Mod to Suedehead

[roytonboy]

Fascinating read Ed. I was particularly interested in the comment that they went straight to No. 1 cuts as in our area this was a gradual process - people we would now recognise as 'skinheads' were around in 1968 but hair was No. 4 or No.3 at that time, not getting as short as No. 1 until early 1970. I don't recall the wearing of white socks as a feature at all and red socks were very 1971 by us. Scooters certainly a skinhead mode of transport in the north until they put the licence age up to 17. The photo also challenges one of my pet dislikes - white braces. Whenever I see photos of current skinheads in white braces I instantly dismiss them, as my claim is that 'nobody' wore white braces 1969-1971, yet there they are in the photos!

Of course I know that the assertion that 'nobody' wore them is untrue, what I mean is hardly anybody wore them. In fact so rare was this that I can remember the only two times I witnessed it. Both were in 1971 and in both cases they were worn with black button down Ben Shermans. (a bit 'Guys and Dolls' in my opinion.....) One was in Oldham town centre, during the summer and the other was in September and was being worn by one of the 'reception committee' waiting for us as we crossed the Trent Bridge on the way to watch City play at Nottingham Forest.

Ooo .... I can feel another story coming on.....

Just a couple of further comments on the above submissions by Ed.

1. Despite the claim that they all went and had No. 1 cuts straight away, not a single one of them has hair anything like that short in either photo (in fact, pretty standard style and length for 1968.)

2. Other than the braces in photo in article 2, not really much of a 'skinhead' style in either lad.... late mod, yes...

Just shows how the memory can play tricks on you......


Nottingham Forest (a) 1971



This was the first away match that I went to on a ‘football special’, from Piccadilly. Terry Cocking, David Porter, Mick Finnerty and the euphemistically named 'Slim' made the trip. Travelling on a football special always got the event off to an early start as the atmosphere started to build as soon as you got to the railway station and joined the queue with hundreds of other, mostly young, like minded fans. In our case it always held a special 'spice' as virtually every train coming into Manchester would have United fans on it, travelling from all over - these were subject to a load of verbal stick, and if they were skinhead types they would get run off or a boot up the backside. On the train there would be singing as the anticipation levels rose. As per the normal procedure we poured off the train at Nottingham station, chanting and clapping, with about 600 others, then given a police escort to the stadium. I noticed as we passed shops on the way to the ground that groups of lads came out and joined us. None of them were wearing any colours and I didn't recognise any of their faces.As we crossed the Trent Bridge (where Royton folklore had it that Mick Finn’s brother, Ste, had been thrown in the river the previous season) a gang of Forest fans could be seen awaiting us at the far end. We must have been pretty near the front because as we approached it kicked off all across the bridge behind us as the Forest infiltrators from the shops laid into the nearest City fans. Slim, being older than us (a bit) and bigger (a lot!) bravely led the way shouting “Come on, get em!” and pushed me, as a shield, towards the gang at the edge of the bridge! Fortunately they were being held back by mounted police and after some posturing (a la Slade’s Dave Hill) we and they moved on. One of the Forest fans who had come out of a shop just behind us was trying to get some City fans to go down some side street as we were milling around near to the ground. I can still picture him now - suedehead length hair, aged about 20 with a green suit jacket and Wrangler jeans (quite a common look at the time), but as he was built like a rugby prop forward, nobody was having any of it. There was more trouble inside the ground and outside afterwards. When we got back to the station Terry realised that he had lost his ticket so I went in first and passed him my ticket back through a barrier, he could then get past the police check and onto the train. On the train itself he hid under the table but when the Ticket Inspector came, accompanied by police, they of course looked there. In our carriage there was somebody under every table! Terry was frogmarched away and spent the rest of the journey in a cage in the mail carriage.

Now this was an interesting experience from a style point of view. In October 1968 I had been to watch City play Nottingham Forest at home. On that occasion most of the Forest fans (I shall refrain for using the words 'All', 'Nobody', 'Never' and 'Always' in future, as somebody will prove me wrong on 'every' occasion!) were wearing black leather motorcycle jackets and tight jeans. Even the girls with them were in rocker or 'greaser' attire. In contrast many City fans were already dressed in a style that we would regard as 'skinhead', although none of us had heard that term then. I would estimate that about 120 of them had gathered inside the stadium at the back of the Kippax Street terrace. This was, of course, where our hard core support congregated and it wasn't long before enough City fans had arrived to run them off. There followed a series of charges and counter charges up and down one of the tunnels under the Kippax. As 13 year olds this was brilliant for us as we stood and watched our very own 'Mods and Rockers' battle being fought out, right before our eyes. Eventually the Forest fans were corralled into a small section of the open terrace at the corner of the pitch behind a police cordon. Contrast this to our visit to Nottingham less than three years later where the place had been transformed from a predominantly rocker or greaser city to one full of lads dressed very similarly to ourselves. The summer of 1971 was the overlap between the skinhead style and the suedehead look in the north and midlands and many of them, like ourselves, were wearing either or a fusion of the two. The lad wearing black Ben Sherman and white braces, for instance, had a number 3 skinhead cut. It was an indication of just what an impact the skinhead look had been on youth culture.

cerneabbas - sorry I couldn't provide you with 'happy ending' you were hoping for. In truth I was quite impressed by the organisation showed by the Forest lads - it was obviously a pre-planned strategy that they employed with tactics they had developed and used over a period of time. Their gathering at the end of the bridge was positioned to stop us getting to their Trent End, which they achieved.. Due to our numbers, they weren't able to break us up, but I can imagine they had a lot of success against the clubs with a smaller following.

 

[roytonboy]

They look vaguely familiar so perhaps I saw them back then but I don't remember them being in fashion round my way and wasn't familiar with the name until recent Internet searches mentioned above.

elwood - I've still got a pair in very good condition up in the loft - not been worn since the late 1970's, purchased in the Arndale Centre from a shop called 'Ravel'. I've got a feeling we referred to them as 'Ravels'.

They started to be seen in 1973, so not really skinhead or even suedehead - by this stage youth culture was splintering somewhat. They may not have had the style of Royals, traditional brogues or even Oxfords but to a former skinhead like me they were preferable to the glam rock alternatives that were then appearing in the shops.

 

[buttons]

...

So that's what Solatios looked like. I think they're mentioned in Robert Elms' "The Way We Wore" and I came across references to them when looking up Royals on the internet some time ago. Quite a lot about them on a Liverpool-oriented forum that was linked on a post here a little while ago.

I know its been mentioned but Solatio was a make of shoe who'd been making shoes long before then, in many styles.
However, about the time of the style in question, some people would refer to them as "Solatios" or "Slattios" (in the same way a vacuum cleaner was often called a Hoover).
Mind you, many called the basket weave loafers 'Solatios' as well (probably as they'd only ever known Solatio make them).
Brideshead mentioned earlier having a pair, late 60s. I must have at least 6 or 7 different styles by them.
The nick-name was very dependent on where you were, how old etc.

 

[Mr Knightley]

Quote: Yes, Solatios was a make of shoe and I became aware of them in about 1967. They were sold round my way at Mintz and Davies shops in Romford, etc. They had a smooth Italian look to them and the two pairs I had were lace-up Derby style with an apron front not unlike that of a loafer of the day. They were not shaped at all like the ones we have been discussing but were slim and refined for their day.

I also recall one issue was how to pronounce 'Solatio'. Was it Sol-art-tio? Sol-atio? Sol-ayshio? I think we pronounced it more like the latter...

 

[Mr Knightley]

elwood - I've still got a pair in very good condition up in the loft - not been worn since the late 1970's, purchased in the Arndale Centre from a shop called 'Ravel'. I've got a feeling we referred to them as 'Ravels'.

They started to be seen in 1973, so not really skinhead or even suedehead - by this stage youth culture was splintering somewhat. They may not have had the style of Royals, traditional brogues or even Oxfords but to a former skinhead like me they were preferable to the glam rock alternatives that were then appearing in the shops.

I became aware of the Ravel offering in early 1968 in their Carnaby Street shop. It was a time of experimenting with different styles and some of my 1968 purchases (like these Ravel round toed shoes) I came to regard later as a big mistake. They got little wear, being soon cast aside on the arrival of Royals.

 

[flyfronted]

So that's what Solatios looked like. I think they're mentioned in Robert Elms' "The Way We Wore" and I came across references to them when looking up Royals on the internet some time ago. Quite a lot about them on a Liverpool-oriented forum that was linked on a post here a little while ago.

When did they reappear with this new manufacturer? Interesting that someone seems to have identified possible demand from forums like this.

They look vaguely familiar so perhaps I saw them back then but I don't remember them being in fashion round my way and wasn't familiar with the name until recent Internet searches mentioned above.

The most desirable/fashionable shoes in my area from memory, and dates very rough 40 years on, were:

1970/71 Royals (longwing brogues): black or oxblood

1971/72 Loafers - well that's what they were known as, though they were more of a lace-up moccasin, black with a soft sole, mostly from Bata. Very commonly worn with Ruperts and patchwork jumpers. I never liked these shoes.

1972/73 stack soles/ heels

1973/74 Derber (?) with white crepe soles

my memory is
Royals - smooths or brogues 68 - 70
Loafers 71
interlace 71
Toppers 72

 

[Mr Knightley]

Gill and Del Evans, Birmingham Mods at Torquay in 1966 (from their Mod Togs page on Facebook). Del is wearing what Gill describes as Italian shoes that may well be early Solatios - Del can't recall the make unfortunately.

Apart from the shoes the other thing I love about this photo is that it reminds us of the reluctance to dress-down even on holiday.

 

[Mr Knightley]

my memory is
Royals - smooths or brogues 68 - 70
Loafers 71
interlace 71
Toppers 72

Almost the same for me except I got my first pair of Toppers for autumn / winter 1971/72.

 

[cerneabbas]

So that's what Solatios looked like. I think they're mentioned in Robert Elms' "The Way We Wore" and I came across references to them when looking up Royals on the internet some time ago. Quite a lot about them on a Liverpool-oriented forum that was linked on a post here a little while ago.

When did they reappear with this new manufacturer? Interesting that someone seems to have identified possible demand from forums like this.

They look vaguely familiar so perhaps I saw them back then but I don't remember them being in fashion round my way and wasn't familiar with the name until recent Internet searches mentioned above.

The most desirable/fashionable shoes in my area from memory, and dates very rough 40 years on, were:

1970/71 Royals (longwing brogues): black or oxblood

1971/72 Loafers - well that's what they were known as, though they were more of a lace-up moccasin, black with a soft sole, mostly from Bata. Very commonly worn with Ruperts and patchwork jumpers. I never liked these shoes.

1972/73 stack soles/ heels

1973/74 Derber (?) with white crepe soles

elwood.The loafers that you mention for 71/72 sound like the "bovver moccs" that Pressure_Drop and i have mentioned,i also had a brown pair but i never saw anyone else with brown.

 

[MikeDT]



1972/73 stack soles/ heels

1973/74 Derber (?) with white crepe soles

Wasn't this 75 or 76, I like remember the things myself. Had a pair, caused an ingrowing toenail. very painful in summer of 1976. Had to get my left toe amputated because of the injuries the things caused.

 

[cerneabbas]

roytonboy.Another great post from you,it was interesting to read about how the Forest fans had organised themselves,as you say they probably had more success against lesser numbers.I was also interested in what you said about Forests greasers,at Rovers we had greasers too ( and skinheads of course ) they seemed to come together for a "common cause" whilst i only remember Bristol City having skinheads.There were always stories about people being chucked in the Trent by Forest fans,or having their sheepskins/martens stolen at Liverpool another story that went the rounds was the "ammonia girls" at Chelsea...there must be some truth in some of those stories but how much i dont know.

 

[cerneabbas]

Wasn't this 75 or 76, I like remember the things myself. Had a pair, caused an ingrowing toenail. very painful in summer of 1976. Had to get my left toe amputated because of the injuries the things caused.

MikeDT.Do you mean platform shoes? they were about in 75...the stacks that elwood mentions were definitely 72/73 in Bristol too,they had a bit of a higher heel with natural leather colour soles and heels ( i hope that makes sense ).BTW you once mentioned the Long Cross pub in Lawrence Weston,i went past there on friday and its shut down i think that it was the last pub down there,i can remember when there was five pubs in that area how times have changed.

 

[MikeDT]



MikeDT.Do you mean platform shoes? they were about in 75...the stacks that elwood mentions were definitely 72/73 in Bristol too,they had a bit of a higher heel with natural leather colour soles and heels ( i hope that makes sense ).BTW you once mentioned the Long Cross pub in Lawrence Weston,i went past there on  friday and its shut down i think that it was the last pub down there,i can remember when there was five pubs in that area how times have changed.

That was it, black plastic things, 6-7 inches high if memory serves. Caused me an ingrowing toenail, In the end the hospital had to amputate front part of the big toe because of the onset of gangrene. What we did for fashion. Fortunately I can still walk and run OK.

 

[buttons]



That was it, black plastic things, 6-7 inches high if memory serves. Caused me an ingrowing toenail, In the end the hospital had to amputate front part of the big toe because of the onset of gangrene. What we did for fashion.

Ha ha - I've gone to some great lengths in the past to achieve the look I wanted, but never amputation!

 

[cerneabbas]

I cannot think of anything from the 70s after the suedehead period that i would want to wear today,it was bad enough wearing it then.I just dont understand why the skinhead/suedehead look lasted such a short time,or why what followed lasted so long.If you look at that picture ek77 put up of the North Sheilds lads and then watch the Millwall Panorama programme you will see the same basic long haired,baggy trousers look..the picture was 5 years before the programme.I know that clothes and shoes changed over those 5 years but the ( awful ) look remained the same,remember the thick zip up cardigans ? ( winter 75 ) or the longer starsky and hutch ones ?.By 76 i had had enough and began buying what I wanted more than what was in fashion,i even started wearing loafers,a camel coloured crombie and a few other suedehead style clothes ( not all at once ) and since then i have often worn similar clothes and shoes,but again not all at the same time.