SESSION 2 STARTING AT 3PM THE PROPERTY OF JORDAN (PAMELA ROOKE b.1955), ‘HIGH PRIESTESS OF PUNK’ - LOTS 221 TO 237 Jordan’s non-compromising personal style with spiked tinted hair, cubist face paint, wearing her overtly sexy bondage or fetish gear - made her the living embodiment of Punk, more so than even Vivienne Westwood herself. She was admired and imitated by a whole tranche of discontented teenagers living in a Britain plagued by power cuts, miner’s strikes, IRA bombs and streets filled with rubbish. It was Anarchy in the UK. In Jon Savage's book 'England's Dreaming', Jordan is described as the 'first Sex Pistol'. However, she was already a walking art form before she met Malcolm McLaren Aged fourteen, growing up in Seaford East Sussex, Pamela decided to change her name to Jordan - liking the idea of having just a single name instead of two. She took the name from ‘Jordan Baker’ of F.Scott Fitzgerald's ‘The Great Gatsby’ - a strong modern female character, who is described as having ‘that cool, insolent smile turned to the world’. Her first job after leaving school was at the ‘Way In’ boutique at Harrods. Her typical ‘look’ at the time was green-tinged white face foundation, back-combed peroxide bee-hive hairstyle, black leotard and dance tights (she loved ballet), teamed with a Teddy Tinling tennis skirt. In the Autumn of 1974 she started work for McLaren and Westwood at SEX, 430 Kings Road. The shop specialised in fetish wear made from rubber and leather. Jordan remembers the large pink vinyl ‘SEX’ lettering going up on the shop-front and an old hospital bed with rubber sheet being placed inside. As Jordan’s work-wear became more brazenly overt, so her train journey to work became something of an adventure in itself. After abuse and threats from fellow (mainly female) passengers she was advised by British Rail to travel first class at no extra cost to herself, in the interests of her own safety and the tranquillity of other passengers. Jordan’s clothing collection charts her career with Westwood and McLaren at King’s Road between 1974 and 1982 In 1976 ‘SEX’ was re-launched as ‘Seditionaries - Clothes for Heroes’. In 1977 Jordan is photographed for Vogue wearing her black cotton bondage jacket. The beehive has gone, the hair has become shorter and spiked. She states that she only perfected her facepaint later that same year which was a ‘combination of Mondrian and the Kau tribe of Northern Sudan’. In addition to working in the shop, Jordan appeared as ‘Amyl Nitrate’ in Jarman’s 1978 film ‘Jubilee’ and also managed Adam & the Ants 1977-78, often appearing with them on stage to sing ‘Lou’ in her Venus tshirt. By 1978, the Sex Pistols had disbanded Jordan, Westwood and McLaren became increasingly disillusioned with ‘Punk’ as it had by now been embraced by the mainstream. The Kings Road was thronged every Saturday with people in bondage gear sporting towering Mohican hairstyles. Vivienne desired new 44
Jordan outside the Nashville Club, Shepherd's Bush in the company of two police officers challenges above and beyond a new t-shirt design. Jordan changed her look again piling up her hair in deep red curls, which she teamed with red contact lenses and a demure shirt with Peter-Pan collar. Her style had moved on and so too did the shop. In 1979 the shop is again re-launched as ‘World’s End’. Vivienne’s first major collection was ‘Pirate’, A/W 1981-2. Jordan got married in a complete Pirate ensemble in June 1981 including a pair of Platypus shoes (see lot 234). In March 1982 ‘Nostalgia of Mud’ was opened but closed the same year. Jordan’s collection includes ‘Buffalo’ ensembles and also pieces from Westwood/McLaren’s final ‘Witches’ collection. Around the same time that the partnership dissolved, Jordan also left London. She left the whole scene without a backward glance and has enigmatically lived out her life very privately ever since. Jordan states: ‘This collection represents the very essence of me and reflects a very rare
occurrence - that of two parallel forces coming together to become something unique. I see it now, that these clothes and myself were meant for each other and because of this I regard them as dear old friends that are to be loved and admired. Never before have I contemplated parting with my 'old friends' and it has been a difficult decision for me to make but the overriding feeling is that after 40 years I feel I need them to see the light of day and be treasured by someone else’. It is Jordan’s hope that museums and collectors will acquire, display, preserve and appreciate them. Through the clothes we get a glimpse into a very special period of Jordan’s life and also arguably one of the most anarchic, influential and ground-breaking periods of fashion of the late 20th century – all so cleverly devised by Miss Westwood and Mr McLaren. Coincidentally, the auction takes place on Jordan’s 60th birthday – a good omen surely?