White frills, wine velvet and tapered trousers
New Romantic
Also written New Romantic style
New Romantic joins theatrical clothing with expressive hair and makeup. Historical references, generous shirts, shaped tailoring, velvet and satin create its distinctive contrasts. Here, a white frilled shirt sits beneath a wine velvet waistcoat, with high-waisted tapered trousers and plain black boots.
British New Romantic styling combines expressive hair and makeup with frilled shirts, velvet and shaped tailoring. This modern four-piece outfit draws on the romantic side of the early-1980s club style.
History
London’s Blitz was one influential meeting place. From 1979, Steve Strange hosted and Rusty Egan DJed the Tuesday night at a Covent Garden wine bar. London Museum describes a creative crowd combining historical dress, glam influences and customized clothing, with electronic music central to the setting. This was a social and musical scene as well as a way of dressing. Birmingham also belongs in the story: Duran Duran’s official timeline records the band working and rehearsing at the Rum Runner in 1980, early performance clothes by Kahn and Bell, and Sounds identifying them with the New Romantic movement.
What defines the look
Hamish Bowles’s firsthand recollection of the Blitz describes theatrical finds and individual combinations; the V&A places New Romantic among several distinct club styles. Historical references, secondhand clothes, designer fashion and expressive grooming met within the same nightlife setting. This outfit sets a white frilled shirt against wine velvet and sharp black trousers. The contrast between a generous sleeve, fitted waistcoat and clean leg gives the theatrical details a clear frame.
Hair & styling details
Build an asymmetric sweep or soft volume through the front of the hair, leaving the shirt frill visible. Let the silhouette feel deliberately arranged while keeping the lengths mobile.
Use a defined plum or charcoal eye shape with a wine-colored lip. Keep the cheek modeling soft so the expressive color and youthful face remain clear.
Sources & further reading
These sources inform the cultural account. References for the illustrated pieces appear with the outfit above.
- London Museum: Blitz, a revolutionary 1980s club night
The 1979 London club, Steve Strange and Rusty Egan, customized clothing, electronic music and experiments with gender presentation. A London-focused institutional account. Its 1979–1981 date range differs from shorter ranges in some retrospectives; no exact closure date is used here.
- Hamish Bowles, British Vogue: remembering the Blitz Club (August 24, 2025)
A participant’s recollection, with testimony from Stephen Jones and Timna Woollard about personal invention, secondhand clothes and theatrical finds. A retrospective with individual memories, not a universal dress code. Its broader claims about punk’s origin are not used.
- Duran Duran: official 1980 timeline
The band’s account of Birmingham’s Rum Runner, early clothes by Kahn and Bell, and Sounds describing the band as New Romantic. A band-maintained retrospective, not an independent history of every regional scene or proof that these modern garments were artist-worn.
- Kate Bethune, V&A: Club to Catwalk exhibition introduction (March 14, 2013)
A curator explains the interaction of club dressing, designers and style magazines while distinguishing several 1980s club styles. Covers the wider decade, including later scenes. Its examples are not all assigned to early New Romantic or the Blitz.
- Darcy Clothing: Square Cut Frilled Cotton Lawn Period Shirt