Mod to Suedehead

Originally Posted by OHT

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This is another thing on my mind(forgive me if it's a stupid ass question,lol): Did any original skinheads wear black jeans?

I never saw any. In London it was Levis or nothing (although in my suedehead days I did have a pair of black Levi coduroy jeans).

Originally Posted by OHT

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Another thing: When it came to wearing your Ben Sherman,Brutus shirts,etc did you guys size up or did you stick with your actual size regardless of how tight they felt?

I am not quite sure I get this question. If it felt tight it wouldn't be your size.

Originally Posted by Man-of-Mystery

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I am not quite sure I get this question. If it felt tight it wouldn't be your size.

I mean when It came to trim/slim fit shirts, did you size up? I ask this because I'm a medium and when It comes to wearing Ben Sherman button down shirts I sometimes have to size up because they run small and I feel immobilized but I've notice that some skinheads prefer to wear their size even though it runs small to(I guess) give that clean cut trim look. Does that make sense? If not, some1 help me out here,hehe

Originally Posted by OHT

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I mean when It came to trim/slim fit shirts, did you size up? I ask this because I'm a medium and when It comes to wearing Ben Sherman button down shirts I sometimes have to size up because they run small and I feel immobilized but I've notice that some skinheads prefer to wear their size even though it runs small to(I guess) give that clean cut trim look. Does that make sense? If not, some1 help me out here,hehe

I thought that is what you meant. As far as I recall we would simply have gone for a good fit, i.e. one that suited the wearer best. Something too tight would have looked too tight. The size that looked right was your size, the right size for you. The concept of "sizing up" didn't even enter into our thoughts.

The only instance of sizing up that I can think of was, as has been discussed before, buying shrink-to-fit Levis - more of a mod thing.

Black jeans were a no-no for Mods and Skinheads in the '60s. More of a Beatnik or Rocker thing.

Also with trim fit shirts we have to bear in mind that the original Mods & Skins were teenagers and also guys were generally skinnier then. Nowadays guys of an, ahem, more generously proportioned build may wear trim fit shirts that were designed for a thinner chap! You rarely see a 60's picture of a fat Mod or Skin!

EDIT: not that I'm implying anything!!

Originally Posted by Man-of-Mystery

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although in my suedehead days I did have a pair of black Levi coduroy jeans.


since you bring this up, what was *your* interpretation of "suedehead" back then? Nowadays when we think of suedehead, we think of a more mod looking skinhead....crombies, brogues, obviously longer (but still short) hair....tho I remember reading someone talking about suedehead from his (your) day and saying that it was quite different to what we describe it today (shoes were solatios/crossovers, norwegians etc for example). I'm sure the regional differences meant it was a slightly different look from one city to the next, but would like to hear about how you went about it. And how long did that phase last for you?

Originally Posted by Man-of-Mystery

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No you didn't dream it. It was in 1969, and there was a one-page article in the "colour supplement" of a Sunday newspaper, featuring a group of three or four kids, a couple of which were brothers and whose surname was Smith. They were from London, had the skinhead look, and used to make pocket money by "totting" (collecting scrap metal and selling it to dealers). Collectively, this bunch of lads was known as "the Smithies" (or "ver Smiffies", in London accent). Some of my non-skinhead friends began to call me a "Smithie" instead of a skinhead, but that didn't last long.

I bumped into one of the Smithies a few weeks after the article had come out, by which time he was very much a suedehead - even as a skin he had never had very short hair because his hair was thick and dark and he seemed to prefer a mod look.

Try as I might, I can't find any reference on the net to this article. Leave it with me...

Incidentally, one of the names for hard mods in London in 68 was "totters", because the practice of collecting and selling scrap was so common there at the time.

I knew i wasn't imagining things, thanks.

Talking about hair:

Definitely looks 1970-ish to me.... always good to see a photo from the time which dispels the myth that "everyone had a crop"...... those with crops usually had a No. 3 or 4, often with a razor parting - only the real nut-nuts had a No. 1!

The more sensible among us wore a nice neat "college boy" with a Boston back......
and 'suedehead' is an even more 'made-up by the media' term than 'skinhead' was..... I can't remember anyone using it at the time.

PS.... I went to that Cup Final as well!

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I have no doubt at all the picture is from 1970 and agree with Chris L that only a few skinheads really went for the number one crop as shown in the pic.
My hair was short but like Chris I had a 'Boston cut' to the back - I did have a razor parting for a while all the same. My dad said it looked daft shaved into my head - and it probably did! But what can you tell a 14 year old.............

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Old conversation from the pama forum (a forum dedicated to reggae from the pama labels).
"boston back" or "boston cut to the back" does that term ring any bells to you?

Originally Posted by OHT

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.
Another thing: When it came to wearing your Ben Sherman,Brutus shirts,etc did you guys size up or did you stick with your actual size regardless of how tight they felt?

I know what you mean, I always wear a size L but a Ben Sherman XL is pretty much an exact L anywhere else, it's not really sizing up, it's just wearing your size, I'm a 42chest so I always find a **** that 42-44 (L). I suggest you get your chest measured (If you haven't already) and buy your shirts from that sizing.

Side note: Page 69!

the notion of "sizing up" is a styleforum/internet construct. Whether it's called "medium" or "#2" or "40" or whatever, if it fits, that's your size. Remember, there actually was a time when you had to walk into a store to buy clothes, and try it on, and get the size that fit best. No internet shopping!

Thought I'd post this - could that be an MA1 in '67 second from left?...



That is the late Tim Harris, the Foundations drummer, who btw went to the same school as my mum, and had a clean-cut mod image in contrast to most musicians of the time...



http://t3.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:l...860b-500pi&t=1

the best part about shopping for clothes is the service you get in a good shop,i was in manchester a few weeks ago at a family 'do' and decided to visit Edwards a shoe shop i bought my first pair of quality shoes nearly 20 years ago,when i first started work.I was greeted by an older gentleman who asked if i needed assistance to give him a "nod".I was in the shop for maybe 25 mins of pampering and shoe talk,I left the shop with a handshake,thankyou and a massive smile on my face.

'Gent, it's not an MA-1, just a regular monkey jacket. I had totally forgotten that there was a hard mod in the Foundations, but you brought it all back.

Originally Posted by Get Smart

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since you bring this up, what was *your* interpretation of "suedehead" back then? Nowadays when we think of suedehead, we think of a more mod looking skinhead....crombies, brogues, obviously longer (but still short) hair....tho I remember reading someone talking about suedehead from his (your) day and saying that it was quite different to what we describe it today (shoes were solatios/crossovers, norwegians etc for example). I'm sure the regional differences meant it was a slightly different look from one city to the next, but would like to hear about how you went about it. And how long did that phase last for you?

I use(d) the term very loosely. Basically it was just a transitional phase between skinhead gear and a more arty look, amongst those of us who were a bit older and wanted to move on after the skinhead thing got taken over by everyone's kid brother. It was never a co-ordinated style or movement, nor was it strictly a return to a mod look. The presence of crombies etc was simply because that's what you had in your wardrobe - no one actually went out and bought a whole new outfit for a new "look". I recall that in mid 1970 I was on holiday in Spain, and I had longer hair (thought still above my collar) and those Levi cords, but I still wore my Prince-of-Wales jacket and a pair of brogues from the Squire Shop.

I never knew Action Man/GI Joe once created skinhead figures. Just how common were skinhead related toys in the 60s and 70s?

Originally Posted by Darksideoftheforce

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I never knew Action Man/GI Joe once created skinhead figures. Just how common were skinhead related toys in the 60s and 70s?

I think you'll find that's a spoof.

Originally Posted by Man-of-Mystery

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I think you'll find that's a spoof.

Ah I thought so. The head looks very similar to a vintage GI Joe action figure.
But I wonder how the skins of the 60s would have felt if toy companies began manufacturing little skinhead action figures?
I like his switchblade and newcastle though.