For decades, the story of British football casual culture has been told through the clothes, photographs and memories of the men who lived it. But behind the terraces, pubs and streets was another group whose story was rarely given the same space: the women who were there too. So, What Were The Girls Wearing?! by Roo Oxley sets out to change that, bringing female casuals and their experiences into the archive.
Following her bestselling debut Clobber! Bridging the Gap Between Casuals and Their Clobber, Oxley turns her attention to the often-overlooked women of 1980s football and casual culture. Drawing on first-hand accounts from original female casuals, alongside academics, brand owners, collectors, writers and the next generation, the book explores how clothing became intertwined with football, identity, belonging and subculture. These are stories that existed for decades through memories and conversations, but were rarely formally documented.
At its heart, So, What Were The Girls Wearing?! is about much more than fashion. It examines the role of women within British subcultures and the ways they shaped, participated in and experienced casual culture in their own right. From iconic sportswear and designer labels to terrace style and the significance of individual garments, the book explores the details that helped define an era — and the women who wore them.
Across 21 chapters, Oxley digs into the culture from a distinctly female perspective. Titles including ‘The Burberry Girl’, ‘Adidas Speziall(a)’, ‘Material Girls’, ‘Beer, Bungle, Bovvered Girls’ and ‘Misogyny, But Make It Funny’ hint at the wide-ranging stories within. The book looks at legitimacy, fashion, music, football and the attitudes surrounding women in subculture, while also considering how these scenes have evolved and influenced future generations.
Roo Oxley’s approach combines lived experience with extensive primary research, bringing together voices from across football, fashion, academia and wider subculture. Alongside the book, her work extends into photography, documentary content and collaborations, helping preserve a side of British cultural history that has too often been overlooked. And, as Oxley herself might add, she’s Stoke!
Published by Ockham Publishing Group and Vulpine Press on 24 September 2026, So, What Were The Girls Wearing?! offers an important new perspective on British casual culture. It gives the women who were always part of the story the opportunity to tell it in their own words — creating an archive of fashion, football, identity and lived experience that reaches far beyond the terraces.