Mod to Suedehead

[Luddite]

Yeah, that's the one. Actually wearing it to work today (my last post was poorly worded - I have that, and a similar one, not two similar ones).

No idea where I got the idea that he was called Neil from. Weird.

I thought This Is England was great, so I have high hopes, though it ended with a certain finality that might lose a little.

I get what you're saying about patriotism.

 

[trueskin]

i just registered myself in this forum, because i felt that this topic needed to have this pic:

this is what i call a great suedehead look!


now my mission is complete

 

[Man-of-Mystery]

Originally Posted by Get Smart

I'll have to scan and post the pics from Nick Knight's book on "the look" throughout the years, from skinhead in '69 to suedehead to smoothie etc. his is not any definitive resource but pretty good overall. would fit in this thread and subforum nicely I think...and illustrate some of the ideas of "taking classic men's clothing and giving it edge and attitude"

I hope folk will forgive me for not reading every single posting on every single page of this thread, but I want to pick up on this quote above.

Having looked at some of the illustrations from the Nick Knight book, and having been in that particular scene in London in the late 1960s, I had to raise an eyebrow at some of the details and dates on the illustrations. They are beautifully-drawn, but there are some items in some of the pictures that simply weren't worn, either in that time of in that way, and the picture of the girl (seen earlier in this thread) whose clothes and attitude mimics that of the boys would have been the exception rather than the rule (I remember girls being very sharply-dressed in mohair or Trevira min-skirted suits. They adopted some fashions from blokes, but not that many).

I'm going to reproduce something here that I put in my introductory thread:

I am trying to collect photographs from 1967, 1968, 1969 of "hard mods" (call them "totters" or "skinheads" if you like, but in the case of the latter I mean the original skinheads from the late 1960s, not the largely racist imitators of following decades) for a web-site I am constructing. I am particularly, but not exclusively interested in photos from London, and in both male and female subjects, so "mohair girls" too please.

I was around at the time, and still as (now) a middle-aged bloke, feel comfortable in a Ben Sherman shirt, brogues, and a Harrington. (I know, I know - bloody pathetic! LOL).

I am purely interested in the style, not in arguments about racism, football violence, etc.

In the late 1960s I lived in SE London, bought records from a West Indian shop in Deptford High Street, and danced at the Savoy Rooms in Catford. I bought my brogues from the Squire Shop, which was up West, and I had the whole outfit - Sta-prest strides, Ben Sherman shirts, V-neck sweaters in Burgundy wool, the total Monty.

I feel that this fashion niche is poorly-covered on the internet, and I hope to do something about it. All the sites I have seen so far have misleading information that doesn't tally with my memory. I hope to do better.

I imagine this forum allows PMs, so please feel free to get in touch; but please remember - I'm after info, not aggro.

(As a footnote to the above - and because it has been brought up earlier in the thread also - I will just touch very briefly on the political issue. The fashion itself was not racist; in fact the music that went along with the fashion was predominantly black. I was a leftie, I had mates who were left, right, centre, and dunno mate. Of course as the fashion grew, taking in more and more kids, most of whom were working class, that would reflect working class attitudes of the time, and there was a lot of racism around at the time. So a generation grew up who took on the politics as well as the fashion, but by that time most of the original hard mods and skinheads had already grown up, got married, and so on.)

Be happy.

M-o-M

 

[Get Smart]

^^ seems a lot of what gear was worn was very regional, and Knight's section might reflect that tho I agree that I have never heard of/seen pics of a girl from 1969 wearing boots/braces like her male counterpart.

One of the items that's always up for debate is when the crombie coat was worn. I've talked with originals who say they wore them in 1969, and others say it was more of a suedehead item that wasnt worn until 1970-1...but it all seems to differ from town to town. And some say the crombie being a part of skinhead closet didnt really take prominence until the 70s/80s "new breed" revival.

 

[Man-of-Mystery]

Originally Posted by Get Smart

^^ seems a lot of what gear was worn was very regional, and Knight's section might reflect that tho I agree that I have never heard of/seen pics of a girl from 1969 wearing boots/braces like her male counterpart.

One of the items that's always up for debate is when the crombie coat was worn. I've talked with originals who say they wore them in 1969, and others say it was more of a suedehead item that wasnt worn until 1970-1...but it all seems to differ from town to town. And some say the crombie being a part of skinhead closet didnt really take prominence until the 70s/80s "new breed" revival.

Oh I can tell you for deffo that the Crombie was there in the late 1960s, and even a Crombie-style coat for girls too, though more waisted and miniskirt length. The Crombie was often worn with a silk or silk-effect, wine-coloured handkerchief in its top pocket.

M-o-M

 

[freelance robotics]

Not really anything to do with clothes, but I just saw Cock Sparrer in Chicago.

There were a lot of well-dressed lads out, though. Saw someone sporting a pair of Solovair Southerners, but I didn't get a chance to ask where he got 'em.

 

[Get Smart]

Originally Posted by freelance robotics

There were a lot of well-dressed lads out, though. Saw someone sporting a pair of Solovair Southerners, but I didn't get a chance to ask where he got 'em.

had to be from the British Boot Co. only place I know of that has Southerners these days (along with Highlanders, Englanders etc)...unless he's had them since the 80s when they were a bit more available. But that's cool.

 

[freelance robotics]

Originally Posted by Get Smart

had to be from the British Boot Co. only place I know of that has Southerners these days (along with Highlanders, Englanders etc)...unless he's had them since the 80s when they were a bit more available. But that's cool.

They were either well taken care of or fairly new, which means he probably paid out the ass for those.

Worth it though. The yellow stitching is too sharp.

 

[Get Smart]

Some pics of one of the "transitional cults", after skinhead and before the late 70s new breed revival. The (imho) awful "Bootboy" period from the early-mid 70s. Amazing how the look when from being so classic and smart...to this. Best left in the an(n)als of history.

 

[Man-of-Mystery]

I remember the Richard Allen books - how we laughed!

 

[brad-t]

lmao

 

[Black Cherry]

Jesus I hate the 70s.

 

[aizan]

where can i get a nice fair isle sweater, or should i just learn how to knit?

 

[Coal_Mining_Polak]

Originally Posted by Black Cherry

Jesus I hate the 70s.
+1 ....Skins with mullets and heinous flare jeans

 

[freelance robotics]

That Judge Dread cover always made me cringe a bit.

I think the socks are what really make it.