Tag Archives: Joy Division

Ode To Joy


Here is another purchase from Fashion Rocks: The “Love Will Tear Us Apart” Joy Division skirt. I used two different looks for this pictorial. One look I felt was softer and more feminine with the scarf, knitted hat and cardigan.


With the next look, I really wanted to use Ian Curtis’ iconic silhouette. To me, this look is marked by the trench coat and dark military-type clothing. I didn’t have a long olive colored trench, so I just used this 80’s inspired jacket. In both outfits, I’m wearing the “Make Your Mark” heels (first posted about here). I love them so much! They are as comfortable as they are cute, for such a great price.


I wrote a post about Joy Division last year (seen here), and I have been semi-obsessed with their music and the story of Ian Curtis for about two years now. Idil Vice has a few other pieces of Joy Division clothing in her collection, and as much as I love the group, I want to indulge in maybe one more dress.


Outfit 1: Burton’s hat; Nordstrom cardigan; Cotton On scarf

Outfit 2: Jezebel jacket

Both outfits: Blu Heaven striped shirt; Idil Vice skirt; Fior Di Melo crossbody bag (purchased in Italy); Qupid Luxe shoes; Burberry sunglasses; H&M studded bracelet; Forever 21 & Juicy Couture rings; Charm bracelet from my niece; Tiffany necklace

Photos by Deon Chen

Fashion Rocks

Ian Curtis Dress – Idil Vice

In my search for Joy Division memorabilia on Ebay earlier this year, I stumbled upon a dress that was probably one of the coolest items of clothing I had seen in a long time.  It wasn’t a concert/band t-shirt that someone somehow manufactured into a dress.  This was a dress with the actual print on it.

I searched the designer and found out her name is Idil Vice, a Swiss native who is designing in Manhattan.  This Joy Division/Ian Curtis dress is from her Fashion Rocks line, which she calls, “a very stylish alternative to the printed rock t-shirt!”

Of course, seeing the Joy Division section prompted me to look for other bands that I like.  I found that Sex Pistols skirt, as seen in my “Net-a-Poseur” entry and a very nice Billy Idol skirt.  There is even a picture of Gwen Stefani wearing a Specials vest.

I started to look for anything Depeche Mode, and I found it!  She created a dress and skirt from the “Violator” album, one of my favorite Depeche Mode albums ever.  I needed to ask a question about the sizing, and Ms. Idil Vice

Depeche Mode “Violator” skirt – Idil Vice

wrote back to me herself (I’ve had very good luck with that lately, check out my “About” section).  I’m still deciding which one I want:  If I get the dress, I can throw a cardigan, blazer or denim jacket over it; and if I get the skirt, I can wear whatever top I want with it.  Decisions, decisions!

Idil Vice has created items from so many different bands like The Ramones and The Beatles, to current artists like Lady Gaga.  She also includes television shows, movies, actors and pop culture icons (like Popeye and Elvira).  Her collection does not stop at skirts and dresses.  She has created jackets, hoodies, pants, sweaters, accessories and even baby clothing.  Here’s an amazing plus:  If you can’t find what you want, you can request it and it can possibly be made into a piece of clothing!

So if you want something other than the rock t-shirt, check out Fashion Rocks by Idil Vice.  Your inner rock star will thank you.

Update:  Please check out her blog (link in my blog roll).  Idil has added me to her “cool related blogs” section.  Thanks Idil!

Divisional Leader

When I was on maternity leave last year, I spent many a night up late after Dominic’s feedings.  When my husband went back to work after being home for about 2 weeks, I took over all late night feedings for the duration of my leave so that he would be able to function at work. 

Those late nights afforded me time to watch some interesting television.  It was at that time that my “obsession” with Joy Division began.

I saw “Control” at around 2am one late night/early morning, which is a film directed and produced by Anton Corbjin about the band Joy Division.  If that name sounds familiar to you, it’s because he directed quite a few Depeche Mode videos.  When I saw the film, I recognized the style and was not surprised at all that Corbjin directed it.  It stars Sam Riley as Joy Division’s singer, Ian Curtis.  What a find Sam Riley was because he is a singer as well as actor (he was in a band), which allowed the use of Riley’s actual singing voice in the movie (and the actors who played the band really played their instruments).  I really thought his vocals were remarkably similar to Ian Curtis, and gave another dimension of authenticity to the film.

I knew that New Order was born out of Joy Division, but I didn’t know all of the history behind what happened.  I only knew that they had a different lead singer that died somehow before Bernard Sumner, but again, I didn’t know the circumstances.  I didn’t realize that Ian Curtis committed suicide until I saw the movie.

I’m always drawn to music based biopics, but I think this one really grabbed my attention because it happened right at beginning of my musical discovery back in the 80’s.  Depeche Mode paved the way for my dark and gothic electronic path, and New Order infused a little alternative light to that darkness.

But Joy Division was something else.  There was an energy that was tinged with sadness in their music.  I only knew “Love Will Tear Us Apart”, but I set out to discover all of their music quickly after the movie.  Since Dominic spent most of his days of those first 4 months sleeping, I took that time to really delve into all things Joy Division.  I bought a “Best of” Joy Division CD, the “Control” DVD and CD.  I spent hours on the internet reading about them and bought 3 t-shirts (which I talk about in my “Net-A-Poseur” entry).   I also read the book “Touching From a Distance” by Deborah Curtis, Ian’s wife.  That definitely put things into perspective about what was happening in and around Ian during the rise of Joy Division.

Like those around him, I didn’t realize how self deprecating Ian Curtis’ lyrics were (from “Isolation”):

Mother I tried please believe me

I’m doing the best that I can

I’m ashamed of the things I’ve been put through

I’m ashamed of the person I am

Isolation, isolation, isolation

Sad, right?  Members of the band themselves didn’t even realize that Ian was going down such a dark path.  His epilepsy exacerbated the situation, along with making his marriage work, his affair with Annik Honore, and the birth of his daughter.  All of this while trying to become a successful band.  He was only 23 at the time, which was just enough to put a young man into a tail spin.

So when I really listened again to “Love Will Tear Us Apart”, I hear the anxiousness and regret in not being able to make things work.  I felt like Ian was saying, “Look I’m trying, ok?”  Yet, there was this energy in the actual music, and maybe that masked the lyrics a bit.  It was expressed physically in Ian’s spastic, epileptic-like dancing, but also in songs like “Transmission” and “Digital”.  It wasn’t always dark I guess, but it was definitely out of control.

Take a listen.  You may not become the fan that I did, but it’s worth going back to rediscover and revisit what was there before New Order.

Photos courtesy of Google Images

Net-A-Poseur

Never Mind The Bollocks skirt from Idil Vice

Ever since my teens throughout the eighties, I have made sure that I could never be considered a poseur.  Even now, I would hate for someone to think that I was trying to be something that I’m not, just to fit in.  I’ve always prided myself on the fact that I am unique and that my tastes are that of my own and the influence was directly from the source and not because I was needing acceptance into a group or by an individual.

I had a discussion with my husband about concerts and bands that we’ve seen throughout the years.  I really like tour shirts, and my inner punk rocker enjoys mixing in these shirts with my regular wardrobe.  There is a designer named Idil Vice who does a great job of giving an alternative to the musical t-shirt by making dresses, skirts and jackets of bands and artists that I love.  I have my eye on a Depeche Mode dress, Joy Division and Sex Pistols skirt.

In my discussion with my husband, I mentioned that I just can’t wear a shirt of a band or artist I haven’t actually seen in concert.  He says that it shouldn’t matter, that if you like a band then you should be able to wear their shirt.  But when someone says “Cool shirt, have you seen them in concert?”  I would feel like a complete poseur if I said “No, but the shirt is cool…”

As justification, I’ve come up with “work-arounds” for the shirts I have of artists and bands that I’ve seen in some incarnation (solo or group).  Here is a list so far:

1.  Joy Division – I have 3 shirts that I wear proudly.  Although I was too young, not living in England during their initial rise, and had no way to see them because of Ian Curtis’ suicide, I wear them because I have seen New Order in concert.   New Order is essentially Joy Division with Bernard Sumner as the singer, right?  Yes.

2.  Sex Pistols – I have seen PiL in concert, for which Johnny Rotten is the singer.  He was in Sex Pistols, so I can wear their shirt should I choose to do so.  I don’t have one yet, but now that I have made that justification, I will now wear one.

3.  Bjork – I saw The Sugarcubes in concert, for which she was the singer for before venturing into her solo career.  Enough said.

I make these mental justifications so that I can escape being a poseur.  Now if I can just come up with a work-around for The Beatles shirt I have…