Fashion subcultures were varied and distinctive throughout the ’80s, from the plaid and chains of punk to the coloured hair and heavy eyeliner of new wave, each an act of rebellion against the last. Just before the decade began, a movement called New Romantics, marked by glamorous and theatrical outfits, imbued the youth culture. But only a few years later, around 1981, the movement fizzled out as a new one entered the scene: Hard Times, signified by ripped jeans and oversized coats.
“Leigh’s first few collections were of the hard times style, but then he ended up rebelling against that as well,” Green says. “He went back to the dandy style that was popular during the new romantics era, but it was even more flamboyant and was mixed with ’70s glam rock. Everything was glittery and shiny, but also kind of sexual in a way that the New Romantics never was.”
Six months after his first, Green went back for another visit to the club night, only this time Taboo was unrecognisable. With queues around the block and people fighting to get in, this was the place to be, and certainly the place to be seen. Pop stars and luminaries like Boy George and John Galliano were frequent attendees, rendering media attention and TV cameras that surrounded the place. Green went on to become a DJ himself and his own club night, Smashing, started in 1991 in the same venue as Taboo.
