Patrick Bateman

“The suit I wear today is from Alan Flusser. It’s an eighties drape suit, which is an updated version of the 30s style. The favored version has extended natural shoulders, a full chest and a bladed back. The soft-rolled lapels should be about four inches wide with the peak finishing three-quarters of the way across the shoulders. Properly used on double-breasted suits, peaked lapels are considered more elegant than notched ones. Low-slung pockets have a flapped double-besom design- above the flap there’s a slit trimmed on either side with a flat narrow strip of cloth. Four buttons form a low-slung square; above it,about where the lapels cross, there are two more buttons. The trousers are deeply pleated and cut full in order to continue the flow of the wide jacket. An extended waist is cut slightly higher in the front. Tabs make the suspenders fit well at the center back.The tie is a dotted silk design by Valentino Couture. The shoes are crocodile loafers by A. Testoni.” (p.29, American Psycho)

Patrick Bateman, primary character in Bret Easton Ellis’ American Psycho, was definitely a product of his time. Obsessed with the latest trends and meticulous with his appearance, Patrick epitomises the 1980s Wall Street man with a toned and pampered body and a fine collection of suits and accessories. Years before the term ‘metrosexual’ was coined, Bateman would have been the poster boy for consumerism.

OK, the man’s actions are hideous, but he’s dressed to the nines while he performs them. In the 2000 movie interpretation, Bateman’s donning of a raincoat becomes almost comedic while Bateman himself borders on hysteria:

Patrick Bateman had it all – money, style, charm – and, despite his psychotic tendencies, was irresistible to the ladies. Let’s face it, in the words of ZZ Top, ‘every girl’s crazy ‘bout a sharp-dressed man’ .

Jay Aston

In 1981, The United Kingdom was a depressing place – recession, riots and unemployment cast a cloud of gloom across the nation. But on April 24th of that year, a ray of sunshine lifted everyone’s spirits, thanks to two girls, two boys and two ripped-off skirts. Bucks Fizz won the Eurovision Song Contest in Dublin with this perky little number:



To this day, debate rages on about whether they would have won if those skirts hadn’t been ripped off – believe it or not, this kind of stuff was pretty risqué back then, so was the focus of much attention. And within the band, debate still rages on as to whose idea it was to rip off those skirts. Cheryl claims to have brought it up as a joke before everyone jumped on the idea. Whatever, it worked, and the freshly-formed Fizz were catapulted into stardom. Their sudden rise to the top meant that more costume ideas were needed, and fast. This is where Jay stepped up to the plate.

Creating looks that were somewhat on the raunchy side, the boys got off lightly with bondage pants and leopard-print vest tops. Cheryl managed to get away with a more conservative version of the raunch – but Jay wasn’t afraid to go all the way. Anything went as far as she was concerned – she wasn‘t scared to parade around in little more than her undies, or some kind of up-and-under playsuit, fashioned from what appeared to be the green room’s tablecloth. For Land of Make Believe, the girls wore costumes that utilised the ‘conical bra’ effect years before Madonna got her grubby mitts on it. (Gotcha Gaultier! We now know you’re a closet Fizz fan).



When Jay left the band in 1985, a lot of the sparkle went with her and the Fizz went flat. The woman put the fuck in Fucks Bizz (or something) - her replacement (Shelley Preston) was positively virginal in comparison. The band were never quite the same again, and neither was their image – bad leather jackets and giant shoulderpads became the unsavoury order of the day.
Jay may have been left to rot in the showbiz wilderness, but her legend lives on.