Mod to Suedehead

[Bob the Badger]

I think I've said all this before, but in '68 in S E London the term 'skinhead' was a term of abuse. It's what the greasers used to call us. If you called someone 'skinhead' you were asking for a frown at best and a knuckle sandwich at worst. 'Up North' the term 'mod' was still in use, but when I got to S E London I got weird looks from people when I used that word. I asked "What do you call yourselves, then?" and got the reply "Nothing really. 'Totters' maybe." (I first had this conversation in the Wimpy Bar in Bromley, N Kent). I also remember one bloke in a pub singing the words "I'm a lonely little Totter in a Greaser pub..." (to the tune of 'I'm a lonely little petunia in an onion patch') but I think he made it up on the spot.

Yes, the transition was hardly noticeable. It wasn't like we woke up one morning and said, "Let's all change our shirts for Ben Shermans, our monkey jackets for Harringtons, and our shoes for brogues from the Squire Shop, and start calling ourselves Skinheads." Items of clothing simply started coming into fashion and were worn with what we already had. I bought Bens because I liked button-down shirts; I bought a Harrington because it looked smart, and so on.

I think one of the things I enjoyed most about that era was going into the West Indian record shop in Deptford on Saturdays, where the black manager used to spin records for us and I'd maybe buy a couple.

In East London/Essex borders I remember first being called a skinhead, as we stood on a street corner (amazing I can remember exactly where it was), in summer '68 by a group of motor bike boys as they rode by. We took it as an insult and I never really liked the term then. We didn't call ourselves anything.I suppose it became a sort of shorthand for who we were.. I recognise all of the above except our shop for the West indian music was a small electrical shop between Petticoat lane and the way to Brick Lane. We used to stand outside listening to the latest imports on a Sunday morning. I never really liked the term suedeheads either.

 

[Bob the Badger]

I remember being persuaded to take the West Ham End..

About 60 of us young naive Skinheads got into their end early.. hardly any West Ham was there, as the End filled up a mob of older blokes came into the end wearing Chelsea scarfs chanting Chelsea...some of the lads with us did not suss and started to chant Chelsea back to them, next min out came the West Hame scarfs ..all hell broke loose, we ended running on the pitch to get away, Boys fighting Men,Happy days

I think I was even at that game. The wearing of the opposition scarves was a ruse done by some of the older boys. I seem to remember a fashion for carrying around scarves taken as war trophies from rival teams. I didn't do it myself and I never liked to see young kids lose their scarves to some bully who would run away from someone his own age. I had forgotten the stunt of chanting the rival teams name to find out who was who. Northern supporters were a lot easier to pick out from their dress but on a small scale it was only necessary to ask for a light, or the time to establish the facts.

 

[Lasttye]



The 80s Casual look is still the predominant look amongst lads / kids nearly 30 years after it started  . Trainers , Straight jeans  , Hooded designer  jackets , lacoste / Ralph Lauren Polo's ..  add the fact everyone seems to wear chunky Brogues and button down collar shirts and Harrington's again .. its like Back to the Future out there .

Mods morph to Skins . Skins to Suedeheads . Suedeheads to Soul Boys . Soul Boys to Casuals ( alongside the Skinhead revivalists who also jumped on the casual bandwagon later ) ..   its now a mix n match London Look. Stuarts in the Bush is a prime example of a shop that sells Skin and Casual classics http://www.stuartslondon.com/

All the 60s Skinhead cloths was classics even back then, Think the Harrington came out in the 30s, Brogues, Levis, BD Shirts, Fred Perry,Crombies, John Smedley etc.all classics.
I have been wearing these cloths all my life, except the mid 70s when I was still young, Most my mates now wear some Skinhead clobber...

Stuarts is a great shop friendly staff it gets packed on QPR match days, I work in the Bush and often pop in for a item.

 

[HughJ]



The 80s Casual look is still the predominant look amongst lads / kids nearly 30 years after it started  .

I think this is less due to their "thing" being co-opted, and more due to society's continuous lowering of standards of dress in general.

 

[Sirryacus]

0

 

[bunty]

1970

 

[Aces and Eights]

I think I've said all this before, but in '68 in S E London the term 'skinhead' was a term of abuse. It's what the greasers used to call us. If you called someone 'skinhead' you were asking for a frown at best and a knuckle sandwich at worst. 'Up North' the term 'mod' was still in use, but when I got to S E London I got weird looks from people when I used that word. I asked "What do you call yourselves, then?" and got the reply "Nothing really. 'Totters' maybe." (I first had this conversation in the Wimpy Bar in Bromley, N Kent). I also remember one bloke in a pub singing the words "I'm a lonely little Totter in a Greaser pub..." (to the tune of 'I'm a lonely little petunia in an onion patch') but I think he made it up on the spot.

I am only 10 miles from Bromley and 'Totters' were always 'rag and bone' men down our way. We were never referred to as 'Totters'. And your right we never classed ourselves as skinheads until the media got involved. Just a few miles away and different lingo/references

 

[yankmod]

Bunty,you are consistant in your contributions and I thank you. flyfronted,I agree 100%.In the hipper parts of the U.S. you see the same fashion/style trends.In the U.S.it comes from the Hipsters who for the last 30 years have worn some aspects of Mod/Skin 2 tone and casual (like me) It just took the U.S.that long to catch on. Bob the Badger,we welcome your contributions,they have been excellent .ivyskin89 watched the trailer for the J.Timberlake film and I agree with you.I think it's cause thats the hip style of the moment.I'm a little frightened what the next trend will be.Big Up

 

[Bob the Badger]

All the 60s Skinhead cloths was classics even back then, Think the Harrington came out in the 30s, Brogues, Levis, BD Shirts, Fred Perry,Crombies, John Smedley etc.all classics.
I have been wearing these cloths all my life, except the mid 70s when I was still young, Most my mates now wear some Skinhead clobber...

Stuarts is a great shop friendly staff it gets packed on QPR match days, I work in the Bush and often pop in for a item.

I still wear a Harrington jacket in Spring and Autumn. I have a few John Smedleys and a Made in England Fred Perry. I also have a few Ben Shermans made in UK deadstock from the 1980's when, at that time, I found a shop that couldn't give them away. I try to buy Made in UK stuff where possible. I bought a pair of Clarks Desert boots from Stuarts online when they had a sale a couple of years back. Good service and good product except now made in Vietnam and not UK. IMO the classic stuff never dates.

 

[Lasttye]



I still wear a Harrington jacket in Spring and Autumn. I have a few John Smedleys and a Made in England Fred Perry. I also have a few Ben Shermans made in UK deadstock from the 1980's when, at that time, I found a shop that couldn't give them away. I try to buy Made in UK stuff where possible. I bought a pair of Clarks Desert boots from Stuarts online when they had a sale a couple of years back. Good service and good product except now made in Vietnam and not UK. IMO the classic stuff never dates.

Their was a shop in Kingsway Aldwych in the 80s that sold old 60s Deadstock Ben Shermans for just a few quid, I got a few out of there, I would not go near a Ben Sherman these days just cheap crap.

 

[yankmod]

I'm curious about the origin of the Sewn In Turn Ups.Was this a hold over from the Mods or specific to the Skins.I learned about it from Madness back in the day. Bob the Badger.I've been wearing Clark's Desert Boots since I'm 2 (that would be 1968) My dad was a very fashionable guy and he bought them for me (even the ones with fake fur inside for winter) At the moment I have my first pair of Bushacre 2 with the synthetic sole.Always found the crepe sole wore down easy livin in the city walkin on pavement.I don't think they were designed for such conditions.

 

[Watermelon man]

Sambas I meant.

Yes. I hoped you meant that

'Green flash skinheads' indeed.

Recently saw a photo of kids taken in June 1980, wearing Sambas, Harringtons, FP V necks, BD shirts etc, but they look like proto-casuals.

 

[Watermelon man]

Their was a shop in Kingsway Aldwych in the 80s that sold old 60s Deadstock Ben Shermans for just a few quid, I got a few out of there, I would not go near a Ben Sherman these days just cheap crap.

Expensive crap, you mean. They don't do a single shirt that's right now.

 

[Lasttye]



I think I was even at that game. The wearing of the opposition scarves was a ruse done by some of the older boys. I seem to remember a fashion for carrying around scarves taken as war trophies from rival teams. I didn't do it myself and I never liked to see young kids lose their scarves to some bully who would run away from someone his own age.  I had forgotten the stunt of chanting the rival teams name to find out who was who. Northern supporters were a lot easier to pick out from their dress but on a small scale it was only necessary to ask for a light, or the time to establish the facts.

To carry on from the above story ..we got back to Upton Park Station...and was queuing up to get in the station and this lunatic West Ham supporter was walking along the line with a cut throat razor asking who was Chelsea, its funny I can still see him now over Forty years later, He was wearing a bashed up straw hat ..which i thought a bit strange at the time,

Just to add the cut throat razor was carried and used a lot back then, easy to conceal between the material in your jean fly. Old Bill would never search you there.
Its funny as i got older i noticed so many blokes my age with razor scars.

 

[Lasttye]

Lasttye and Buttons last year at Ska by the Sea Southend, This years Doo is this Saturday.