Mod to Suedehead

[Aces and Eights]

Fully agree - love talking about the detail (although I'm a whipper snapper in comparison - wasn't there (or born) in the early days but have been a skinhead 30 years).
You're right about the fit of the Ben Sheman - full box pleat and 2 darts to give a tapered fit. They only did 2 sleeve types at the time (another one was used slightly later but didn't last). The striped short sleeves had a plain hem with a half inch fold and button sewn through. The plain oxfords (and later polycottons, ginghams, checks etc) had a 'cuff' - as you remembered with a line of stitching and a small flap about an inch from the end, then again with a half inch fold and button sewn through. Brutus did he vee feature you described but with a button either side. The vee with button at the top was used by various other cheaper manufacturers but never by Ben Sherman (I've probably had 60-70 over the years and have seen many more on others. An original Benny with a vee has been modified afterwards).
I'm not at home so scratching round for pictures but the blue and yellow one below is the vee with one button - is that the sort of thing you meant?

Ben Sherman striped sleeve was like this (not alwasy hooped stripes - they did them vertical and horizontal):

The plains and checks had a cuff like this

Hope that helps.
The older lads that were putting the discos on - were they skinheads, or just into the same music?

Well now you have got me thinking. Were my original shirts just a button with ½ inch hem that were halfway up the bicep and tight. Therefore the Ben Shermans that I had bought later say 20 years ago would have been looser, longer sleeve and with the V cut ?

The disco lads were not skinheads but older lads that had seen an opening to earn some money. They did very well out of it

 

[circustavern777]

evening all , what a great bit of back in the day info from shep , i have come back as circus tavern , instead of ibaboxing, as some how i got lost guys, found some great old black and white photos which im gonna get posted asap, i remember getting my tonic trousers from davis down walthamstow market, the first color i really remember was green and blue, remember you guys when the waistband shone that totally different shade to the rest , also gold and brown and a light blue and orange . i can remember the jaytex button down but did not wear one cos i thought the collar was to long and there checks seemed to me to bright. i had ben sherman and like you have all said the first ones i remember were plain or striped, i must say i did prefer brutus the tartan and window pane checks , like shep said my first dms were brown and steel caps and my hair was around a number 3 at the start then a 2 i never had a razor parting, i can remember giving about 3 pound 10 shillings for my zip fly levis that i sat in the bath to shrink down a size i can see all that blu dye running down the plughole while my old portable record player was straining out full volume return of django from my bedroom . DEFO THE GOOD OLD DAYS

 

[circustavern777]

evening all , what a great bit of back in the day info from shep , i have come back as circus tavern , instead of ibaboxing, as some how i got lost guys, found some great old black and white photos which im gonna get posted asap, i remember getting my tonic trousers from davis down walthamstow market, the first color i really remember was green and blue, remember you guys when the waistband shone that totally different shade to the rest , also gold and brown and a light blue and orange . i can remember the jaytex button down but did not wear one cos i thought the collar was to long and there checks seemed to me to bright. i had ben sherman and like you have all said the first ones i remember were plain or striped, i must say i did prefer brutus the tartan and window pane checks , like shep said my first dms were brown and steel caps and my hair was around a number 3 at the start then a 2 i never had a razor parting, i can remember giving about 3 pound 10 shillings for my zip fly levis that i sat in the bath to shrink down a size i can see all that blu dye running down the plughole while my old portable record player was straining out full volume return of django from my bedroom . DEFO THE GOOD OLD DAYS

aaaaaa

 

[circustavern777]

aaaaaa im getting the hang of this now

 

[circustavern777]

aaaaaa

ithink i was answering Aand E not shep taking to many punches lol

 

[browniecj]

Welcome A&E,good to have someone else who remembers those days.As you can see we are very particular in the Styles and Cuts.Expect some cross questioning.It has frighten one or two off!

 

[Aces and Eights]

Welcome A&E,good to have someone else who remembers those days.As you can see we are very particular in the Styles and Cuts.Expect some cross questioning.It has frighten one or two off!

I am fine with the cross questioning as I am already experiencing this from day one regarding short sleeve shirts. What I would have sworn was right wasn't - so its good to put our old memories right.

I would like to thank everyone for their warm welcome - I was not expecting that - very encouraging

Sorry for the duplicate postings in response to Buttons. i kept getting a window uip saying I was a new member and something about my posts not being put on - so I kept trying and obviously they were held back and put on later. Bear with me on the learning curve.

Also what is the best way of logging on. I have the web page saved in favourites, I then click on log in - sometime traditional skinheads is in list and if not I click on live discussions and its there - is there any easier route?

thanks

 

[buttons]



 
Well now you have got me thinking.  Were my original shirts just a button with ½ inch hem that were halfway up the bicep and tight.  Therefore the Ben Shermans that I had bought later say 20 years ago would have been looser, longer sleeve and with the V cut ?

The disco lads were not skinheads but older lads that had seen an opening to earn some money.  They did very well out of it


 

The half inch fold was a trade mark of the Ben Sherman short sleeves at the time, so anything else was modified. They did dabble briefly with this but it never really caught on.

They've done all kinds of stuff since and were doing a vee with button about 10-20 years ago. May still do now but I don't take a lot of notice.

 

[buttons]



evening all , what a great bit of back in the day info from shep ,  i have come back as circus tavern , instead of ibaboxing, as some how i got lost guys,  found some great old black and white photos which im gonna get posted asap,  i remember getting my tonic trousers from davis down walthamstow market, the first color i really remember was green and blue, remember you guys when the waistband shone that totally different shade to the rest ,  also gold and brown  and a light blue and orange . i can remember the jaytex button down but did not wear one cos i thought the collar was to long and there checks seemed to me to bright.  i had ben sherman and like you have all said the first ones i remember were plain or striped, i must say i did prefer brutus the tartan and window pane checks ,  like shep said my first dms were brown and steel caps and my hair was around a number 3  at the start then a 2 i never had a razor parting, i can remember giving about 3 pound 10 shillings for my zip fly levis that i sat in the bath to shrink down a size i can see all that blu dye running down the plughole while my old portable record player was straining out full volume return of django from my bedroom . DEFO THE GOOD OLD DAYS

Welcome back Circus, looking forward to the old pics.
I've heard a few people mention steel toed Dr Martens from the original times but never seen a pair or even a picture of them. I've got a few pairs of Dr Martens, Hawkins Astronauts, Solovairs, from the late 60s / early 70 and although I have a steel toed pair, I assumed they were from a little later on. Were they really available that early? I'll take a pic of mine when I get the chance to see if they ring any bells. I know there were plenty of steel toed work boots available at the time, some of them nice looking boots, but I always thought Martens were the exception - made more for looks than ruggedness (and also sometimes got you into football without the 'offensive weapon' excuse for kicking you out).

 

[circustavern777]

Welcome back Circus, looking forward to the old pics.
I've heard a few people mention steel toed Dr Martens from the original times but never seen a pair or even a picture of them. I've got a few pairs of Dr Martens, Hawkins Astronauts, Solovairs, from the late 60s / early 70 and although I have a steel toed pair, I assumed they were from a little later on. Were they really available that early? I'll take a pic of mine when I get the chance to see if they ring any bells. I know there were plenty of steel toed work boots available at the time, some of them nice looking boots, but I always thought Martens were the exception - made more for looks than ruggedness (and also sometimes got you into football without the 'offensive weapon' excuse for kicking you out).

okay buttons, im sure i was about 14 which would have been 1969 my first dms im sure i got from blackmans or army and navy in manor park i fancy it was blackmans i couldnt work out why my toecaps looked so round till an older skin said they were steels i didnt want steels but i wore em till i could get the stitched sole cherry reds. mine were dark brown 8 eyelet with the off white strip at the top of the boot

 

[Lasttye]



Welcome back Circus, looking forward to the old pics.
I've heard a few people mention steel toed Dr Martens from the original times but never seen a pair or even a picture of them. I've got a few pairs of Dr Martens, Hawkins Astronauts, Solovairs, from the late 60s / early 70 and although I have a steel toed pair, I assumed they were from a little later on. Were they really available that early? I'll take a pic of mine when I get the chance to see if they ring any bells. I know there were plenty of steel toed work boots available at the time, some of them nice looking boots, but I always thought Martens were the exception - made more for looks than ruggedness (and also sometimes got you into football without the 'offensive weapon' excuse for kicking you out).

I never saw or heard of Steel cap DMs..in the 60s I always thought we started to wear DMs to get away from the aggressive look of heavy Army and Workman steel toe caps boots.
The thing with steel toe caps was to scuff em to show the steel under the cap, With DMs what would be the point of steel toe caps anyway when we was getting away from heavy boots.

I mean the original DMs was so comfortable, and the Airwear soles was like space age,

 

[Lasttye]



okay buttons, im sure i was about 14 which would have been 1969 my first dms im sure i got from blackmans or army and navy in manor park i fancy it was blackmans i couldnt work out why my toecaps looked so round till an older skin said they were steels i didnt want steels but i wore em till i could get  the stitched sole cherry reds. mine were dark brown 8 eyelet with the off white strip at the top of the boot

Maybe they was Cherry Red Commando boots Alan and not DMs. By the sound of you saying the round shape of the boot indicates they may not be DMs ?

 

[circustavern777]

 

[circustavern777]

 

[circustavern777]

Maybe they was Cherry Red Commando boots Alan and not DMs. By the sound of you saying the round shape of the boot indicates they may not be DMs ?

gonna check that out do a bit of internet detective work on dr martins, i know i was well pleased to get the ox bloods instead. i have emailed some old pics 1970 for sure