Ken Barlow's jeans - a blast from Corrie's past

Much has been made of Nessa buying a  pair of jeans for Ken Barlow, and of Ken wearing them, too. 

But as we can see in the pictures below, Ken and his denims are old friends. Here he is in a scene from Coronation Street in 2003 wearing a pair of jeans.

The scene is from the episode in July 2003. It's the morning after Tracy duped Roy into thinking he had slept with her. Roy is trying to make his escape from the Barlows house while a shocked Deirdre and Ken offer him a cup of tea.

You can watch the scene below via the wonders of YouTube.



However groovy and fab and funky Ken looks in his blue jeans, my favourite fashion piece of his has got to be his kimono.

And here's some fashions as modelled by actor William Roache, which Ken most definitely wouldn't be seen in on the Street.

Ken Barlow fan? You just might like this t-shirt!



Deirdre: A Life on Coronation Street - official ITV tribute to a soap icon. Available here.

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Aidan Connor - Corrie's new fashion icon

Much was made on twitter when Shayne Ward made his debut appearance on Coronation Street as Aidan Connor.  After the Sarah Harding debacle, the sheer sense of relief that Shayne could act was immense.  Once we got over that, the next thing we noticed was his shirt. It even made its own newspaper story.

Aidan's first shirt almost, but not quite, blended into the wallaper at the factory.

Since his first foray into fashion management, we've seen the two-tone white and blue shirt.

And the brown flowery shirt, seen here starring in the Bistro trying its best to blend in with the brickwork and the leather sofa.

Is there a subliminal message going on with Aidan's shirts? Maybe they're saying he's trying but failing to fit in with his surroundings. Or maybe because he works in fashion he's showing he's got style and a sense of design. Whatever it is, I like it and I'm looking forward to seeing what the Corrie wardrobe team come up for him next.

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Peter Barlow – a bad dresser?

Looking back at Tina’s dramatic departure, I find myself still pondering a small but shocking detail – the revelation that Peter Barlow is a “bad dresser”. At least that’s what Rob reckons.

 

That fateful night round at Tina’s flat, Rob just couldn’t fathom why countless beautiful women have been so quick to fall at the feet of Pete:

 

“He’s a raging alcoholic… a liar… a bad dresser - I mean he wears waistcoats for crying out loud. He should be at the Crucible playing Ronnie O’Sullivan”.

 

It was a powerful character assassination which proved Rob to be as deadly with words as he soon would be with a piece of lead pipe.

 

 

To be fair, Rob does dress well. It’s just that I’ve always considered Peter to be of equal sartorial sharpness (his wardrobe of waistcoats included). When he’s not on the booze, Peter dresses to impress in immaculate suits, shirts and shoes. He’s got a super smart black pea coat and I’m also a fan of his more casual denim jacket.

 

Not forgetting the classic black shirt, of course. Peter Barlow’s staple garment has started a trend on The Street. In recent weeks, Steve McDonald, David Platt, Gary Windass and, somewhat hypocritically, Rob himself have all worn a button-down black number.

Peter Barlow is many things – former bigamist, perennial philanderer, hopeless alcoholic, absent father, accidental arsonist – but to my mind there is no way he’s a bad dresser. He even managed to put the vodka down a minute and drag himself into his trusty black shirt for Tina’s funeral. I don’t know where that purple tonic suit came from but it was quite something.

 

Maybe it was jealousy that drove Rob to have a go at Peter’s dress sense. After all, Rob shared a kiss with Tina in the smoking shelter of The Rovers but that was as far as she wanted it to go. In another case of pot calling the kettle black, did you notice what Rob wore underneath his suit at the funeral? That’s right – a waistcoat!

Reverting to Rob’s snooker analogy, his grappling at the graveside with Peter has now put him in the frame for Tina’s murder. A cool customer up to now, it will be interesting to see how Rob copes as the pressure builds.

 

Rob is doing a remarkable job of keeping his opponent at bay with a delicate mix of defensive and attacking play. But he can’t keep it up forever. One wrong move by Rob and he’ll leave himself snookered. And he won’t be able to choose what he wears in HMP Weatherfield.

 

By Martin Leay
Twitter: @mpleay

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Julie Carp, fashion queen

Julie didn't take it too well when David suggested she invest in a pair of elasticated maternity jeans

Whether you think Julie Carp’s wacky wardrobe is an assault on the eyes or the closest we’ve had to couture on the cobbles, it seems this vintage vamp is Weatherfield’s unlikely fashionista. Week after week Julie, whose personal mantra is ‘bold is beautiful’, has been rocking up to The Street wearing frocks in fun fabrics – cupcake, anyone? – and an episode last week saw her sporting this season’s block colours, opting for lime green and white. Is the newly confident Carp chasing the chic look now she’s with child and has her man, Brian ‘The Snip’ Packham, firmly on side?

Does Brian appreciate his girlfriend’s clobber? Is he aware of the ulterior motive behind Julie’s choice of threads? We’ve seen this fifties throwback wearing sweetheart necklines, and flouncy, cupcake and heart cotton prints that scream traditional, old-fashioned, family values, leaving Julie looking as wholesome as a freshly baked apple pie.

We can only guess and wonder – some might shudder – at Julie’s future maternity wear. As her bump grows, we’ll be sad to see the back of her fifties frocks with their nipped-in waists and we can only hope that she shies away from voluminous tents and those jeans with the ridiculously broad elasticated waistbands – never a good look.

But onto more serious considerations: what are the chances of this hopeless romantic having a baby out of wedlock? And if there is to be a wedding, that leaves only one, fabulous giddy-making thought… Julie’s wedding dress. It’s enough to put us in a fashion spin…


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