When Princess Julia was sixteen, she kept a diary of her exploits.

During Punk.

In London.

They now make for an extraordinary document of life then.

You can read the first two excerpts from her diary by clicking here and here.

We rejoin Princess Julia – then Julia Fodor – in January 1978, as the world is about to change once again.

Her membership card to Blitz.

And the Speak Easy late night members club (for some reason called the Speak-Early).

Here’s what her diary entries look like.

Over to Princess Julia…

The Diary continued…

Sorry to have kept you waiting for the next instalment, ’78 seems to be have been the lull before the storm, by that I mean as the core punk scene dissipated a new scene was about to emerge.  As ’77 departed I’m without a job and on my way to the unemployment exchange. I continued to go and see my favorite bands, get drunk and wonder what it was all about. The scene was changing and as some of the clubs shut down there were always gigs and gay discos to go to. My diary trails out before the end of the year and the entries are few and far between so I shall fill in the gaps for you. Daily life consisted of finding work and going out.

1st January 78: Went to Vi’s family party all day then to Kathy and Ben’s with Steve and Mick.

2nd January 78: Steve got really drunk, got home ate, stayed at Vi’s.

3rd January 78: As I’m not going to work went down the employment exchange.

6th January 78: Went to see the Banshees, met Vi after work, she had her hair cut, Steve talked to me all night.

7th January 78: Went to see if I could get my money and pay slips. She [Mrs Perera who ran the workshop for Jean Muir] fucking hit me, went out with Steve and Mick, boring night out but at least I know Steve really likes me, he says he’s mixed up, bloody hell, I wonder what I am then.

9th January 78: Went down the employment and they told me to fill up the form.

10th January 78: Tues. Steve wants to go out me.

13th January 78: Tinted Vi’s hair.

19th January 78: Got really drunk at the pub can’t remember what happened.

20th January 78: Frid. Saw Adam and the Ants at The Marquee, went to Vi’s.

23rd January 78: Went to see Steve, stayed there all day then we went out to see The Doll at Dingwalls. Steve really does like me, I can’t believe it.

24th January 78: Signed on made an appointment to see the doctor.

25th January 78: Wed. Didn’t do anything went to the doctors gave me some cream and said I couldn’t go on the pill.

26th January 78: Thur. Went to do that test, went to the 100 Club to see Merger got a bit drunk. Everyone was there including Kay, Secola.

27th January 78: Fri. Went to see Wayne County at the Nashville, Steve got into a fight went to Gill and Sarah’s party which was boring. Had an interview Sat, when I got home just fell asleep all day. Didn’t go out [as] there is absolutely nothing on.

A change of career. I got a job doing piecework at Berketex Bridal Wear factory situated at the bottom of Hackney Road. I’ve tried to find out some history here but as far as I can remember it was in an industrial space at The Oval, E2. When I’ve walked around there in the present day it all looks very familiar. I worked there for around 6 months and learnt basic seamstress skills making crimplene patterned dresses. I really enjoyed this job and made friends with the local ‘girls’ down there. Being born in Hackney I had this weird calling to actually work in the area.   

2nd February 78: Thurs. Went to the Music Machine, I was a bit rotten to Steve but I really like him a lot.

29th February 78: Tues, Came down with the flu. Wanted to see the [Levi and the] Rockats but I was too ill.

6th March 78: First day [new job] phoned Willi [my old friend from Crimpers who I trained under in the tinting dept] and he said he didn’t mind what I did, [thinking] about being his junior again.

8th March 78: Went to work, I’m getting on ok.

10th March 78: Fri. Got payed, went to see Wayne [County] at Roc. Castle. Vi stayed with Don, I lost £3, got a mini cab home. Wayne really does like us. Packed in Steve.

13th March 78: Just went to work, Sandra [one of the girls] thinks she’s up the spout.

14th March 78: Went to the hospital then I went to work. I’m on dresses now. Vi phoned in the evening.

15th March 78: Phoned Vi at lunch met after work. Went for a drink in the Phoenix [Oxford Circus] then met Steve and Andy in Crackers.

Most of the bands we used to go and see got signed and began to tour around the UK, there didn’t seem like there was much going on. Philip Salon used to call my family home on occasion (he made a habit of having your family home phone numbers just in case) but then suddenly out of the blue Steve Strange called saying he was back in town after a sabatical. I remember the moment really well: The Kenny Everett show was on TV, Hot Gossip were dancing to Cerrones ‘Supernature’.

We went to Bang, a Monday night gay club on Charing Cross Road. It was a hairdressers haunt I sometimes went to and this outing sealed a friendship between me and Steve Strange, where we started going out to as many clubs and gigs as we could.

I started working part time at PX in Covent Garden with Steve and Jay Strongman and left the Berketex factory. 1978 was a year of change for me, I moved away from my lodgings at my family’s other house and rented a room share in Earls Court with a friend, a Scottish rent boy, by the year was out. Billy Idol lived round the corner, I had become friends with him and his girlfriend Perry Lister by now. I then moved to Kensington Church Street and shared a bedsit with the amazing Ashley Vains. 

Soon Steve was thinking about starting his own night. Club For Heroes was set up at Billy’s in Meard Street with Rusty Egan DJing. This was was the beginning of the now named New Romantic era, a scene made up of ex punks, soul boys, rock-a-billies, drag queens, the gay scene and music lovers, people who liked to dress but also the regular habutés of Soho. The rest is history.

Hey so this morning the NewGen Men recipients were announced for the next London Collections: Men.

And they’re all amazing.

Look at them in all their hot loveliness.

Shall we go clockwise from bottom left?

ASTRID ANDERSEN…

MARTINE ROSE…

SHAUN SAMSON…

LEE ROACH…

NASIR MAZHAR…

MATTHEW MILLER…

And in the middle those nice young boys AGI & SAM…

Amazing!

Total all round hotness!

Astrid, Nasir and Agi & Sam are all making their NewGen Men debut.

(For those playing catch-up, NewGen Men is sponsorship provided by Topman to allow young designers the chance to show on their own as part of LC:M)

Beyond exciting.

And as a total badge of honour, every single one of them is an alumni of Fashion East and Topman’s MAN scheme.

All of them.

OMG AND WHAT ABOUT THE NEW MAN LINE-UP…

Craig Green is back for his second collection as part of MAN.

His debut last season was my favourite collection of the entire AW13 season.

OK first equal with Prada.

And Comme des Garçons.

And Saint Laurent.

I like first equals.

His debut as in this hotness…

Joining Craig will be two young designers making their MAN debuts.

The amazing Bobby Abley will move up from the Fashion East Installations for his first catwalk show.

He was the one with the model sat in a flying saucer.

i.e. amazing.

i.e. so amazing my hands were shaking when I took this amazingly professional shot.

Joining Craig and Bobby is a new one on me.

Alan Taylor.

He’s worked with Agi & Sam, and also Simone Rocha.

Looks like he enjoys his adventures in new tailoring.

I’m super looking forward to seeing what he does.

What a jolly line-up!

MAN’s at 3pm on Sunday 16th June.

OMG less than a month!

Ohgod…

Literally the greatest record in the entire history of the universe ever.

Aside from Giorgio By Moroder.

And that one at the end of the album, you know, after those ones that go on a bit too much about “paradise” and things being “crystal clear” and “turning days into melodies” and whatever, um, what’s it called?

Contact.

Anyway.

THE GREATEST RECORD IN THE ENTIRE HISTORY OF THE UNIVERSE EVER!

The new Roman Flügel!

Phonica had it, but they’re out of stock… Click here eeeek…

I’m one of the ones who bought said stock…

Sorry!

Last night on Made In Chelsea, producers told a person called Ollie Locke to go and sit on a bed in a room.

Producers provided confirmation of his name, in case there was any confusion.

Also asked to sit on a bed in a room was a person called Ashley James.

Again, confirmation was provided.

Producers asked her to talk about something with Ollie that made her burst into bitter, relentless, inconsolable tears.

The effect on Ollie was devastating.

He too could not hold back the flood of emotion.

The unceasing tears fell.

And they fell.

OMG who knew tears had such astringent powers!

Look at those streaks!

And how much make-up was he wearing to get those streaks?

Poor Ollie!

Producers, what should he do now?

Watch it all by clicking here, Ollie’s make-up removal-via-tears demonstration is at around 18 mins in.

I popped in to see Paul Smith today, with those nice boys Agi & Sam.

He’d been to the Chelsea Flower Show this morning, and picked for me a Sir Paul Smith rose from the Peter Beales Roses stand.

How lovely!

It’s a vigorous and dense climber with very fragrant blooms.

****WARNING****

<<<IF YOU’RE GOING TO THE CHELSEA FLOWER SHOW, DON’T PICK THE FLOWERS>>>

+++UNLESS THEY’RE NAMED AFTER YOU+++

(And yes, there is an actual rose grower called Peter Beales. They’re one of the world’s best. And nothing to do with Pete Beale i.e. Ian’s dad i.e. Gillian Taylforth’s now deceased ex-husband on EastEnders. You can buy the rose by clicking here).

Paul’s always good with advice on how things should be done.

Aaah look!

Here’s Paul with Agi & Sam!

All round loveliness!

I’ve been out of the country for most of the past couple of weeks.

While I was away, I saw on Twitter many people outraged by comments David Gandy made about British menswear designers on the Channel 4 TV programme Alan Carr: Chatty Man.

A comedy talk show broadcast on Friday nights in the UK.

David Gandy is an ambassador of the British Fashion Council.

I couldn’t watch the programme abroad, and only managed to see the clip this weekend when I got back.

It’s been a funny couple of days to return home.

Conservative MPs, grandees and activists denouncing gay marriage, ahead of the parliamentary debate which begins today.

Of the news programmes I heard, and newspapers I read, it seemed like Conservative opponents of gay marriage were given free airtime.

Rarely did you hear a voice celebrating a gay marriage, the changes it’d bring, and what it’d mean about our country, and our belief in acceptance and equality.

Meanwhile, around 12.30am on Sunday morning, there was a violent hate crime in South London on Christopher Bryant and his partner Damon Truluck. The couple were assaulted and told to “stay down faggot”. They were coming home from Christopher’s 42nd birthday celebrations.

Here are the results of the attack on Christopher.

In New York on Friday night, a gay man was murdered in a hate crime killing in Greenwich Village.

32-year old Marc Carson was called “faggot” and “queer”, before being asked, “do you want to die here?”

He was then fatally shot in the cheek.

The photo of Carson that has accompanied most news stories show him wearing a pair of Jeremy Scott for Adidas sneakers, with stars and stripes wings attached to the ankle.

He seemed like a man who enjoyed expressing himself through what he wore.

The assault happened on West Eighth Street near Sixth Avenue in Manhattan.

Last Saturday night, I’d walked that same block with a friend.

It was with all this happening that I finally got to watch the clip of David Gandy being asked about British designers on Alan Carr.

Here’s everything that was said.

ALAN CARR: You know all that bollocky stuff that you see on the catwalk. Looks a bit crap.

DAVID GANDY: [laughs] I don’t know what you’re talking about.

AC: I mean look at this. [A monitor between them shows look 14 from the Sibling autumn/winter 13 show]

AC: This is some of the crap that’s on the catwalk. Look at that. I mean the people in the BBC have to wear those gloves now [he's presumably making a joke about the recent paedophile scandals at the BBC]. And this one takes the. I mean look at the, that is genuine. [Shows look 1 from Craig Green's debut catwalk show, as part of MAN autumn/winter 13]

DG: I was at that show actually. I actually got a bit sort of pissed off, by actually, I actually thought, who does that,

like who, like I would never of, sort of, like, if someone said, put this in front of your face,

I would have gone [David first waves his hand in front of his face as if swatting something away, then gesticulates with his thumb pointing it over his shoulder, he says quietly in all this "..... off"], walk off

AC: You can actually say that, you can say that if someone said wear this shed on your head?

DG: You do what you do

AC: So if someone said to me I want you to look like a shed, look like a, you can say no, no way, forget it. Have you got that much power as the top male model in the world.

DG: I used to do that before having any power whatsoever. I was a stunning little sod. so um, maybe it was out of principle, I don’t want to look like a shed today, thanks. [They start to talk about something else]

You can see the clip by clicking here, and heading to around 37 minutes in.

Rather than defending the work of British designers from the presenter’s comments, or talking as an ambassador about the importance of creativity, he turns the conversation to how he would feel if he were asked as a model to wear the work of Sibling or Craig Green, and says that he was “pissed off” during the MAN show.

The great triumphs of menswear in London since MAN started in 2005 has been the acceptance of difference and diversity.

It’s become the norm. Brilliant people have been allowed to do brilliant things on an increasingly global platform.

The integration of radical design among the more straight-laced is one of the successes of London Collections: Men.

It’s a happy mix.

And one that’s not needed explaining, or justifying.

But there’s antagonism in the air. Maybe it’s time to make some wider points.

I’ve long been of the opinion that the AIDS crisis stopped British menswear disappeared for around two decades.

That there were no menswear shows in London when MAN started in 2005 because of the damage wrought by AIDS through the 80s into the early 90s, before combination therapy was introduced and the disease could be managed.

So many died, from young designers who never even got the chance to show what they could do, to the young men who would have bought and worn the clothes.

No designers, no customers, no legacy, and an idea of radical menswear in this country disappears.

It’s not just radical menswear.

Savile Row has never regained the natural velocity given to it by Tommy Nutter, who died from AIDS complications in 1992.

The young menswear designers who have shown at MAN and LC:M since 2005 are restoring a broken link to the radical fashion halted in the 1980s.

With their designs, they are allowing for all that is diverse, different, complex and often unsaid. Sometimes the work is uncomfortable or challenging. Often it is celebratory. But it creates a dialogue, and promotes further freedom and creativity.

It’s these things which show the importance of fashion as a bellwether, not of superficial trends, but of actual societal change.

There will be gay men of the right wing reading this thinking, oh shut up.

What they crave is masculine normality through tailoring and what is deemed as conventional clothing.

Probably because aping normality was the only way for them to gain acceptance and approval from their family, and from their peers, as they grew up in the 80s or 90s.

(Hello, Conservative Party in 2013: divided over something as fundamentally obvious as gay marriage.)

(When you hear those Conservatives denouncing gay marriage, you just feel sorry for any kid in their household or wider family growing up gay.)

I’d rather not be having to point out the fundamental importance of radical design. I’d much prefer for radicalism to infiltrate of its own accord, as it has been doing in menswear the past few years.

But when antagonism increases, you have to say something back.

Aside from all this, there’s the cold rational commercial value of radical showpieces.

After years of hard graft, Sibling are beginning to build a business selling pieces which commercialise their more radical concepts and colours.

They are also proud of the fact that they can produce for sale every single wild piece they show on the catwalk. And men do buy them.

Craig Green is only one season in – he hasn’t even had the chance to build his brand and commercialise his work before he’s mocked on national TV by an ambassador for the British Fashion Council.

His collection was one of the cleverest of the entire season. The sweaters knitted with denim so the cloth will fade over time. The hand-painted stripes. The simple unlined black jacket which, in the showroom, looked incredible on anyone trying it on. And there were many.

The wood headpieces do their own work of creating drama, mood and tension, and expressing something unsayable.

But beneath them, there are real clothes too.

I interviewed David Gandy years ago, when he’d become the face of Dolce & Gabbana.

He’s a thoroughly decent chap who I think at the time was living in Fulham, West London.

Far removed from the brooding Italian conjured by his image.

I mean no insult when I say he has made an excellent career from not talking.

His appearance front row at LC:M shows has helped make them Daily Mail friendly. He helps to get the shows talked about.

But if he’s talking about them, it would help if he understood the wider societal implications of radical fashion.

He may not like it. That’s fine. No-one’s asking him to wear it.

But he needs to understand the equilibrium that allows radical fashion to flourish.

And that any antagonism adds to a general air.

(I’m not going to talk about Alan Carr’s role in all this – he has no links to fashion, so his comments are irrelevant to the discussion)

(Other than, wouldn’t it be lovely if there was some place for actual fashion on TV?)

You can mock Sibling and Craig Green, or you can celebrate them.

It’d be great if he chose the latter.

Their diversity and difference is the crux of LC:M.

Why it will always be more than just a load of safe suits.

OMG it’s a War-And-Peace-a-thon!

As in, I’m reading War And Peace.

War And Peace!

It’s basically like a whole season of Dynasty scripts, with names not that much more complicated than Dominique and Krystle.

I’m on p368.

It ends at p1224.

I’m not posting again till I get there.

ClLIFFHANGER!

Will I ever get there?

Here’s what I’m really reading, obvs.

Prada in SoHo have already received some autumn/winter 13.

That’s autumn/winter in May.

Oh look!

The frilly ruffle shirt.

OMG it’s so Sir Les Patterson!

Obviously I’m buying it.

The ruffle is temporarily stitched on.

Hello, ruffle!

The pieces are here early so that there’s something razzy in menswear to coincide with Prada and Catherine Martin’s costumes from Great Gatsby, on display in the store.

Here are my favourites. ie the ones that are most Prada.

This one.

And this one.

And this one.

OMG Catherine Martin just walked in the store!

How jolly!

*****HANDBAG WATCH******

+++A thorough and scientific survey+++

<<<<Of handbags>>>>

===Literally===

OMG let’s do a HANDBAG WATCH!

At Frieze NY!

Starting.. NOW!

[53 minutes later]

OK…. STOP!

Count them.

Please.

THE RESULTS OF HANDBAG WATCH AT FRIEZE ART FAIR NY

HERMÈS: 21. [Mostly Birkins. Often gangs of women, all with Birkins. Hermès was everywhere at Frieze. Everywhere]

CÉLINE: 16 [It almost seemed like Cèline would overtake Hermès. More diversity in styles too. But Hermès beat them. Sorry Céline!]

CHANEL: 13 [Though one of them looked fake so possibly 12]

PRADA: 7

LOUIS VUITTON: 7

And absolutely no LV Yayoi Kusama bags.

Not a single one.

Nada.

ISSEY MIKAKE: 7

STOP…

Recount…

SEVEN?

No.

Count again.

OK.

Continue.

ISSEY MIYAKE: 7

NO…

But yes…

Frieze was full of them.

Those funny tessellated triangle bags.

And each one was a different shape, so it wasn’t like I kept bumping into the same woman.

Most were carried by ladies d’un certain age.

Obviously.

And most were in black.

But wait!

What’s this?

A younger woman.

With one in yellow.

*shudder*

OK.

Continue.

BOTTEGA VENETA: 6

GOYARD: 4

Isn’t it funny how boring Goyard looks now?

So boring.

Move on.

GIVENCHY: 3

SAINT LAURENT: 2

WHAT WHAT WHAT?

YES YES YES!

Saint Laurents at Frieze already.

One woman with a Duffel.

One woman with a Betty.

Saint Laurent!

Oh but wait.

What’s that over there?

Ohgod.

One of those old YSL bags that look like the bag of bagpipes.

So that cancels out one of the new Saint Laurents.

New score please.

SAINT LAURENT: 1

BALENCIAGA: 2

OMG that’s a low score for Balenciaga…

OMG!

Shocking…

What else?

PROENZA SCHOULER: 2

MARNI: 1

GUCCI: 1

And…

A whole heap of other ugly I didn’t even take note of.

END OF HANDBAG WATCH!

But wait…

What about men?

MEN’S HANDBAG WATCH!

BOTTEGA VENETA: 2

PRADA: 2

LOUIS VUITTON: 2

Oh.

Not really that many.

Most of the men there were bankers. Suits. Loud voices. No bag.

Men that had bags mostly had cloth bags.

Oh well.

What’s that though?

OMG!

IT’S LITERALLY HAPPENING!

A MAN IS WEARING A BELT WITH A BIG DOUBLE G BUCKLE!

GUCCI BELTS STILL EXIST!

OMG!

Here’s some Prem Sahib amazingness on Lorcan O’Neill’s stand.

Close up, from the side.

Lorcan’s got more Eddie Peake too.

Inconvenient Erection.

A jolly smiley.

Pas De Deux.

A marble dog.

Oooh and Lorcan’s got this Prem Sahib image too.

Jolly!