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A Shane Surfboards Ad, highly symbolic of the era, from the back cover of Surfing World Magazine featuring emblematic figure - Russell Hughes. Image courtesy of the PT Collection. |
In direct reference to this very photo, PT stated this week from his home in Huntington Beach, and I quote - "when I was a grom and I saw this shot of Russell Hughes on the back page of Surfing World magazine, I immediately wanted to run down to the Mens Wear store in Coolangatta [no Surf Shops in those days] and get a shirt exactly the same. Russell was all about style".
This is an Ad for Shane Surfboards in the late sixties where Russell had just introduced his new 'Crystal Vessel' model. Few photos of the era convey such a strong sense of arrested time as this.
In the Ad, a handsome young Russell in his early twenties, has embraced the flower power culture [flowers were the chief metaphor for the peace movement] and he is posing in absolute sartorial elegance, modelling a San Franciso, Haight-Ashbury inspired floral piped, Nehru-collared hippy shirt. Set with matching heavy, wide wale, brown corduroy trousers.
But folks; it's important, please don't get 'Style' confused with fashion. 'Style' is an expression of individualism mixed with Charisma. Fashion is something that comes after style.
Notice a very important aspect of the ad shot? What's missing? No surfboard in the frame - the man and his 'style' carried enough weight in 'sell' to make people want to invest in a new 'Crystal Vessel' surf board.
In those days, most icons had to be manufactured by the surfboard builders themselves. The advertising and results were unsophisticated, but so were the faithful. Style is a magic wand that turns everything that it touches to gold. And in the photo above... Russell Hughes is in gold.
Steve Core
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