Welcome to Frock! Here we examine the interfacing between fashion and music and discover the two are so tightly fused that trying to tear them apart may leave gaping holes in the crotch of society.

Frock brings you interviews with musicians and designers to hear their take on the fashion-music crossover. We also hunt down fashion boutiques and vinyl stores that offer the best of both worlds.

Most importantly, it's about the peeps and the punters and that means YOU. So we get out and about to see who’s wearing what while listening to
who >> Gig.

In this issue, Geoffrey J. Finch from terrific fashion label ANT!PODIUM tells us about his crew's love for Dolly Parton and where to find fashionable
ANT!PODIUM  fillies >>Wear.

We get some fashion tips from the Black Lips, and show you just how ruddy easy it is to dress like a Flower Punk. >>Play.

We discover London boutique Labour of Love, where you can get your independent fashion fix while listening to some kickin' tunes >> Shop.

And we take a trip to London's spiritual home of music, Camden, to source some vinyl and threads at Bugbear Discs >> Spin.

Plus a few tips on what's coming up on the fashion-music front
>> Future shock.

myspace.com/frockmag

Cult womenswear label ANT!PODIUM is more fun than Beth Ditto in a unitard. Frock found out from the outfit's Geoffrey J. Finch about the tunes that make him sweat and where to catch ANT!PODIUM babes busting out at gigs around London.

How would you describe the ANT!PODiUM style?
ANT!PODiUM is all about witty and confident simplicity that combines a London sensibility with Australian irreverence.

Which musicians or bands have influenced the ANT!PODiUM collection?
Like the team behind the brand, the musicians and bands we favour are a motley crew. To create our perfect musical cocktail take one part Dolly Parton and add a dash of Nick Cave, a good slosh of Phoenix, a shot of Morrissey, shake well with Daft Punk and sprinkle with the zest of Dannii Minogue.

Any muses you particularly had in mind when designing the range?
We really focus on what our friends would like to wear rather than typical style icons. Our ideal customer would be a cross between Miss Piggy and Tilda Swinton.

What kind of girl wears ANT!PODiUM and which gigs would you find them?
The most exciting thing about launching
ANT!PODiUM has been seeing girls in the street taking our pieces and making them their own.

We find our customers are self assured, intelligent, creative and not afraid of a good time. Gig-wise you'll probably find them popping up all about town - The Gossip, Nouvelle Vague, The Organ, Phoenix, The Rapture, New Young Pony Club and anywhere else hot boys are anticipated.

What are you listening to at the moment?
Joakim is at the top of my playlist. Dolly Parton ain't far behind.

What is your latest music discovery?
Our favourite Melbourne friend, DJ Viva L'Amour created our rather breathtaking compilation for our NO ROMANCE WITHOUT FINANCE pre-Christmas collection. All our favourites and more!

What was the best live show you went to recently?
Throwing back shots at one of The Gossip's first London shows was rather good fun.

Any artists' styles you particularly admire?
Ashe and Fenella have quite a thing for Nick Cave, I'm more Amanda Lepore flavoured.

ANT!PODiUM

Are you for real? Can you honestly say that a checked-shirt wearing, permed-haired, grill-bearing punk band has style? Heck YES. Frock pins down the Black Lips and finds out how to dress like a Flower Punk.

Atlanta outfit the Black Lips made a name for themselves at this year's South By Southwest as the hardest-working rock band on tour. Since then, everyone has been talking about them and their very own musical genre:  Flower Punk.

"We're too punk to be hippy and too hippy to be punk," says the band's drummer Joe. "We're like, tough but sissy at the same time."

They name Iggy and the Stooges alongside psychedelios the 13th Floor Elevators as two of their main influences. It helps explain the punk-hippy crossover, and sheds some light on the strange combination of styles that is Flower Punk.

For the uninitiated, Flower Punk starts with a standard checked shirt, as worn by Black Lips frontman Jared on most outings. Combine this with a permed afro, fluffy on top and shaved at the sides like a Jesus and Mary Chain hairdo, which guitarist Cole is sporting at a recent gig at London's Cargo.

Bassist Ian is "the one with the teeth". He's from New Orleans, which means, like his hardcore rap'n homies Master P, Lil Wayne and Mystical, all he really wants is a damn fly grill. He's got one. If you don't, a classic second-hand T-shirt should get you somewhere towards the look. Preferably something sporting a logo like: "Jesus Camp Kids Rock".

And there you have it. Flower Punk: tough but sissy. For real.

myspace.com/theblacklips

Spend too much time shopping on the high street and you risk looking like a moron and listening to crap tunes. London’s  Labour of Love is here to help.

Labour of Love on Islington's Upper Street is a dress-up box fully equipped for anyone who wants to razz up their wardrobe with something that isn't identifiably 'high street'.

"Fashion is becoming so homogenous thanks to the high street shops and I think people are gradually looking to be more individual in their dress," says Fran Forcolina, the lady of the house.

Forcolina fills every inch of her store with romantic clothes, trinkets and accessories, each one a work of art, including her own Labour of Love label. Admittedly, some things are a bit off the wall: "I choose pieces that I love and it's usually the ones I love the most that don't sell! But for the most part, our garments have character and are identity pieces that fit with the wearer's personal style," she says.

It's the same with the collection of CDs for sale in store. It's a guide for anyone who has been caught in the headlights of HMV and stumbled off the high street in a pop-daze. Fran's partner Barry Menmuir chooses the albums and writes the witty blurbs to go with them, such as: "Mr Hudson and the Library are a bit like a mellow evening in the Jamaican Pub in Bermondsey."

Also for sale on this occasion are the latest albums from Bloc Party, TV on the Radio, The Shins, The Howling Bells and Devendra Barhart, who "looks like he could take all comers in a weed-smoking competition," writes Menmuir.

I also spy The Horrors' Strange House. It would go perfectly with that handbag over there, shaped like a Scottish terrier.

Labour of Love
193 Upper Street
London N1 1RQ

Camden's Bugbear Discs record store enjoys vinyl, alternative rock t-shirts and pints at the pub next door. It also likes acid folk and flowery ties.

If Bugbear Discs was a man, he would be a 77-year-old darts player, according to the store's MySpace.

It's a description that conjures up images of a pot-bellied chap with bad teeth and a comb-over who has run out of soap on a rope. It’s a fair assumption given he lives next door to Camden's beer-soaked rock venue, the Dublin Castle. He is, in fact, a refined character with a penchant for quality vinyl and vintage waistcoats.

Bugbear Discs stocks a fine collection of 60s and 70s rock, soul and funk re-issues, and a rare soul 7" collection. There's also a healthy assortment of rock, punk, indie and hip hop new releases.

For a small store there's a lot going on, including a selection of T-shirts. They're mostly for blokes but there are some good finds if you want something you can’t get from any vendor on the Camden high street.

Kieran Flynn, store manager, plans to convert the rear of the shop into a larger retail space for more fashion-centric vinyl fans, plus a cafe. He also plans to stock a collection of new folk or acid folk records.

Flynn embodies acid folk. Today he looks fetching in a striped shirt, waistcoat and vintage Liberty tie, sourced from a friend who used to run an antique business from deceased estates.

"I often get comments about how well I’m dressed," he says. "I just explain that I have the best tailor in the world: DMC… Dead Men's Clothes."

Trippy.

Bugbear Discs
96 Parkway
London NW1 7AN
myspace.com/bugbeardiscs

SO HOT RIGHT NOW. Once the summer festivals kick off the only chance to detox is by sweating out alcohol on the underground. You may as well succumb, and this year's Meltdown festival, directed by Jarvis Cocker, is not to be missed.

Meltdown is the chance to see where the Black Lips get their musical direction and Flower Punk styles, with performances from Roky Erickson of the 13th Floor Elevators, Iggy and the Stooges and The Jesus and Mary Chain.

Other gigs not to be missed include Motorhead, art-rock legends Devo and London provocateurs Selfish Cunt.

Meltdown: 16-23 June, London's Southbank Centre

O YEAH. London's V&A is hosting New York Fashion Now, the stories of twenty designers who launched their own labels in the five years between 1999 and 2004.

It features work by Christian Joy, whose signature client is the Yeah Yeah Yeahs' Karen O. Check out the very excellent 'Pasta' dress and the 'Day of the Dead' bodysuit (pictured).

Also on show are pieces from P. Diddy's clothing label Sean John, proof that any famous musician can produce a collection. Not looking at anyone in particular - Madonna, Kylie, Lily Allen...

New York Fashion Now: Until September 23.

FROCKING THROUGH THE AGES. Now that Monday's the new Thursday, which is now the new Friday, BBC Two's Seven Ages of Rock is the best option for your Sat'dee night. The seven-part series is a stunning timeline of rock music from the 1960s to today and, of course, the fashion that has accompanied the music.

The series traces the shenanigans of Hendrix, Bowie, The Sex Pistols, Bruce Springsteen and The Pixies, right through to the Arctic Monkeys.

Each show is repeated on BBC One on Sunday at 11pm.

Seven Ages of Rock: Until 30 June.

CUT IT OUT. Cut Copy felt the force of the Chanel legal team after they designed a T-shirt based on the luxury brand's crossed 'CC' gold logo. The boys had to hand 'em over when Chanel took out a cease and desist order and threatened to sue.

But proving you can't keep hot DJ-cum-designers down, Cut Copy are back and have collaborated with Australian fashion label Claude Maus to come up with a limited collection of tees and hoodies. The designs, featuring the Frank Stellar colour wheel are selling fast. Get yours