The Impressive Punk Fashion Sense Of Belinda Carlisle

When I said that Belinda Carlisle was attractive, in truth there was actually more to say. It depends on which Belinda we are talking about. Are we talking the Go-Go's Belinda, the solo Belinda, the punk Belinda? For there was not really one Belinda. Most of the Belindas were attractive, but some were ... how shall we say this? More attractive than others.

When I first began reading about Belinda's punk days, I had this image in my head of the 1987 stick-thin, glistening auburn-haired Belinda running around and being a punk. Not quite.

You see, back in her punk days, Belinda was a bit ... heavier. It was not obvious that one day she would become Belinda Carlisle, Ultimate California Superbabe. Much has been made of her transformation from the Go-Go's to her solo career, but just as amusing, in my opinion, is her transition from pre-fame Go-Go's to famous Go-Go's.

In her punk days, Belinda didn't just dress like a punk; she dressed like a hilarious punk. Other punk rockers were trying; Belinda was trying and succeeding. L.A. punk photographer Jenny Lens has an excellent collection of early Belinda and early Go-Go's photos on her website. Lens actually seems concerned about copyright protection and the unauthorized reproduction of her photos and she's not some extremely wealthy corporate figure, so I am going to respect her wishes and not reproduce any of her photos on my blog. But if you want to have a good laugh, I recommend clicking on this page.

In photos 1, 9, and 10, Belinda and her mysterious gang of space vixens look like something straight out of Barbarella, complete with whips, chains, and torn lingerie. The trash bag dress (photos #3-6) has become somewhat notorious in Belinda lore, but other punk rockers had worn the trash bag dress before. No, my personal favorite would have to be photo #8, in which Belinda is wearing a 45 RPM record as a necklace. A necklace.

Above all, you just have to shake your head and wonder how, in just a few short years, someone who looked like this...

... would eventually look like this:

Yes, I am being told (cups his hand to imaginary earpiece a la Jon Stewart) that this is actually the same person.