DRESSERS LONDON LAUNCH.

It's been 10 years since the publication of the seminal CASUALS by Phil Thornton, in that time the story of young lads in their 'Saturday Best' on the hunt for a spot of 'one-upmanship' has been told and then some. Yet DRESSERS has been much anticipated, legal issues (which may or may not have been due to a rather unfortunate photo opportunity and the subsequent reaction) which delayed it's release only added to the hype surrounding the book.
The compendium of all things Casual from the perspective of a group of lads from Motherwell was finally made available last month and the lads have since headed South to spread the word and I attended the London launch party in Soho this week. The venue was the Weekend Offender store on D'Arblay St, which was kitted out with Subbuteo figures, scarves, sticker albums and other football memorabilia, 'looking the part' even extended to the shop itself. An excellent mix of indie, ska, punk and Northern soul music was provided by DJ Mark Kerry who was fresh from his stint providing the music on the after-shows of Noel Gallagher's recent European tour. Free beers as they always do helped create a party atmosphere as people spilled out into the narrow Soho street. There were a few familiar faces in the crowd the majority of them wearing the famous three stripes on their feet.
The real star of the show was obviously the book, fittingly it looks proper smart, a great mix of pictures and newspaper reports coupled with extensive, interesting and entertaining testimony from those who were there. If you're reading this blog, I don't think it's too much of a stretch to say you're more than likely a person who takes pride in his appearance and who 'enjoys' himself at the weekend, even if those days are less regular these days! DRESSERS perfectly captures the thoughts and actions of a group of lads who did just that in the 80s and 90s. With this and the the upcoming 10th Anniversary edition of CASUALS, those who were there and remember or those who weren't and want to know more about 'this thing of ours', are being rather spoilt.
Words and pics by Seb White.