The gold standard of Golden Era ghetto fabulous couture was the custom garments Harlem's legendary
Dapper Dan designed for crack era street hustlers and hip-hop's elite. When the likes of Gucci, Louis Vuitton and Fendi initially refused to sell Dan their wares for his 125th street boutique, he simply and resourcefully created his own using imported knock-off prints, sparking a remarkable cottage industry. Renowned customers included the likes of Run-DMC, Eric B. & Rakim, Big Daddy Kane (seen above on 1-2-5), St. John's hoops star Walter Berry, and Mike Tyson - whose
infamous 4AM August 1988 fight with fellow heavyweight Mitch "Blood" Green in front of Dan's shop wound up leading to a ton of unwanted publicity (and lawsuits filed by Gucci et al). Though Dan's flashy handiwork fell out of favor during the keep-it-real '90s, these days he's still gainfully commissioned by the likes of Floyd Mayweather for his designs. He's also recently found his way to the web - where he's begun sharing some great pix of his clientele from back in the day. Click the thumbnails above for a taste. And visit
Dan's official website for more great images from yesterday and today
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