Paul Weller

Paul Weller (born 25 May 1958) is a British musician and singer-songwriter. Starting with the band The Jam (1976–82), Weller went on to branch out musically to a more soulful style with The Style Council (1983–89). In 1991 he established himself as a successful solo artist,^[1] and remains a respected singer, lyricist and guitarist.

The Jam

Although The Jam emerged at the same time as punk rock bands such as The Clash, The Damned, and Sex Pistols, The Jam better fitted the mould of the New Wave bands who came later. Also, being from just outside London rather than in it, they were never really part of the tightly-knit punk clique. Nonetheless, The Clash emerged as one of the leading early advocates of the band and were sufficiently impressed by The Jam to take them along as the support act on their White Riot tour of 1977. The Jam's first single "In the City" took them into the UK Top 40 for the first time, in May 1977. Although every subsequent single had a placing within the Top 40, it would not be until the band released "The Eton Rifles", with Weller's very political lyrics, that they broke into the Top 10, hitting the No. 3 spot in November 1979.

THE LOOK

(GQ)

Thankfully his new clothing line is inspired by the late Sixties and early Seventies and includes well-cut three-piece suits which can be worn both in and out of an office. "I wouldn't want to be involved in anything that I wouldn't wear myself," says Weller. "It's been a dream really - I brought reference pictures, graphics, sketches, vintage things I've collected over the years and stuff from my own wardrobe." Here he talks to GQ.com about satin jackets, Ben Sherman shirts vs Brutus ones and highly questionable "mutant quiffs" 

The first thing I bought that was really stylish was in 1969 when I was eleven. I saved up for a black, grey and white tie-dye grandad vest. It was too big - they weren't catering for kids my age - and hung off me but I loved it. It was from a boutique in Woking called Flacks which was amazing. It had a lot of post-hippie clothing but also a lot of stuff that skinheads were buying as well. It wasn't King's Road hippies and trendies - it was for people who had been mods in the Sixties and were now doing their own thing.

The Jam went through a phase of wearing satin jackets. But that was pre-getting signed and making it, when we were still playing the pubs and clubs - around '75. Shocking, really - what would you call them apart from "horrible"? We'd wear these white zip-up bomber jackets with black kind of loon pants and black and white shoes. That was our stage outfit. Shocking.