The Untold Truth Of Dexys Midnight Runners

Along with everything else, Kevin Rowland designed the look of the band, including their fashion. One look was inspired by NYC dock workers, such as those featured in "On the Waterfront." Their most iconic look, however, was the one worn for the "Come on Eileen" video. While the success of their video made people associate the band with the rough denim look, it was actually only the band's wardrobe for about a year before Rowland moved on to something else. "We were into the idea of being scruffy, but of course only in exactly the right kind of way," Rowland was quoted as saying in The Look.

Rowland may have had the ideas for the band's unique fashion, but the looks were actually made by costume designer Debbie Baxter. Baxter would present drawings of potential looks to the band. One of these were the "denim dungarees" that would become the band's signature style. They tried weathering their own denim by boiling it in Rowland's kitchen, but they ultimately went with actually used pieces. The band was "in tatters" at the time, and it was difficult to get everyone on board with the non-traditional look.

"I remember ... opening a big refuse sack and passing them round to the guys," Rowland recalled. "Some of them had already left the band and were only recording the album on a session basis ... There were guffaws from one or two, but eventually it all came together."

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