Mod to Suedehead

[Man-of-Mystery]

I hate to add a prosaic note to the direction the thread is taking, but by 'Regency dandyism' I was referring specifically to a style of suit etc, not to Brummell's sartorial philosophy.

What I had in kind was something like the examples below... the first is playwright John Osborne...

... the next are both Allan Clarke of The Hollies:

(on the left here)

 

[KD-fens]

This came up on my blogroll earlier today.

 

[Man-of-Mystery]

Originally Posted by KD-fens

This came up on my blogroll earlier today.

WHAAAAAAATTTTT?????????

 

[bunty]

Sorry Mom, you should be pleased really!

 

[Man-of-Mystery]

Originally Posted by bunty

Sorry Mom, you should be pleased really!

Well... I suppose I've been ripping off photos left, right, and centre, so I shouldn't be surprised if it gets done to me too...

 

[Alex Roest]

The younger generation, from the same video...

 

[Alex Roest]

And the comments from a guy named Dolan used to post on FNB:

Calling all those pictured above skinheads ignores the nuances of the time.
If the defining part of a skinhead's appearance is his hairstyle, then the older group aren't skinheads. There are a number of reasons why the older group would not have their hair cropped (which would usually be with a number 3 gauge on the clippers = half an inch long all over):
1. they didn't want their hair that short.
2. it would have made them less attractive to women.
3. it was the hairstyle favoured by 14 and 15 year olds and someone who was 19 or 20 wouldn't want to look like a "kid". In the 60s the generation gap was not only between generations, but also within the adolescent age range.

This intra-generation age gap is why the two groups have some items of clothes in common, but do not have identical looks.

Like the G9 (called a Harrington in the UK, whether or not it was made by Baracuta) and button down collar shirts, much of the clothing fashionable in the
late 60s clothing had been part of the Mod-look in the first half of the 60s.

The style of double breasted jacket was fashionable in the late 60s, see photos of The Beatles, and is an example of the older group not being as rigidly tied to a look as the younger one.

The younger group are more casually dressed due to money. They would have aspired to own a "Crombie" (another generic name, most of the overcoats worn were not made of that cloth), but the expense meant it would be some way down their shopping list. They would be most concerned with getting the two essentials for the skinhead look - slingback braces (there was a piece of white or transparent plastic which could be slid along the two straps at the back - no other style of braces was "right") and Doc Martens' boots (as I recall these were always dark brown, then polish, dye or paint would be used to change the colour). Doc Martens (DM's) were the boot of choice because they were the most stylish looking and could be polished to a high sheen. The DM's of those days were made of thicker leather and the rubber soles were denser that the DM's available now.

Once those two had been obtained, the next most disirable items were Ben Sherman shirts and narrow-leg Levi's (possibly bleached in patches).

"Rich" skinheads would wear white fleece sheepskin coats.

The most fashionable shoes were brogues - in the area where I lived, near Church Street market, off Edgware Road - they were identified by type, rather
than brand name. There were two types, called American and English - the American had broguing round to the back of the shoe. These were always heavyweight shoes and would usually have metal quarter tips in the heels, or Blakeys (metal crescents) would be hammered in as the cheaper option.

The scarf is more likely being worn as the colours of a football club (probably Arsenal) rather than a school. A bold gesture in the days of football hooliganism, when wearing the "wrong" colours would spark a fight.

 

[Get Smart]

Originally Posted by Man-of-Mystery

Well... I suppose I've been ripping off photos left, right, and centre, so I shouldn't be surprised if it gets done to me too...

flattering. as long as you dont become the poster boy to Gay-Nazi skinhead club nite

 

[Alex Roest]

And some more:

The reasons for the skinhead look developing as it did is probably the most difficult to pin down of the four best-known British youth styles.

Teddy Boys adopted a look that was originally marketed to middle- and upper-class males and mixed in some other things that took their fancy.
Mods took French, Italian and American elements, and again added some of their own.
Punk style began as a combination of necessity and the common desire among teenagers to look different - unemployment and lack of money led some young people to buy clothes in charity shops; the clothes were often from the 60s and therefore narrower than the baggy and flared 70s styles, which made them stand out. Then the Kings Road designers had their input to define what's known as the punk look.

The problem with the skinhead look is knowing what parts of the style came about as a reaction, what was an adoption, and what was a desire to have their own "thing". And what may have been a combination of any of the forementioned.

For example the boots. Were they a reaction to the foppish styles or an adoption of the look of American astronauts, whose military jumpsuits left their boots exposed?

The astronauts also had cropped hair, so did the skinheads copy that, or was it a reaction to longer hairstyles, or was it simply a desire to stand out from the crowd? To make it more complicated, the cropped hair long sideboards style came into fashion around 1966, so began as a mod look.

The change from mod to skinhead was a transition, and the two main drivers were probably age, as mentioned in my first post, and wanting to have something that was theirs alone - following the mods and rockers confrontations of '64 and the media obsession with the young in the '60s, there was too much publicity about mod styles to appeal to those who liked things to be exclusive and which could only be fully appreciated by people who were ITK (in the know). Which is like the Ivy enthusiasts on this board.

In this country, the idea of a "pure" Ivy League look would have only meant something to a few of the customers of the Ivy shop. If Ivy League was mentioned to a youth in the 60s he would have thought you were referring to the British pop group.

The youth cult styles were always a pick and mix affair.

 

[Man-of-Mystery]

Originally Posted by Get Smart

flattering. as long as you dont become the poster boy to Gay-Nazi skinhead club nite

At my age I should worry?

 

[Lasttye]

We are getting side track somewhat, I hated that 60s Austin Power look that made the 60s look so 60s lol.
That was the middle class look That was rejected by the working classes... hence the hard Mod that people refer to.
The Skinhead look was working class from the beginning, Boots, Braces, Donkey jackets. As I have said the wearing of suits, Dressing up on a Saturday night was also a working class thing.. where one could take of those overalls and look smart for one night in ones best cloths.

 

[Man-of-Mystery]

Originally Posted by Alex Roest

All I'm seeing is frogs.

 

[Man-of-Mystery]

Originally Posted by Lasttye

We are getting side track somewhat, I hated that 60s Austin Power look that made the 60s look so 60s lol.

Me too - I wouldn't have put up those pics of Allan Clarke if I hadn't needed to explain to someone what I was talking about.

 

[Lasttye]

And the comments from a guy named Dolan used to post on FNB:



The most fashionable shoes were brogues - in the area where I lived, near Church Street market, off Edgware Road - they were identified by type, rather
than brand name. There were two types, called American and English - the American had broguing round to the back of the shoe. These were always heavyweight shoes and would usually have metal quarter tips in the heels, or Blakeys (metal crescents) would be hammered in as the cheaper option.



I remember that shoe shop in Church St market, it sold Loake shoes that was the poor mans Royals Brogues, Also the market would sell cheap Skinhead clobber like imitation sheepskins, off the peg crombies etc.
As was said some never had the money for the genuine kit, and some did not want to spend the money on the kit. One thing for certain one could tell market clobber a mile off, and people would get the piss taken out of them for it Lol

 

[Lasttye]

Originally Posted by Man-of-Mystery

Me too - I wouldn't have put up those pics of Allan Clarke if I hadn't needed to explain to someone what I was talking about.

I guessed that MoM, Lol