The link between fashion and music is unsurprising to us now, but the phenomenon is younger than we may think. Opening today, 70's-era biopic "The Runaways" reveals a glimpse into a tumultuous time in fashion history and a group which influenced the path it would take. Keep reading after the jump...

Considered rock's first significant all-girl band, The Runaways' occupied a crossroads the history of both music and fashion. They represented an era before music became irreparably commercialised but after it became a leading influence on the way young people dress.

Because of their unique position, The Runaways' look was a cog in the wheel of a fashion- music machine that became most powerful in the 1980s, according to pop culture historian Scott Stoddart. Stoddart, dean of the School of Liberal Arts at New York's Fashion Institute of Technology, believes their success stems from the fact that "Their songs spoke to the anguish teens experienced at the time"

Today, with artists like Lady Gaga for whom image is undivorcable from their music, we're keenly aware of their legacy. Fashion and costuming have become an integral part of many bands' "package."

Perhaps more in keeping with The Runaways' spirit, another reaction to this phenomenon is the DIY movement in indie rock, where trying too hard to manage image is seen as a bad thing. Regardless of musicians individual reactions, however, one thing remains clear: a band's image is shaped by their fashion.