Face to Face with... Ted Polhemus

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The New Jersey-born social scientist talks about his theories on personal expression through appearance and the factors that have influenced diversity in style

Currently promoting the re-launch of his book Streetstyle, which introduces his latest theory, the Supermarket of Style, Ted Polhemus has watched how all the great social revolutions since the Second World War have shaped and defined the fragmented society we live in today. We caught up with him at his recent discussion at London's The Book Club, where he told us about his own personal style, finding new inspiration and the dangers of not being original in these diverse times.

Streetstyle has re-launched, tell us a bit about the book and the Supermarket of Style?

Streetstyle is a review of all the sub-cultural styles which have emerged in America, the UK and Europe since WWII. But I also see it as a history of this period in time full stop: for example, if you have a sense of how and why the Teddy Boys emerged in the UK in the 50s then you also have a sense of why the Labour government came into power. Indeed, all the great revolutions of the 20th and 21st centuries to date - class, race, gender, sexuality, protest, etc. - have been perfectly illustrated by the rise of and the transformations within street style. The Supermarket of Style is my way of characterising the shift from sub-cultural uniformity to individual diversity which seems to me to be the bottom line of street style (and, indeed, of style is all its manifestations; what most call 'fashion') in the 21st century.

You talk about the attitude to go with the look; can you explain this a bit more?

We think of style as being 'skin deep' and superficial but in my view this isn't and has never been the case. Throughout human history the transformation and styling of appearance has been a vital language for expressing worldview, culture and personality. How else can we project 'where we are at'? And how else can we identify those who are 'people like us'?

How did the talk go at The Book Club?

It was very encouraging and exciting to see all this interest and to have a chance, as at The Book Club, to get feedback and hear other interpretations. There are so many people - and not only in London, around the world as I am pleased to discover - who are also rethinking the importance and the possibilities of style as a fundamental language of expression.

How would you describe your style?

Born in 1947, I have in my time been a Modernist (a US, modern jazz based version of UK Mod), Beat, Hippy, Glam Rock, Punk, Goth and rubber-clad Perv - now I'm returning to the less-is-more suit and pencil-thin tie in a fight against the epidemic of casualness which threatens the planet. Note that, while many equate all street style with the casual, the truth is that Zooties, Hipsters, Mods, Glam, Goths etc. all struggled against a world where everyone all the time wore jeans, trainers and t-shirts.

How do you decide whether someone is stylish?

It isn't my job to decide who is or who isn't stylish - I'm a social anthropologist interested in the language of style and as such it is inappropriate for me to judge what is 'good' or 'bad'. Just as we would hope that an anthropologist investigating a tribe in the Amazon or whatever shouldn't judge these peoples as a 'good' or 'bad' - or stylish or not stylish - culture.

Where's the best place to look for style and creativity?

It isn't really for me to say, but this is important to note, the present and future of style is everywhere and anywhere. Look for pockets of creativity bubbling up in the least expected places - places the cool hunters would never think to look.

How important is it to be original and creative with your personal style?

Fifty, a hundred years ago the average person just let the fashion professionals decry what was 'in' and 'out', what colours could be worn together and so forth. Likewise, in another sphere, if you wanted a tattoo you pick from a limited selection of 'flash' drawings in the tattooist's studio. Today if one adopts such a passive approach to style you are in danger of becoming invisible. Anyone who wants a life today must be highly skilled in creating and projecting themselves through their style choices and, on the other hand, reading the style signals which others are transmitting.

What have you been reading/seen recently that would be relevant to shots readers?

I've spent most of the last year writing a new book about the cultural impact of my own baby boom generation so my mind has been very much buried in the 50s, 60s and 70s. I find it fascinating - and a bit frightening - how quickly history has been distorted. For example, up until the appearance of Mad Men, most people's image of the 60s was preoccupied with the later, flower power 60s. Mad Men (and hopefully my new book) remind us that the first half of the 60s was very different and very important in its own way.

What's your favourite item of clothing/accessory at the moment?

A good, sharp suit - but I'm also partial to my see through 'jelly' Swatch and my old school clear plastic NHS style glasses from the 60s. And I couldn't get through the winter without the well worn leather jeans which I wear most days.

How do you want Streetstyle to inspire people in the future?

Inspire, that's a good word: showing options, ideas from the past which can be shape shifted into something new. And more broadly, to underline the extent to which, far from a superficial frivolity, style - and all those courageous souls who experimented with it - has created a new insistence that culture is something which we all make rather than something owned and defined by an inaccessible elite.