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There is a girl in my daughters year at school, who is the year 10 style crush. She has all the latest clothes and accessories and knows how to work a look. She is very pretty and has a glamorous mum, so I can see her appeal, but as I have pointed out to my teen, sometimes the girls you want to look like when you are 15, don't always go onto to become style icons when they are older. There is such a thing as a fashion peak or Nirvana (I have talked about this before) and there is nothing more dissapointing than seeing your teenage fashion crush, 20 years later, looking almost exactly the same.
My teenage style crush, Angela Davidson, knew how to wear a 70's mac, high waisted skirt and Farah Fawcett flicks like no-one else in the whole of North Humberside and she dated the school heart throb, Kevin Cousins (now theres a 70's name). They were the it couple, the Brad and Angelina/ TomKat of Wolfreton Upper School and we all wanted to be her. My best friend and I would walk behind them on our way home from school, trying to breathe their air, in an effort to inhale a little piece of their innate sartorial elegance.
Fast forward a few years to the 80's, on a trip back to my old home town (looking like an extra from a Bananrama video) and who should I spot in the local shopping parade (oh the glamour) but my 70's style icon. My heart skipped a beat, but I couldn't possibly talk to her, she had no idea who I was, as I had admired her from afar - if only there had been Facebook in those days, I could have FB stalked her. But OH NO, she looked the same, the same flicked hair, the same slightly 70's style and horror of all horrors, she looked normal.
She had peaked at 16. I was devastated, I had imagined she would go onto great things, moving from trend to trend, becoming more fashionable and even more fabulous as the years progressed. How could she have turned into an ordinary person!!
I know, I know - she is probably very happy and living a rich and fulfilled life, blissfully unaware she has destroyed my fantasy, but you get my drift?
The opposite theory applies to male teenage crushes. No-one wants them to move on and change, ever. We need them to stay exactly as they are, frozen in time, preserved and perfect, to be brought out from time to time - when going through the attic - in the form of old Jackie or Pink magazines.
My heart can still skip a beat when confronted with an image of David Cassidy in a V neck, brown and beige tank top, or David Essex resplendent in a blanket check bomber jacket, with perfect permed hair, that risky little earring and those gorgeous twinkly eyes.
Seeing them as they are now, is merely a reminder that not only have they got older and greyer, so have we. In our hearts we are still those 15 year old girls in Van Allen A line midi skirts, high waisted flares (precisely why I won't be wearing that particular trend this season) and fitted jersey shirts with ridiculous pointed collars and turn back cuffs. And maybe we also secretly hope there may still be a chance to 'get off' with Jim MacLaine (David Essex) from the coming of age 70's film, That'll Be The Day.
David Essex appearing in Eastenders as Alfie Moon's uncle will mean nothing to many people, certainly not anyone under the age of 40, but for me it is too much to bear. Ok, he is still quite a handsome man, but he's no Jim MacLaine, and now I know for sure, there is definitely no chance of me joining the fair and running off with him.
David Essex still has that twinkle, but David Cassidy doesn't seem to have it now although he was my all time favourite, I was going to go to America and marry him (I was 14/15 at the time. Have just started to read Allison Pearson's book "I Think I Love You" - it's like a walk down memory lane this week.
Posted by: Jennifer | January 25, 2011 at 09:23 AM
Have got to get that book Jennifer. I agree about David Cassidy, its a bit sad when you see him now.
Those were the days !! Or not, I think I was angst ridden most of the time !
J x
Posted by: jane | January 25, 2011 at 10:47 AM
I can't believe David Essex in EE's, nooooooooo! Is that my Fab 208, 1975 annual? Love this xx
Posted by: Sarahjken@gmail.com | January 25, 2011 at 12:30 PM
My lovely dad gave me David Essex's biography for Christmas... he knows I had a big crush on him circa 1975. He even took me to the Hammersmith Apollo or possibly Shepherds Bush Empire to see Dave in concert. He still fondly reminds me that we had to "wait 4 hours" for him to finally get up on stage. Rockstars, eh? Memories. Love 'em.
Posted by: steffi | January 25, 2011 at 12:36 PM
David was SO much better than all the other teen idols. Yes Sarah it could well be your FAB 208 album!!
J x
Posted by: jane | January 25, 2011 at 01:06 PM
OMG yet another reason to watch Easties ( loving the Carole / Connor storyline but what's happened to baby James ?) Anyway, I digress ... the beautiful Mr Essex is going to be Alfie's dad ? Wonder who will make a bee-line for him ? My money's on Glenda ..... please no, I couldn't bear it. He was my ultimate pin-up in the 70s ( sad to say I was well into my advanced 20s) and I'd still run off with him even after all these years .....
Posted by: sue Evans | January 25, 2011 at 01:53 PM
He was probably more in your age range Sue, we were 14 which was probably wrong.
Glenda is bound to make a play for him. HOW much surgery has she had? She looks younger now than when she was in Dempsey and Makepeace. In fact she looks younger than her fictional soap daughters!!
J x
Posted by: jane | January 25, 2011 at 02:26 PM
Rock On! David was my fav (as we said in the 70's...) it was the fairground vibe - that gold earring and the naughty glint... Wont be watching him going to take his smalls into the laundrette though!
Posted by: Lilac | January 25, 2011 at 03:51 PM
Yes, he is defo my age and not yours Jane, so hands off !! I actually met him once in Liverpool. Mr Evans was working for the NME and I got him to enveigle an interview with him when he was playing at the Empire Theatre. Can't tell you what it felt like pushing through the hoards of screaming girls and actually being escorted to his dressing room. Then I blew the whole thing by lighting up a Gauloise ( I don't even smoke but thought it'd look cool ) and he started choking and had to open the window. God knows what I did to his vocal cords !!
Posted by: sue Evans | January 26, 2011 at 02:05 PM
Gauloise SUE !!! Actually weve all been there and the coloured cocktail cigarettes, what were they called. Sobriane or something!!
J x
Posted by: jane | January 27, 2011 at 06:23 AM
Well there was Sobraine Black Russian ( black with gold tip) and then they did the Sobraine Cocktail ones which were gorgeous colours.
Yes there I was in David's dressing room puffing on a full strength Gauloise -- bit like lighting up a Senior Service full strebngth !! Not sure why I thought he'd be impressed. Oh the faux pas of our youth .....
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