, if ever Japanese geta intrigue you: this Renaud , of course. But also Bernard Lavilliers , Manu Chao from the Mano Negra period and many others. For my part, apart from a few sacred monsters like Serge Gainsbourg or Léo Ferré, I was only relatively little influenced by French song when I was younger.
There are, however, some exceptions. Alain Bashung's career, for example, is interesting in more ways than one. It is both musical and stylistic, and it is a good example of the virtues of the passing of time.
Who could have predicted that the Bashung of the late 70s would give birth to great records like "Osez Josephine", "Fantaisie Militaire" or "L'Imprudence"? From the openly rock style of the beginnings to the formal elegance of the last years, Alain Bashung's stylistic journey is inseparable from the evolution of his music.
© ChristopheL Collection / Lecœuvre Photo Library / IMAGO
Alain Bashung on stage circa 1981.
But let's go back to the end of the 70s. Very strongly inspired by the rock'n'roll of the Anglo-Saxon pioneers at the beginning, Alain Bashung quite logically adorned himself with a rock'n'roll image and wardrobe: jeans, cowboy boots, leather and not just on jackets .
At a time when the punk movement was shaking the walls of Buckingham Palace, Alain Bashung appeared a little out of place, almost anachronistic in his slim black leather trousers.
His first recordings are thus a eulogy to leather . We can see it on the cover of his album "Pizza" or in the video clip of one of his first big hits here . In this video, Bashung even displays a total rock'n'roll look: Perfecto and black leather pants, striped shirt and long scarf, boots and black glasses . Too much?
We can find him in another style among the many images taken behind the scenes, less outrageous but still in Perfecto, in the video of this other great success.
Obviously, this is one of the most connoted styles in this small selection. While it may seem perfect on paper, it is harder to pull off in everyday life. Unless, of course, you worship Buddy Holly, Gene Vincent and Elvis Presley and don't need anyone on a Harley Davidson.
In the 80s, as Alain Bashung moved away from rock to embrace the higher spheres of song, the Perfecto found itself alongside new icons across pop culture: less electric and to a lesser extent more presentable, the famous leather jacket joined the wardrobe of Madonna , Michael Jackson , Samantha Fox and more recently David Guetta .
To (re)discover Alain Bashung: the album “Fantaisie militaire” (1998)
For our advice on leather jackets:
To (re)discover Motörhead: the album “Ace Of Spades” (1980).
For other looks in the metal register:
For my part, besides the pre-seventies period, it is one of my favorite eras in terms of clothing and musical style and you can rediscover it in many English groups of this time, like for example Echo & The Bunnymen here in action with military jacket for its leader Ian McCulloch in 1980 and there a little later with oversized Perfecto. By the way, still in these early 80s and for those who would look for layering ideas with pea coat: a track here , through one of my favorite groups.
To (re)discover The Cure: the album “Disintegration” (1989)
For our advice on wide pants:
10. PERFECTO & HOMEWEAR: PETER HOOK (NEW ORDER)
So far, we have mostly observed the Perfecto outdoors. So there may be a question that comes to mind: can this jacket be worn as homewear? To find out, I invite you to return to one of the strongholds of English rock: Manchester, Factory records, Peter Saville's design and... the music of New Order.
While I have always been more attracted to the records and outfits of Joy Division , it is with groups like New Order or the Stone Roses that I learned to dance (badly). As fashion and music have a special connection, note that the Japanese label Blue Monday "in 1983, probably the most emblematic title of the group and incidentally "the first honest disco track" according to Bernard Sumner's own words. However, there is much more to discover in New Order: atmospheres, dance music, pop songs and a certain reassuring melancholy.
While the band has never been particularly known for its clothing style, you will find the Perfecto and a certain casual panache in wearing it on its very influential bassist Peter Hook.
For example, look at the video for the song " The Perfect Kiss ": it's 1985 and the whole New Order style could be summed up in this song and its chilling finale. On bass, Peter Hook wears a beard and a haircut worthy of Chuck Norris, a Perfecto worn on all sides, a black T-shirt and almost homewear bottoms: they are gray jogging pants that we would perhaps call jogpants today, combined with white socks and probably sneakers.
I've looked everywhere, but I can't find a more "chill" Perfecto outfit in my collection.
To (re)discover New Order: the album “Low-Life” (1985).
For our advice on homewear:
11. PERFECTO & WHITE TROUSERS: DAVE GAHAN (DEPECHE MODE)
You know it: at BonneGueule we love white pants. So it's impossible not to mention here the name of a group that likes to wear them. A hint: it's inspired by an old French fashion magazine title.
More than 40 years after its formation, Depeche Mode sounds like a no-brainer: great records, a constant art of the synthetic refrain that brings together Kraftwerk and the Beatles, improbable haircuts, charisma embodied by singer Dave Gahan and of course, clothes galore, sometimes even from the women's wardrobe.
They are now considered new wave dinosaurs alongside U2 or The Cure. We owe them dozens of pop classics, and probably one of the most beautiful songs ever written about silence. But if we can only praise Martin L. Gore's songwriting talents, we can also highlight the group's never-failing appetite for fashion.
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Depeche Mode in concert in Dortmund, Germany - 1988.
Just take a look at their many videos, and stop at one of Dave Gahan's iconic outfits. You can find it in the video for " Enjoy The Silence ", a song from what One can consider their best album: "Violator", probably the unconscious soundtrack of my 90s. The group is then known everywhere, even in the most remote corners of Mayenne.
Black perfecto, white jeans, black boots, t-shirt or tank top . This is another example of how wonderful white can be on the bottom and note that white jeans and the Perfecto is a combination that of course has not escaped Jordan in his dedicated Panache. Perfecto, and more generally leather, you will find in any case a lot of them in Depeche Mode's outfits, all eras combined.
In another genre, and since we are talking here about one of the great English groups of the 80s, I will take the opportunity to slip in a little word about U2's Irish competitors whose first records still have something incredibly touching today: the guitar so characteristic of The Edge, the heroic breath of the whole and a certain adolescent clumsiness compensated by passion, desire, faith, call it what you will.
There is a question that is both futile and existential that has been bothering me for several decades now. To illustrate it, I invite you to immerse yourself in the video for " Pride (In The Name Of Love) ", one of the big hits of 1984, with black everywhere in its clothes. Drummer Larry Mullen Jr. wears jeans, a black Perfecto and a t-shirt, with probably boots on his feet . Knowing that the Perfecto keeps you warm, how can you humanly play drums without flinching with such a jacket on your back?
To (re)discover Depeche Mode: the album “Violator” (1990).
For other looks with white pants:
12. PERFECTO & BUTTON-DOWN SHIRTS: THE JESUS & MARY CHAIN
"What do you think about buttoned shirts all the way up?" This was, from memory, a podcast topic, and while the entire editorial team generally agreed on a polite but relatively definitive no, I could have qualified the statement by drawing on one of my favorite bands: the Scottish Jesus & Mary Chain.
In the same way as Nicolò with his nuggets , I tend to keep some secrets to myself. This is the case for records like "Psychocandy" or especially "Darklands": they have been with me for 25 years.
Through them, I could also talk about a color that Benoît hates above all else but that I have worn proudly for most of my life: black is of course the color of rock and no one imagines The Jesus & Mary Chain bursting onto the stage in casual chic outfits.
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William and Jim Reid (The Jesus & Mary Chain) in 1987.
For the music, imagine a movement that emerged in the mid-80s, bringing together the loudest guitars of the Velvet Underground and the art of sixties pop melody.
For style, you can forget about the comb, take out the boots, denim pieces, striped t-shirts and sweaters, plaid shirts or black shirts buttoned up to the top, dark glasses and black leather jackets .
Among them, there is obviously the Perfecto that you will find for example with the bassist Douglas Hart . You can see it here . The song is cult and for the most cinephiles among you, think for example of the soundtrack that accompanies Bill Murray and Scarlett Johansson in "Lost In Translation" by Sophia Coppola.
Another example here, on this other classic from 1987: look more closely at the Perfecto on the shoulders of guitarist William Reid, paired with jeans and a plaid shirt. Among the band's big fans in France: Etienne Daho. We'll come back to that. In the meantime, tell me: do you still find buttoned-up shirts old-fashioned?
To (re)discover The Jesus & Mary Chain: the album “Darklands” (1987).
For our advice on shirts:
For the more curious, you will find on the Internet traces of a TV meeting between the two men. Étienne Daho appears all in black and wears among other things a Perfecto jacket . Gainsbourg for his part has his own elegance: jeans, blue shirt under a striped blazer, rolled up sleeves, Repetto and white socks .
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Etienne Daho circa 1987.
If the famous Schott leather jacket is no stranger to Etienne Daho, note that he wears it, among other things, in the style of the Scottish group mentioned above. In those years, he also wore the striped sweater, a garment immortalized by Pierre & Gilles on the cover of the album "La Notte, la notte" in 1984. Nothing prevents you from combining the two, striped sweater and Perfecto, if only to change from the eternal white t-shirt .
Let us also point out, for those who might be worried about wearing the Perfecto after adolescence, that at 65, Etienne Daho still wears the leather jacket with elegance. This is evidenced by his media outings on the occasion of the album "Blitz" in 2017.
On the other, darker side of French pop, we can also look at Taxi Girl and its singer Daniel Darc , another fan of Perfecto and rock'n'roll scents.
To (re)discover Etienne Daho: the album “La Notte, la notte” (1984)
For other looks with Perfecto jacket:
For those curious, my favorite Lou Reed album is not the most obvious, but it has followed me everywhere since I was 16: it is called "Berlin".
If the wearing of the Perfecto is not surprising at home, it would perhaps be more so at home for a more eccentric character, used to escapades and/or fashion shows and whose music Lou Reed also seemed to appreciate.
© Francois G. Durand/WireImage
Kanye West in Paris, 2012.
Kanye West is one of the stars of contemporary hip-hop and he also doesn't say no to the Perfecto or to fashion in general. However, he integrates it into a very different register, more willingly streetwear: sneakers in front, jogging or bleached jeans with holes, trend to wear loose on top .
Not everything in Kanye West's wardrobe is necessarily to be taken, but it is in any case another avenue to explore for another way of considering the Perfecto. Like a few other relatively connoted pieces of the male wardrobe, the Perfecto can be reinvented in favor of another style. In this spirit: also think of the sweatshirt and the hoodie .
As for Kanye West's music: it's inventive, a little crazy, rich in styles, colors and musical ideas. To better appreciate the passage of time and appreciate the patina of some of his albums, we can why not start at the beginning, or even follow Dior's example: here .
To (re)discover Lou Reed: the album “Berlin” (1973) & Kanye West the album “The College dropout” (2004).
To learn more about streetwear:
Through this willingly suggestive clip, we rediscover nothing more and nothing less than the origins of the Perfecto. Remember the story told by Jordan: the Perfecto was created for riding a motorbike. This is precisely what Justin Timberlake is doing here, following in the footsteps of Marlon Brando from "The Wild One".
He has the helmet and leather gloves. He wears his closed black jacket. Below: fitted but flowing pants and a pair of boots . Above: a simple black tank top that we quickly discover. Then black glasses. It's deliberately sexy: in a handful of seconds, Justin Timberlake gives our old biker jacket a new lease of life. And what if, at the end of these 15 little portraits based on music and a Perfecto jacket, you finally let yourself be tempted?
To (re)discover Justin Timberlake: the album “Futuresex/Lovesounds” (2006)
Our looks with Perfecto jacket:
