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Mod to Suedehead

Bela Kun

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Merc: gone

Lambretta: might have been good before my time. Or maybe Lambretta is just not to my taste.

Sherry's: overpriced items such as their own sta prest, which are of very flimsy/dubious quality. Plus hilariously overpriced items such as your favourite footwear, Grafters monkey boots, at £69.99 (you can get them for £35 from Blackmans off Brick Lane).

Ben Sherman, Dr Marten's & Levi's flagship stores - none of which are of interest given these brands' recent output.

Oi Polloi (off Carbnaby St) - very small selection of the jeans they have online; apparently their Manchester shop is better. Son of a Stag off Brick Lane is a more serious shop for 'denim nerds'.

That's it. The only shop of interest near Carnaby St is the LVC store (which is seperate from the Levi's flagship store).
 

Clouseau

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Merc: gone

Lambretta: might have been good before my time. Or maybe Lambretta is just not to my taste.

Sherry's: overpriced items such as their own sta prest, which are of very flimsy/dubious quality. Plus hilariously overpriced items such as your favourite footwear, Grafters monkey boots, at £69.99 (you can get them for £35 from Blackmans off Brick Lane).

Ben Sherman, Dr Marten's & Levi's flagship stores - none of which are of interest given these brands' recent output.

Oi Polloi (off Carbnaby St) - very small selection of the jeans they have online; apparently their Manchester shop is better. Son of a Stag off Brick Lane is a more serious shop for 'denim nerds'.

That's it. The only shop of interest near Carnaby St is the LVC store (which is seperate from the Levi's flagship store).

You forgot the Bass Weejun store, (more or less) in front of Oi Polloi IIRC

There is also a Baracuta and a FP shop not far in a street parallel to Carnaby street (newburgh street i think, don't know if the shops are still there, they were two years ago).
 

Bela Kun

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You forgot the Bass Weejun store, (more or less) in front of Oi Polloi IIRC

There is also a Baracuta and a FP shop not far in a street parallel to Carnaby street (newburgh street i think, don't know if the shops are still there, they were two years ago).

Yes, you're right - I actually got a really nice pair of GH Bass smooths in that shop last year (I'm not a loafer type). Let's just say there isn't anything in Carnaby St - just chain stores, but no boutiques with any kind of interesting concept.
 

covskin

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Speaking of drabness... Do you know the Jam song 'Carnaby Street' (1977) where Weller bemoans how it "ain't what it used to be" and has become a "mockery"? From today's point of view it's hard to fathom what he meant as Carnaby Street still seemed in rude health at the time:
View attachment 1053972
1978

Now it's just a bland high street with fashion chain stores.

Imagine it though, any 'name' shops would be well past their prime, trading on past glories, selling 70s gear, wondering how it all went wrong, bitter, angry people...
 

Thin White Duke

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Imagine it though, any 'name' shops would be well past their prime, trading on past glories, selling 70s gear, wondering how it all went wrong, bitter, angry people...
Well the wheels of fashion turn and they have to move with the times or get left behind. The fella running John Simon seems to have carved out a niche for himself that’s lasted through the decades.
 

Clouseau

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Well the wheels of fashion turn and they have to move with the times or get left behind. The fella running John Simon seems to have carved out a niche for himself that’s lasted through the decades.

You mean the fella called John Simons ? :-D
He did indeed, but at the same time i think that he could have earned much more money, he preferred to stay a modest shopkeeper (to his credit) while he could have probably aimed higher.
i remember that the first time i went to his Covent garden shop (i didn't even know who he was, i just passed by the shop and there were nice stuff in the window display) it just looked like any small shop. Apparently he was big late 60s at the time of the Ivy shop etc, and i think he even had two or three shops at the same time then.
The guy is famous now, he even sales stuff online to the Americans now, which is the icing on the cake when you think he is the one who imported Ivy style to England. He is regularly mentioned on this blog for example, and on other Ivy resources too !
https://oxfordclothbuttondown.com
 

DonkeyJacket1

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Merc: gone

Lambretta: might have been good before my time. Or maybe Lambretta is just not to my taste.

Sherry's: overpriced items such as their own sta prest, which are of very flimsy/dubious quality. Plus hilariously overpriced items such as your favourite footwear, Grafters monkey boots, at £69.99 (you can get them for £35 from Blackmans off Brick Lane).

Ben Sherman, Dr Marten's & Levi's flagship stores - none of which are of interest given these brands' recent output.

Oi Polloi (off Carbnaby St) - very small selection of the jeans they have online; apparently their Manchester shop is better. Son of a Stag off Brick Lane is a more serious shop for 'denim nerds'.

That's it. The only shop of interest near Carnaby St is the LVC store (which is seperate from the Levi's flagship store).

I rarely get stuff from the big retail chains anymore, not a fan of the corporate environments in there stores and it just feels a bit tacky, much like the products.

Nothing better to me then looking in a charity shop and finding a great deal or looking in some smelly old surplus shop or vintage shop.
 

SoCalBoy

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Off topic, but am I the only one that misses the old Fred Perry ‘outline’ laurel? The one that used to be on the jumpers before they changed them to the one used on the tennis shirts? It’s truly a thing of beauty.
 

DiplomaticTies

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It's been fun to watch the big interest for the Friday Challenge - Album Cover. But there is still time for more submissions, the deadline is on Sunday. Time to step-up!
 

flyfronted

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Merc: gone

Lambretta: might have been good before my time. Or maybe Lambretta is just not to my taste.

Sherry's: overpriced items such as their own sta prest, which are of very flimsy/dubious quality. Plus hilariously overpriced items such as your favourite footwear, Grafters monkey boots, at £69.99 (you can get them for £35 from Blackmans off Brick Lane).

Ben Sherman, Dr Marten's & Levi's flagship stores - none of which are of interest given these brands' recent output.

Oi Polloi (off Carbnaby St) - very small selection of the jeans they have online; apparently their Manchester shop is better. Son of a Stag off Brick Lane is a more serious shop for 'denim nerds'.

That's it. The only shop of interest near Carnaby St is the LVC store (which is seperate from the Levi's flagship store).

You've missed Mark Powell tailoring you makes suits for Weller / Martin Freeman / the Lee store that does a 'vintage ' range / Cinch ( levis vintage newburgh st ) Red wings store ( big fave of mine ) The End are also opening up a store in soho this week im told
 

Thin White Duke

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Off topic, but am I the only one that misses the old Fred Perry ‘outline’ laurel? The one that used to be on the jumpers before they changed them to the one used on the tennis shirts? It’s truly a thing of beauty.
Yes you are probably!

I think the embroidered laurel looks better than the stitched on ‘badge’ one, if that’s what you’re on about. The stitched on one seemed to appear in the late seventies or early eighties IIRC, and the embroidered one seemed to be a bit more of a classic / retro / vintage look.

Back then FP we’re making a lot of arcrylic jumpers in that skinny fit ribbed version but we always went for the smooth knit ones as they seemed more classic. Don’t put them in the drier - no amount of ironing will ever get those wrinkles out!
 

pressuredrop

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This the one?

trach-jacket-80s-H71V-6.jpg
 

Thin White Duke

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Yeah that’s what I was on about. I prefer the embroidered one like we see on the polo shirts than that stitched on badge.

Maybe in the days of brand recognition they felt like the traditional emblem was too subtle and needed to be more obvious. Same way they put it within stripes down trackie sleeves and legs. I saw the same thing with Umbro, admiral, kappa etc.
 

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