Mod to Suedehead

[Man-of-Mystery]



I gave up wearing jeans at about 40 (maybe a year or two before)..I had my first pair of Levis in 69/70 when i was 11 or 12.
Truthfully I was never that impressed with Levis,they seemed to be saggy ********** IMO.
I went on to Wranglers for a few years and then Lee which were my favourites.

I have one pair of 501s, and - yes - they're a bit saggy round the arse. I've been tempted to think it's my age, and my 'racing snake' figure isn't what it was in 1969. But what has really changed is that back before 1969 Levis were famously shrink-to-fit, and the last thing they were back then was saggy.

These days I usually knock around in a pair of black Levi 514s, which seem to be a better fit than 501s - there are too many old geezers in ill-fitting blue jeans around town.

 

[Clouseau]

I only wear "shrink to fit" 501", they are easy to find here, and they are not saggy round the arse... I dont know in UK, but in France you won't find the best Levi in their Flagship stores, but at small retailers. Maybe because there is less customers for the "shrink to fit" 501s.

 

[cerneabbas]

I have one pair of 501s, and - yes - they're a bit saggy round the arse. I've been tempted to think it's my age, and my 'racing snake' figure isn't what it was in 1969. But what has really changed is that back before 1969 Levis were famously shrink-to-fit, and the last thing they were back then was saggy.

These days I usually knock around in a pair of black Levi 714s, which seem to be a better fit than 501s - there are too many old geezers in ill-fitting blue jeans around town.

Yes you are right the first Levis that I had were ok for shape,even though I was very skinny ( a lot were then,how things have changed),but I thought that after that Levis went down in quality,maybe it was just the ones in the high street shops,i don't know but I thought that Lee had a better shape/fit.

 

[cerneabbas]

I only wear "shrink to fit" 501", they are easy to find here, and they are not saggy round the arse... I dont know in UK, but in France you won't find the best Levi in their Flagship stores, but at small retailers. Maybe because there is less customers for the "shrink to fit" 501s.

Some of the worst Levis I have seen are in Levi shops in outlet centres in England,i think that you would have to go to a proper jeans shop to find good ones.
I looked at pictures of those 606 jeans that you mentioned,are they a bit more tapered than the old Levis were ? I liked the copper rivets I thought that they were an essential look on Levis.

 

[Mr Knightley]

Quote:
Over on the main board there are some purists who argue that derbies / bluchers should not be worn with suits and I have heard it said that an Oxford is too formal to pair with odd trousers. I think this is more of an American thing where their approach to dressing can be like painting by numbers... Here we prefer to experiment with different combinations - but back in 1969 / 70 it was pretty well fixed.

 

[Mr Knightley]

Quote:
http://www.styleforum.net/content/type/61/id/738766/ John White 'Midhurst' full Oxford brogue from 1987-ish. This pic taken in March 2013. Showing the slightly slimmer toe, so perhaps the last has not changed? Got these from now defunct? Sam Walker in Covent Gdn.

 

[cerneabbas]

Quote:
I have read that,as you say an American thing,all the blokes wearing suits with Royals or plain toes back in the day thought that it looked fine and i think so too.

 

[cerneabbas]

Those Italian fellas are stylish enough, but they're a bit 'oldest swinger in town' for my liking.

I was thinking about this and i was wondering if English styles and colours are traditionally a bit conservative and sober ? maybe this was something that Mod was reacting against ?
Maybe we just arent used to seeing older blokes dressing in a stylish way ? ( definitely the case here in Bristol ).
As i said before I like a simpler look ,but i am not knocking their look it is smart,but a bit too many colours and a bit too much for me.

 

[Mr Knightley]

I have also been wondering how to respond to the Pitti Uomo debate.

My mind, for some reason went back to Brideshead Revisited and a meeting in the mid 1930s between the exotic Anthony Blanche and the English painter Charles Ryder where Anthony ‘explains’ Charles’ own pictures to him!

Anthony says ‘….My dear, it is what you have been up to that we are here to talk about. I’ve been watching you, my dear. I’m a faithful old body and I’ve kept my eye on you. As he spoke the bar and the bar-tender, the blue wicker furniture, the gambling-machines, the gramophone, the couple of youths dancing on the oilcloth, the youths sniggering round the slots, the purple-veined, stiffly-dressed elderly man drinking in the corner opposite us, the whole drab and furtive joint seemed to fade, and I was back in Oxford looking out over Christ Church meadow through a window of Ruskin-Gothic.

I went to your first exhibition, said Anthony; I found it - charming. There was an interior of Marchmain House, very English, very correct, but quite delicious. Charles has done something, I said; not all he will do, not all he can do, but something.

Even then, my dear, I wondered a little. It seemed to me that there was something a little gentlemanly about your painting. You must remember I am not English; I cannot understand this keen zest to be well-bred. English snobbery is more macabre to me even than English morals. However, I said, Charles has done something delicious. What will he do next?

The next thing I saw was your very handsome volume Village and Provincial Architecture, was it called? And what did I find? Charm again. Not quite my cup of tea, I thought; this is too English. I have the fancy for rather spicy things, you know, not for the shade of the cedar tree, the cucumber sandwich, the silver cream-jug, the English girl dressed in whatever English girls do wear for tennis - not that, not Jane Austen, not M-m-miss M-m-mitford. Then, to be frank, dear Charles, I despaired of you. I am a degenerate old d-d-****, I said and Charles - I speak of your art, my dear - is a dean’s daughter in flowered muslin…..’

I am certain if Anthony were with us today that he would sport the more flamboyant Pitti Uomo look. He is described in the book as having a cosmopolitan upbringing and being ‘wholly exotic’. He just doesn’t get English charm and English reserve. As he says, he has a taste for more spicy things.

OK, not many of us on here (I assume) studied at Oxford in the 1920s and the way of life depicted by Evelyn Waugh has sadly gone for ever. But the fact remains we are tied to the past through our clothes and in the case of the Englishman this gives him a built-in reserve. (That is the Englishman who retains a sense of style not the shorts-wearing-in-January tattooed twat).

So for those of us in these damp islands, while we can readily appreciate that Italian flash, it is something we admire rather than desire. Just my two penn’orth.

 

[flyfronted]

Try Edwins mate . http://www.oipolloi.com/shop/brand/edwin

 

[McDermott]

With regards to the Pitti umo stuff (we are going a bit off track here, but still) from someone who works with tailoring and has a passion for it, I think these guys are clowns. They treat what they wear as costume..you can wear what you want and experiment with it, have fun with your clothing but a man should look serious. These are the guys who the internet have termed 'I-gents' (a quick google and a look on this forum as well as others will prob give good examples). For me, they just look like they are trying too hard, which smartness should be the opposite of (surely you should look like you have put in no effort and you were created that way from day 1, these guys try to achieve that but go in such a roundabout they end up the other way). 'sprezzatura' can only be true if you dont consciously go for it ? Silly things like the wearing of those bead bracelets, gloves in pockets, bright scarfs and costume hats annoy me.

kind of stuff i usually wear :

navy blazer charcoal flannels, well polished shoes. nothing fancy


vs.


I mean, look at these three. Theyve got the type of faces youd never get tired of punching. If any of them came to buy anything off me, id refuse just out of principal.

Sometimes the rules should not be broken.

 

[cerneabbas]

With regards to the Pitti umo stuff (we are going a bit off track here, but still) from someone who works with tailoring and has a passion for it, I think these guys are clowns. They treat what they wear as costume..you can wear what you want and experiment with it, have fun with your clothing but a man should look serious. These are the guys who the internet have termed 'I-gents' (a quick google and a look on this forum as well as others will prob give good examples). For me, they just look like they are trying too hard, which smartness should be the opposite of (surely you should look like you have put in no effort and you were created that way from day 1, these guys try to achieve that but go in such a roundabout they end up the other way). 'sprezzatura' can only be true if you dont consciously go for it ? Silly things like the wearing of those bead bracelets, gloves in pockets, bright scarfs and costume hats annoy me.

kind of stuff i usually wear :

navy blazer charcoal flannels, well polished shoes. nothing fancy


vs.


I mean, look at these three. Theyve got the type of faces youd never get tired of punching. If any of them came to buy anything off me, id refuse just out of principal.

Sometimes the rules should not be broken.

I think that kind of look could become a race to the bottom ( the old guy in the pink hat wins so far ) where people can end up looking like an explosion in a charity shop if they arent careful.
Surely the 3 blokes in the suits are just annoying male model types though,just a bit too flashy dressed ( for me anyway ).
Maybe its the sunny climate there ( as Clouseau said ) versus the damp climate here ( as Mr Knightley said ) that give us different tastes ?

 

[Gsvs5]



That is what I mean.I look in "Gentlemens Outfitters" and see the same dressing.I may be an old bloke-not a 16 year old,but I still want to be inspired by what I see.It is still about looking for treasure,that is why there is a lot of discussion on here about various Shops,Designs etc.,etc.It does not mean you are 60, so you are now into "Pipes and Slippers". Certainly not me.

My original comments were sparked by this post from Browniecj.The word "inspiration" is critical.what you can not forget is that the Italian guys I focused on are prominent retailers promoting their "look".As models on a catwalk,it can seem a little contrived and overdone,but it's hard to ignore.
J Simon is promoting his Duffer Cap style,and the only thing missing is an Evening Standard newspaper bag.Totally sad and forgettable.

 

[Gsvs5]



I think that kind of look could become a race to the  bottom ( the old guy in the pink hat wins so far ) where people can end up looking like an explosion in a charity shop if they arent careful.

If he were a Rastafarian he would be applauded!

 

[Inks]

Claire Goldsmith, one of the Goldsmith clan, is having a bit of a clear-out. She's banging out a small amount of these hand-made numbers at £25 a pop (originally £270, they reckon). A bit too round in the wrong place and 'fly-eyed' for my taste. Slighty girlie for my big, bald, square bonce too. Nice arms though and would probably make better sunglasses for someone younger.

These C&Gs are more like it. They'd pretty much suit anyone. At the price they are, they bloody well should do.