It was, after all, the look of the Halbstark, or "Half-Strong," as these types were also known, that attracted Weinberger's own attention in the first place; the way they adopted the kind of gear worn by American bikers and rockers of the conservative late 1950s and early 1960s and subjected it to wild improvisations. The Halbstark took keys big enough to open dungeon doors and made them into pendants. They suspended spent mortar shells around their necks on chains. They repurposed metal plates the size of hubcaps as belt buckles. They shredded their clothing, added fur trim, knotted kerchiefs at their knees, and scrawled the names of their idols down the legs of their trousers. Few have ever found more fashion inspiration in hardware stores than did the Halbstark. At any rate, they may have been the first to use nuts and bolts to fasten blue jeans.
Love the blog -- thanks for the work and generosity. Could this be re-upped?
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