Mod to Suedehead

[Clouseau]

Make of this what you will:

http://www.leicestermercury.co.uk/L...re-Skinheads/story-12065834-detail/story.html

One Leicester guy's memories of his time as a skinhead.

Very interesting read. The very first time i saw skinheads was in Leicester in 1979. They were hangin' around a shopping centre in town, don't remember the name but it was quite big. They were fierce. You could feel aggression, pride, and it was better to avoid "eye contact". Of course, they were 2nd wave skins, nothing to do with the guy telling his story in the newspaper. But they were a shock for me. First time i noticed DMs. I bought my first pair the next year. At the time, you could only buy them in England.

 

[cerneabbas]

Very interesting read. The very first time i saw skinheads was in Leicester in 1979. They were hangin' around a shopping centre in town, don't remember the name but it was quite big. They were fierce. You could feel aggression, pride, and it was better to avoid "eye contact". Of course, they were 2nd wave skins, nothing to do with the guy telling his story in the newspaper. But they were a shock for me. First time i noticed DMs. I bought my first pair the next year. At the time, you could only buy them in England.

Clouseau,Were there punks in Paris at that time ?,I saw skinheads in Paris in the very early 80s.
BTW,your paraboots looked good in the picture,I would like a pair but I don't think that I would be wearing them in 20 years time..

 

[Clouseau]

Oh yes, there were punks in Paris from 1976-1977, i guess. The Sex Pistols played in the "Chalet du lac" in 1976. And The Clash came early too to play in the city, like the Stranglers, etc. The first Paris skinhead gang, the fearful "skins des halles" were former punks for most of them.
My paraboots got a lot of wear (you can see it in the picture...) They are very comfy. They got a very thick rubber sole (half used!), and are made in "norwegian stitching". Hope i will keep them another 20 years

.

 

[cerneabbas]

Oh yes, there were punks in Paris from 1976-1977, i guess. The Sex Pistols played in the "Chalet du lac" in 1976. And The Clash came early too to play in the city, like the Stranglers, etc. The first Paris skinhead gang, the fearful "skins des halles" were former punks for most of them.
My paraboots got a lot of wear (you can see it in the picture...) They are very comfy. They got a very thick rubber sole (half used!), and are made in "norwegian stitching". Hope i will keep them another 20 years

.

I think that the paraboots would be a good alternative to monkey boots or Doc Martens,interesting about the punks in Paris as early as that..I fond it strange to still see punks in Germany about 5 years ago,I cant remember when I last saw one here.
BTW,do you see many people wearing Doc Marten boots now ? and is it blokes or girls ? here I mostly see girls and not so many of them usually girl students ( have seen 3 since the beginning of October )....

 

[Clouseau]

The punk movement came really early in France. There were influences from the American punks too (Stooges, Ramones, etc) and there were French punk bands very early on.
But you won't see a punk in paris now. They're all dead. And if you spot a skinhead, 99% chance he's a bonehead.

It's true that now the most people i see wearing DMs boots in Paris are... Teenage girls!

About Paraboots, we were talking recently about the fact that most shoes are now made abroad. Well the Paraboots are still made in France, and i don't find them that expensive because the quality is really very good.

 

[cerneabbas]

The punk movement came really early in France. There were influences from the American punks too (Stooges, Ramones, etc) and there were French punk bands very early on.
But you won't see a punk in paris now. They're all dead. And if you spot a skinhead, 99% chance he's a bonehead.

It's true that now the most people i see wearing DMs boots in Paris are... Teenage girls!

About Paraboots, we were talking recently about the fact that most shoes are now made abroad. Well the Paraboots are still made in France, and i don't find them that expensive because the quality is really very good.

I was thinking the same about the paraboots,they look better when they have been worn than when they are new IMO,are they easy to find in the shops in France ?.
I was wearing my monkey boots today and I was thinking that most people have never seen them ( I have never seen anyone wearing them for many years ) but if I was wearing DMs people would be looking at them and thinking girls boots,times have really changed since the 70s when DMs were everywhere and monkey boots were the "poor boys" boot !

 

[Clouseau]

Yes Paraboots are easy to find here. A lot of small shops stock them, and department stores too. And they now have got small flagship stores. As i already said, the "Michael" is a classic here, and is wear by youngs and olds, boys and girls. I think there is a simple reason for that: it's the best model in terms of durability,and has got a look of his own. One you like or you hate, like you said about Monkey boots. I think (not sure) that some Englih mods used to wore them at one point.

 

[roytonboy]

roytonboy,I am not an expert on shoes, but I think that if your soles wore down quickly it could be due to the quality of leather used on the sole.
I am guessing that these shoes were cheaper than a known brand ie Cheaney ?,if so it could be the same as the Bexley shoes that have been discussed here previously,the shop recommends putting a thin rubber sole on the shoe as soon as possible to prevent wear.
I have the Bexley longwings a nice looking shoe IMO,very comfortable,but with a thin very soft leather sole and I am guessing that lack of a quality leather sole is how they keep their cost low.
I think that it is a case of buying a more expensive shoe and getting more wear from it,I read that a lot of real quality shoes use specially aged and conditioned leather for their soles,check out those Robinson longwings that Botolph put up pictures of,those soles are going to last a long time.
I have found a brogue that looks very similar to the shoes being worn by blokes in Bristol about 1970,Sanders Fakenham ,not a longwing,would something like that have been worn in your area around then ? also most brogues that I saw then were black,was that also the case in Manchester ?.

Around Manchester brogues were popular right through 1968 -1972. Initially almost exclusively brown, then brown and oxblood 1969/1970 with black, especially longwings (or 'Royals' as we used to describe them) becoming much more popular 1971/1972. I am tempted to say brown and oxblood were 'skinhead' wear and black were more 'Suedehead'. It could have been that the older lads were going into 'town' more smartly dressed on a Friday or Saturday night and wearing black brogues with suits and blazers but I wasn't aware of this. To me being skinhead in 1969/70 was Levi's (or similar), boots, brogues and sta-prest, but I was 15 at the time.

Brown and oxblood always looked better with jeans and light sta-prest IMHO but that is just my opinion. Black certainly smarter with Prince of Wales or Tonic trousers.

 

[cerneabbas]

Yes Paraboots are easy to find here. A lot of small shops stock them, and department stores too. And they now have got small flagship stores. As i already said, the "Michael" is a classic here, and is wear by youngs and olds, boys and girls. I think there is a simple reason for that: it's the best model in terms of durability,and has got a look of his own. One you like or you hate, like you said about Monkey boots. I think (not sure) that some Englih mods used to wore them at one point.

Very few companies are keeping their products well made,I hope that the ones that do are successful.
I find it sad to look at some clothes and shoes now and to remember how much better they used to be ( now I sound very old ),the accountants must know how to maximise the profit margin,but it leaves us fewer and fewer choices,even the so called quality brands are mass produced by the cheapest methods.
I forgot to mention that I saw the Barbour Steve Mcqueen "Harrington" in House of Fraser,Cardiff,I thought that it looked ok the material was a lighter weight than the coats,but when I tried on a large it was too small ,the XL was a nice fit in the body but the sleeves completely covered my hands !.

 

[roytonboy]

Make of this what you will:

http://www.leicestermercury.co.uk/L...re-Skinheads/story-12065834-detail/story.html

One Leicester guy's memories of his time as a skinhead.

Thanks for that Ed. - an interesting read, but as is often the case, raises quite a few questions. Browniecj is quite correct, this guy is 56 now, making him only 12 or 13 in 1969. Of course memories blur with the passing of time and it is told through a third party journalist who may have been a bit selective in what he chose to include and in what order, hence some of it rings true, some of it not quite so. I usually take all this violence stuff with a pinch of salt - just as every former mod you ever meet was always the snappiest dresser with the flashiest scooter, so every ex-skinhead you ever hear about was the toughest lad on the roughest estate who supported a team whose fans were the hardest in country, who NEVER ran.(this forum excepted!) Did I get into street fights as a skinhead and 'aggro' at football matches? Yes I did. Was this happening week in week out? Certainly not - but that wouldn't make interesting copy in the local paper would it?

 

[Inks]

Sad but true,I remember about 1990 going into Next with the Gf and they had some very nice button downs,good quality,now I very rarely bother going in there...the biggest department store in Bristol was John Lewis,now the same building is a Primark ! we are in a minority in wanting something special quality wise,the majority only want something cheap and cheerful.IMO

I have only been into Next twice. Once, because I heard the store in Oxford St had a glass floor on the first floor in the early 90s (I'm not a perv, honest). Then in the mid-90s I bought a pair of chinos from the shop in Uxbridge for a summer wedding I was attending. The seat seam split when I tried them on back at home. Obviously wasn't impressed with the quality. I couldn't even be arsed to return them.

 

[cerneabbas]

Around Manchester brogues were popular right through 1968 -1972. Initially almost exclusively brown, then brown and oxblood 1969/1970 with black, especially longwings (or 'Royals' as we used to describe them) becoming much more popular 1971/1972. I am tempted to say brown and oxblood were 'skinhead' wear and black were more 'Suedehead'. It could have been that the older lads were going into 'town' more smartly dressed on a Friday or Saturday night and wearing black brogues with suits and blazers but I wasn't aware of this. To me being skinhead in 1969/70 was Levi's (or similar), boots, brogues and sta-prest, but I was 15 at the time.

Brown and oxblood always looked better with jeans and light sta-prest IMHO but that is just my opinion. Black certainly smarter with Prince of Wales or Tonic trousers.

I remember the black brogues well because there was a shoe shop next to the bus stop when we went to school,I was fascinated by the curl on the brogue pattern so they weren't longwings,i think this was about late 1970,I was 12 then so just starting to take a real interest in different styles.
I agree with you about brown shoes looking better with jeans also with navy coloured trousers IMO,mind you I always remember one lad from school turning up after school one night wearing black brogues,levis and a royal blue Harrington,none of us had all that kit then and I was quite envious,mind you he was an only child and his dad had a good job so he was always ahead of us when it came to clothes / bikes.
I also agree on the black brogues and POW trousers,which I still do now,although sometimes with black brogue boots.

 

[cerneabbas]

I have only been into Next twice. Once, because I heard the store in Oxford St had a glass floor on the first floor in the early 90s (I'm not a perv, honest). Then in the mid-90s I bought a pair of chinos from the shop in Uxbridge for a summer wedding I was attending. The seat seam split when I tried them on back at home. Obviously wasn't impressed with the quality. I couldn't even be arsed to return them.

Next seemed to go downhill steadily from the first few times that I went there,I did buy some POW check trousers there this year,only because the colour and the check reminded me of the 70s,the material isn't all that brilliant,but they haven't started to disintegrate ( yet ),I only usually go in there if I am out shopping with the younger blokes that I work with ( they think its great !,mind you they enthuse about Vans !),Burtons is another shop that's mainly crap now ( although I got a wool pea coat there last year,amazingly ).

 

[Basset]

Make of this what you will:

http://www.leicestermercury.co.uk/L...re-Skinheads/story-12065834-detail/story.html

One Leicester guy's memories of his time as a skinhead.

I know Mark pretty well, he's still a skinhead and smart with it, puts on some good do's, and is a very good dj

 

[Basset]

I think that this is the same idea that has been talked about on here before,you said about a nod to the past regarding style ( sorry if I have misquoted you ).
Who wants to go on wearing exactly the same clobber forever ?,but using the the basic style and moving it on and updating it is surely the way ?.

Me for one, theres plenty of variety within the various styles talked about on here.
As for updating it and moving it on, to my mind you cant, the styles are set, and the updating/moving on has been done, hence the title of this thread, there's room in the mod style, the very word modernism suggests this, but i know plenty of mods who would disagree, i've seen countless arguments on mod forums re this subject.

Of course an individual can go where he likes with his style, i think it's a question of where you get on and off the bus