A Boy Band's Dream

The 80s and 90s were, shall we say, interesting eras for fashion.  This picture and this band pretty much captures everything that was amazing about this time…not to mention it’s every hipster kid’s dream come true.

I was too young to really recall them in their glory days, but from what I’ve read and seen, the New Kids On The Block (NKOTB) were the equivalent of the Backstreet Boys and *NSYNC mania that came after them, and in fact paved the way for the boy/girl band explosion of the mid-to-late 90s.

Not only was their music influential and reflective of the time, but so were their clothing choices.  Shoulder pads, long coats, big hair, overalls and hammer pants were just a few of the styles they helped popularize.  Let's see how the individually given styles worked together to create their signature boy band look and how they’ve evolved into the new NKOTB.   

Meet the Kids

Joey, Jordan, Danny, Jonathan and Donnie were the teeny-bop musical sensation known as The New Kids On The Block.  The band began in 1984 while the boys were still teenagers – and it shows.

This picture appears to be rather early on in their career.  Donnie hadn’t quite grown into his bad boy phase yet and their posing wasn’t quite up to the NKOTB standards we’ve come to expect.

The early 80s influence is quite clearly present though, what with the hats, the acid wash ripped denim, high tops and Jonathan’s gold vest…hey, I think I saw this exact group shot posing on Queen West yesterday. 

Growing Up

We can start to see a few trends happening now as the boys began to grow into their own personal looks.  Well, except for Donnie who could be a poet or a painter in those clothes.  (If you didn’t catch the Clueless reference there, I’m deeply saddened.)

But back to the boys.  Joey with his porkpie hat, Jon with the vest and ripped acid wash denim, Danny with his square head hair cut:  all very NKOTB.  Jordan, on the other hand, seemed to be trying something a little new and different.  Note:  Overalls with no shirt was never “a look” and it doesn’t work on anyone.

They hadn’t quite hit their fashion stride yet, but, like their career, the boys were slowly making their way into the public’s heart…step by step.

Ringing Some Bells?

A little older, a little wiser and looking a little more like we remember them.  NKOTB took their time getting to the top, but with the release of Hangin’ Tough, their second studio album, the boys were suddenly everywhere, which meant they needed concrete images.

I believe this would be the unofficial beginning of the boy band mould.  Each guy was given a persona to live and breathe, from the way they behaved to what they wore, while members of NKOTB.  Who knew that years later the same mould would be used to mass-produce boy bands all over the world.

Each boy filled a carefully crafted role, one that was chosen for him and recorded in the “Guide to Creating Cash Cow Boy Bands”.  In the next section I’m going to break the mould down for you and, to put it in perspective, I’ll give the names of the members of a few more recent boybanders that fit each persona as well.

Let's Break It Down

Joey:  The youngest of the group, he was there to keep their fan base wide and young and to appeal to mothers who might worry the boys were too old for their precious little ones.  His look was youthful with kicks instead of loafers and tight pants with graphic tees.  He was everyone’s little brother; sweet, innocent and completely a-sexual.  (See also:  Lance Bass of *NSYNC, Nick Carter of BSB)

Donnie:  Everything Joey wasn’t.  Donnie was the oldest and was there to keep their fan base wide and older.  The ladies loved his bad boy image…and so did their mothers.  Bandanas and piercings were his thing and he brought a bit of street flavour to their sound, kicking them up a notch over their bubblegum competition.  (See also:  JC Chasez of *NSYNC, Kevin Richardson of BSB) 

Jordan:  The dreamy unofficial lead, he was expected to dress the way he sang and performed with his flawless falsetto; sweet, modest, hot and single.  Guys wanted to dress like him and girls wanted to be with him…the whole world was putty in his barely legal hands.  (See also:  Justin Timberlake of *NSYNC, Brian Littrell of BSB)

Jonathan and Danny:  As the less attractive and slightly boring members of the group, they were there simply because they could sing.  Boy bands would be nothing without their five-part harmonies.  They were talented, but didn’t appeal to anyone in particular, so they were free to experiment with their look and their sound.  As far as I can tell, Jon was the best dressed one in the bunch, probably because he was under the radar and free from trying to be popular with any one group of people.  Danny had more talent in his pinky finger than the other boys put together.  Unfortunately for him…no one really cared.  (See also:  Joey Fatone and Chris Kirkpatrick of *NSYNC, Howie Dorough and A.J. McLean of BSB).

NKOTB: All Grown Up...and Wearing Suits?

As I said before, the boys of NKOTB are back in a big bad way and are ready to make the world fall in love with them all over again.  As far as I'm concerned, the jury is still out.

However, I will give them props for kicking up their style a million notches and bringing the NKOTB flavour into the new millennium.  They’ve grown up, gotten haircuts (thank god) and stepped into very age and time-appropriate suits…well played.

I hope their reunion will be as popular as the Spice Girls, but only time will tell.  The trick will be finding the balance between the “roles” their fans came to know and love them by, and finding a way to appeal to a whole new generation; after all fifteen years is a long time gone.  If their new single, "Summertime", their already-sold-out scheduled performances and their new look have anything to do with it though, I think they’ll be just fine…your thoughts?