With the Gallagher brothers due in Croke Park very soon for their long-awaited reunion, interest in the Manc siblings’ distinctive style is on the up.
With searches for parkas and Oasis style both trending, fans are looking to dress to emulate the band’s dress code at their concerts.
While the duos’ collabs with Levi’s, Adidas and Next are pretty standard in today’s music world (where merchandise is a major part of any band’s income), with Oasis the look is as much a part of the experience as the songs. You have to look the part because that is what the band believes too.
‘Far as I’m concerned, you can write the best record in the world, but if you look like a dickhead, you might as well stick that tune up your arse. You know what I mean?’ Liam has declared. ‘Whereas, if you write cool tunes, and you look cool – then that’s heaven.’
Liam and Noel’s influence on fashion is also riding an ongoing wave of Nineties Nostalgia. As people become jaded with the memes and micro trends of contemporary fashion, the grounded simplicity and streamlined nature of Nineties style are soaring.
For many fans, now in their fifties, it is probably hard to believe that the Nineties were thirty years ago. Donning their band T-Shirts and bucket hats, they feel like young bloods again, while for the new generation who love Oasis, wearing these styles is both a novelty and a way of connecting with an era when many were a twinkle in their parents’ eyes.
The Nineties were defined by a sleek minimalism and modernity that pushed back against the excess of the Eighties, with styles that were muted and low-key. The recession at the decade’s start led to fashion sobering up and a new utilitarian mood. In the Nineties, there was also a more individual sense of stye before trends were commodified by algorithms and Instagram.
Bands like Oasis dressed themselves: what they wore was a reflection of who they were, their background and their own tastes. They would have scorned the very idea of a stylist as street style was their defining guide, not fashion trends.
Oasis as working-class Northerners were into their clothing but also resolute in how they projected their personal style. They wore onstage what they wore in real life and what they genuinely loved. So, Liam’s parkas, Adidas trainers and Levis 504 jeans were an extension of the type of clothes he would have worn around the urban Manchester streets.
Years after the Oasis peak, he stated, ‘I’m me in the supermarket. The same clothes, the same haircut, the same shades or when I’m fucking gardening or picking the kids up from school or dropping ‘em of. I’m the same, there’s no double life, I am what I am.’
His devotion to stylish outerwear like parkas and anoraks (always firmly zipped or buttoned and collar popped up) has remained.
Liam opened the tour in Cardiff sporting an anorak – mind you it was actually raining – but he has often worn them in blistering onstage temperatures, which displays his devotion to looking good whatever the challenges.
The core elements of the Oasis wardrobe included buttoned-up polo shirts by Fred Perry and Lacoste, slouchy crew neck sweatshirts, retro footwear, and sportswear by Adidas, Umbro training tops, and straight jeans paired with sturdy outerwear including parkas by Stone Island and CP Company, anoraks, roomy leather jackets, and Kangol bucket hats.
Football culture was a major influence on their style and many elements came directly from the football terraces at Manchester City. As a teenager, Noel used to hang with Manchester City hooligan firms like the Maine Line Crew and their idiosyncratic look seems to have been imprinted on both brothers.
From the start, Oasis were heavily influenced by Sixties style. Noel idolised The Beatles from an early age and their music is heavily referenced in Oasis songs.
Similarly, the Gallagher’s hairstyles were a nod to the Fab Four’s mop tops while Liam’s adoration of John Lennon led him to adopt tinted sunglasses like his hero and to name his eldest son, Lennon, in tribute.
‘The clothes were cool. A lot of people had nothing in those days – just a scooter and a house party to go to in Brighton. But it was good,’ he has said of the era.
Not surprisingly, retailers have jumped on the Oasis reunion as a way to make money from besotted fans, young and old. However real kudos will go to those who have kept their original Oasis gear with the instantly recognisable Helvetica Oblique logo from decades ago.
For fans looking to pull together an Oasis look for the Dublin gigs, there are loads of options to choose from. Levis has a collab collection with jeans, trucker jackets, parkas, band T-shirts while Next are offering Oasis T-shirts, bucket hats and sweatshirts.
Zalando has a range of Oasis style pieces from brands including Tommy Hilfiger, Calvin Klein, Carhartt, Clarks and Dickies while French catalogue company La Redoute is offering parkas and bucket hats at good prices. GAP and River Island are also doing the look as are multiple others.
Adidas Sambas, Spezials and Gazelles have been popular for the past couple of years while a classic pair of Clark desert boost or Wallabies are also key Oasis footwear. Adidas trackie jackets and bottoms mixed with denim and band T-shirts are another way to emulate the brothers easily.
Just remember, there is a fine line between replicating classic Oasis style and looking like an amateur caricature of the band.
Keep it simple, ration the logos, and stick to the streamlined brands and styles like Adidas shoes and sportswear, classic straight leg jeans, olive green outerwear, and polo shirts or T-shirts, and you won’t go wrong.
