So, who was a fan of “The Face” or “iD”? They were echt-hip back in the day. At university we’d affect Nevil Brody typography on our student union posters, and suddenly fashion was a thing. I was at Goldsmiths, which may have been relevant. Rock was viewed with even greater disdain than it was in a 1982 NME. “The Face” had some good writing, but, my dear, the superior attitudes. And the fashion spread on terrorist style … Oh dear. With their Robert Elmsy superiority complex, sometimes I think they put the ” fascist” into fashion, even though they fancied themselves more “Red Wedge”. I think my high point was seeing an ex girlfriend in the street fashion section of iD.
“Style” mags in the 80s
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@Vincent, you have eloquently summarised why I didn’t buy any of them, didn’t read any of them and generally spurned them, as I would spurn a rabid dog.
See y’ round the campus!
My school pal/gig buddy was once pictured in a Take A Break caption story. He worked in the publisher’s graphics department and the model hadn’t turned up to the photo shoot.
Now we’re talking! That’s proper fame!
Was his character a cad – or given an unpleasant disease?
I can’t quite remember the script/scenario, but he played a grumpy teenager with a ghettoblaster on his shoulder and a backwards baseball cap the on his bonce. He was about 28 at the time.
I bought the first issue of The Face I think, Paul Weller on the cover. It was predominantly a music magazine at first, well ahead of the likes of Q as a monthly. I bought the occasional issue but stopped when it started to disappear up its own arse
I think Paul Morley, various scribblers, and rather too much Bolivian marching powder didn’t help their attitude. Sade and Spandau Ballet (then Frankie goes to Hollywood) were consumerist dross, and no allusions to Baudrillard made this any better.
‘Consumerist’… aren’t we all? 🤔
The first issue had Jerry Dammers on the cover.
It didn’t start out as a style magazine, but evolved into one.
I recall early editions had the strap line Rock’s Final Frontier below the masthead.
There was a story that Dammers was having a problem at a bank over his identity. He went and got a copy of that #1 issue and returned, presented it as proof that he was who he said he was.
I bought maybe the first 6 issues of The Face – it then became an occasional purchase if an issue was particularly interesting.
The Face. Blue Rondo a La Turk and zoot suits springs instantly to mind.
Exactly. That’ll show “rockism”.
I bought the odd issue if there was a good music feature.
Far too pleased with itself – like Stephen Fry and Sandi Toksvig
shoved in a wood chipper, mulched and reincarnated as a glossy magazine.
Like to think my total lack of fashion sense put young Beau Brummell wannabes
off reading the rag and hastened its demise
I think The Face was quite good – and they didn’t take themselves quite as seriously as I-D and BLITZ magazine, who really did think they were changing the fashion industry.
The sense of humour (and irony) at The Face was similar to the attitude of bands like The Style Council: the »serious« music fans (and NME readers) always seemed to misunderstand everything and never really got it.
And as for »terrorist style« – that’s a good example. They had a couple of fashion spreads where they took the street style of combat trousers and torn shirts (as popularised by The Clash et al) to its limit with Tank Girl models and skinny boys, but it always looked too much like a fantasy record sleeve to be taken seriously.
But then again, you probably should have been a teenage girl with design aspirations to get it…
I recently looked at my collection (Face issues 1-100) and most of the issues still look fabulous: from very early digital layouts and typesetting, to the brilliant Brody typography, and (still) adventurous cover ideas and layouts. And there were interesting music articles that paved the way for future magazines like Q and Mojo, too.
I tried to read it in the graphic design library at university, but it was often nicked by someone who didn’t believe in the concept of “money” and “property”.
I was studying graphic design 79-81, I think I learned more about typesetting, design and layout from the Face than I did from the lecturers on the course.
I started buying the Face when it started to disappear up its own arse, or shortly before that. I used to like turning the pages to see what outlandish gestion would appear next on its pages and stick the best ones on my bedroom wall. Issey Miyake was a particular favourite.
It helped wean me off my early (and pre-) teenage heavy rock/metal obsession, and with the post-new Romantic/pre-live aid acts of 1984 start to understand style. Those Lacoste monkey boots, those Bowie-esque tapered (clown) trousers, that Howard Jones/ Barney Sumner haircut. That was a great year.
Surely ‘Robert Elms’ tells you everything you need to know.
He didn’t endear himself, did he? Pretentious? Moi?
There’s a really good interview with writer Andrew Smith on a recent Rock’s Back Pages podcast. He talks about working through the veritable gamut of publications, from International Musician (owned by the execrable R Desmond) and Melody Maker, to The Times via The Face. The smartest people he met were at the Maker, but the best editor was Sheryl Garratt at The Face, and having also done stints at several of those places, I’d have to agree. None of the ‘get Elms to equate trouser turn-ups with post-war austerity’, more a deep dive into tech, creativity and community.
Fatima mentions Blitz; I took the shilling there for a while, and can confirm that the atmosphere in the office mirrored the mag itself, po-faced and hair shirted.
I bought the odd issue with a musical feature but it was mainly pretentious bollocks.
I was about to post the very same opinion. But now I don’t need to.
The Afterword in many ways really does represent the most conservative of attitudes, again and again. God forbid there are new ideas. Heaven forfend.
‘New’ ideas aren’t necessarily ‘better’. The Face was a pretty snobbish and materialistic thang on the whole. Clothes, money, make up and Sade.
Quite a lot of Sade.
Nothing wrong with Safe.
Her debut album is in the list of best ever first albums. No.5
The list? That fact sounds unsafe.
But not in mine.
Fatima is the voice of reason. Quite often I find. The Face was the end of something progressive and exciting before heritage and nostalgia began to take over.
For the sake of balance, I absolutely loved The Face, and read it right to the end. I enjoyed the fashion stuff, their commitment to identifying and serving various style tribes, and it often contained articles on unexpected subjects. They were always looking for what’s next, and I enjoyed that.
Also love Sade, so it’s a full house over here. One of those bands that became ubiquitous because they were brilliant, only for the ubiquity to overshadow the brilliance.
As with Bowie’s Spiders, most of Sade’s backing band came from Hull – not necessarily the first city you would associate with glamour or sophistication.
All of which is not to criticise the place or its people – I went to Uni there in the mid-to-late-70s and have nothing but happy memories of that time of my life and my all-too-rare visits back
This information only adds to the appeal!
I always liked Sade…hated The Face but liked Sade…go figure!
Where is that confounded Moose?
Balance? Thread so far seemed fairly balanced to me: only one outright hater (ie, me), Fatima in favour – and some qualified likes and dislikes.
Not intended as a criticism, just thought it could do with a little more love.
Well, we can all do with a little more luurve…
Blog Luurve Is King.
The magazine never appealed to me, so I never read it.
As for Sade. At the time her stuff seemed a bit smooth-jazz noodly, but on later reflection her band was very, very good and the material was classy. And her voice was just right for it. Not pushy but always in the right place.
I too like Sade, as does Mrs F. I bought the 2020 half-speed-mastered vinyl box, which contains a bit of foam with a “?” on it. The suggestion at the time is that there was a seventh album on the way. Spoiler alert: not yet.