Mod to Suedehead

[flyfronted]

The Loyalist thing is very big at Stamford Bridge , Loyalism replacing in your face racism .
MOD link - this is nice http://www.umbrellamagazine.co.uk/s...ouble-the-obsessiveness#.Ubgq5_o3Zs4.facebook

 

[flyfronted]

1970? Are you sure?

they look 79 / 80 revivalists

 

[roytonboy]

1970? Are you sure?

I'm a bit puzzled by this one myself.....

Usually I pride myself on being able to date photos of this kind but there are a few contradictions in this one:


The length of the jeans suggests 'originals', the fact that they are all wearing black boots does not.

The way the scarves are being worn suggest 'originals', some of the clothes I don't recognise as original skinhead wear at all.

Of course this could be down to regional differences, as we all understand different things were worn in different areas and at different times, but it looks looks a bit of a mish-mash of styles/times to me.

The clarity of the photo and intensity of colours is very good for something 43 years old.

 

[buttons]



they look 79 / 80 revivalists 

Nothing in them photos to suggest its not the late 60s.
I'd say late '69. The dates that get attached to photos is often when they were published rather than when they were taken.
You didn't see many 60s knitted shirts and fly fronted macs in '79.
more obviously, you very rarely saw birds that looked like that either (hair, suit etc).

If that's '79-'80, I'll eat my (pork pie) hat!

 

[Kingstonian]



When raincoats were being talked about a few pages back,someone ( kingstonian ? ) said that they felt a bit like Victor Mildrew wearing one now,that wouldnt have been the case wearing a raincoat as a teenager.I am not too bothered about getting older,but i am aware of it and i try to dress suitably,i cannot imagine myself wearing Doc Martens,braces,denim jacket,a trilby or sta prest. I do wear brogues,weejuns,monkey boots,button down shirts a harrington type jacket, not all at the same time,i would like a crombie but maybe in herringbone,i would wear prince of wales check trousers but not cut too slim or as short as back in the day.I would not have worn a blazer back then ( i had to wear one to school ) but i probably would wear one now if i could find a decent one.I am still not too sure about older blokes wearing jeans, its down to the individual but they seem like clothes for youngsters to me.I suppose what i am trying to do is take some of the original style and "update" or "twist" it to suit a 55 year old man without looking ridiculous.I hope that this makes sense and i am only saying what i am trying to do and i dont mean to criticise anyone else for how they dress or what "image" they want.

What I intended to say was that other people saw Victor Meldrew when I wore a raincoat (with a cap). I thought it was pretty good when I put it on - but then I am surprised to see an old bloke when I look in the mirror. Long coats were common when I was a teen; nowadays not so much.

I never wore boots, braces or a trilby. Brogues, weejuns button downs, harringtons and Prince of Wales are all mainstream and I have no problem with them. I do not try to dress exactly as I did as a teen. I take elements that still work. I am too old for mohair now. So I suppose I am also going along the 'age-appropriate' route. I wear other smart clothes as well. I aim to be well turned out and not a scruff.

 

[Gsvs5]

I thought it was pretty good when I put it on - but then I am surprised to see an old bloke when I look in the mirror.

Ha Ha ! I'm right there with you Kingstonian.

 

[Aces and Eights]

I thought it was pretty good when I put it on - but then I am surprised to see an old bloke when I look in the mirror.

I know what you mean. I spent years lifting weights and involved in martial arts and in my minds eye I am still big and beefy and yet when I look in the mirror now I wonder who that old man is looking back at me with his shirt not fitting on his shoulders because they are not solid muscle any more and you have to realise that you will never be that young man again.

Where the hell did those years go. They seem to fly by quicker now more than ever. I am glad I am not the only one on here who has not noticed they are aging and not the same old skinhead from 69. Yes I like to keep smartly dressed but I do not want to look out of context with who I am now so as I said earlier I wear a subtle style of what we wore years ago

 

[Spirit of 89]

Thanks to buttons regarding the info on the William Lennon boots. I had a feeling that if anyone would have an answer regarding that maker it would be you.

To Mr. Mystery....I also share your affinity for aviator sunglasses but have always worn the more rounded style....but I like the look of the more rectangular ones like in your pics. Any leads to find some similar...preferably without breaking the bank? I tend to misplace sunglasses often so I don't go for designer/expensive brands.

As a tattooer by trade I've been fascinated by the few brief stories that a few have told about getting tattooed 'back in the day'. As I do realize that tattoos weren't a big part of the original skinhead culture I don't want to de-rail the conversation into a tattoo-related discussion (as I know there's plenty of other places online to have those discussions) but any other stories about getting tattooed during the 'original' era would be of interest to me...and pics of your work other thsn the few that have been posted (particularly loved the 'saints' tattoo) are more than welcome.

 

[PxC]

I don't think they do at all, except maybe for the last picture.
What makes you think that, the flight jackets?

I personally haven't seen many early revivalists wearing longish hair like that, big pointy collared tops like the brown one or even the sort of sunglasses the fella in the plaid shirt is sporting. Even the smart revivalists generally wore more stereotypical skinhead gear, like your regular button downs, FP's, more usual looking cardigans, etc...

they look 79 / 80 revivalists 

 

[elwood]



Nothing in them photos to suggest its not the late 60s.
I'd say late '69. The dates that get attached to photos is often when they were published rather than when they were taken.
You didn't see many 60s knitted shirts and fly fronted macs in '79.

more obviously, you very rarely saw birds that looked like that either (hair, suit etc).

If that's '79-'80, I'll eat my (pork pie) hat!

I'd go with 69/70 rather than later. On the third photo you can just see the Vanden Plas lettering on a car at the kerbside. That would be an Austin Westminster (the Cambridge with special bodywork and a Rolls Royce engine); it was sold about 64-68 but was never very common. While that doesn't mean it couldn't have been around in 79/80 its rarity just makes me think more likely to have been 69/70.

 

[roytonboy]

I'd go with 69/70 rather than later. On the third photo you can just see the Vanden Plas lettering on a car at the kerbside. That would be an Austin Westminster (the Cambridge with special bodywork and a Rolls Royce engine); it was sold about 64-68 but was never very common. While that doesn't mean it couldn't have been around in 79/80 its rarity just makes me think more likely to have been 69/70.

On further study, I would say 69/70. The single picture of the lads in the pub certainly looks 1969, yet the catalogue number puts it after the group ones in the street. Some of those clothes just not worn in our area at all.

 

[Botolph]



My own backstory is both uninteresting and irrelevant in this context other than to say I'm 37 years old, from the US (Maryland) and became a skinhead at age 13 in 1989 thru the typical hardcore/Oi!/2-Tone channels that most in the US did at that time...'Scruffy Cunts' as the originals would say...and developed more of an appreciation of the 'original' style and culture over the years.
I don't have much to add but hope that a few of my inquiries may be indulged.

Is anyone familiar with this bootmaker and this boot in particular?
http://www.williamlennon.co.uk/footwear/d106-safety-boots.html
I've been looking for a pair of 6-8 hole, DM style, MiE boots for a while now and have come up short until I came across these. Thru contact with them, they tell me that the upper is made in their shop and then sent to the Solovair factory to have the soles put on, and assured me that it's a 100% MiE boot. I've had bad luck with the quality of Chinese DMs and therefore will not purchase actual Dr. Marten's products anymore...and it seems that nearly all of the British 'skinhead boot' companies have shipped their manufacturing to shoddy off-site factories. Curious if anyone has any dealings with the above company and any personal experience is welcomed. Even with a hefty shipping fee to the US the price is right for a true MiE steel toe boot. I have several more questions but figured I'd start there.
Much Respect to everyone here and please forgive as I'm figuring out the technical ropes of this site.

Welcome fella. I have a similar backstory as you. I'm a couple years older than you and got into it by pretty much the same means up here outside of Boston. "Scruffy cunts" is defo the way one would have described my ilk back then, too; though we thought we were the bee's knees

.

As far as boots go, I'd recommend the Solovair Hawkins. The ones in my avatar are 6-eye oxbloods with a healthy patina, plus brown and burgundy polish mix.
They're hard to come by at the moment but apparently they're launching more soon?
Or if you don't mind 11-eyes, Mikkel Rude does some Solovair Hawkins.
mikkelrude.co.uk

 

[Aces and Eights]

As a tattooer by trade I've been fascinated by the few brief stories that a few have told about getting tattooed 'back in the day'. As I do realize that tattoos weren't a big part of the original skinhead culture I don't want to de-rail the conversation into a tattoo-related discussion (as I know there's plenty of other places online to have those discussions) but any other stories about getting tattooed during the 'original' era would be of interest to me...and pics of your work other thsn the few that have been posted (particularly loved the 'saints' tattoo) are more than welcome.

Hello Spirit of 89

That's my arm with the saint tattoo and most of our crew had that as a symbol of who we were. I have a number of tattoos and that is the one that most people pick out enquire about ie why, what's it about, why has it got boots on etc.

I am surprised that you thought that tattooing was not a big part of the original skinhead culture back in 69. There were only a very few that were not tattooed in our mob together with associated gangs. Our tattoos were mainly what is now called 'Old School Tattoos' and were generally of the style obtained during WW11. Eagles, swallows, nudes, love hearts etc so different to today tribal, contemporary and Chinese writings that adorn youngsters bodies now.

Back in the day you would need to travel around 10 miles to your nearest 'Tattoo Parlour'. Now days they seem to have at least 3 studios per town

I am sure Bassett can add comments from his neck of the woods

 

[Spirit of 89]

Thanks for the welcome Boltolph. Yeah....I would imagine that most of us that are in the US and in that general age-range came into 'the scene' thru similar means. When I first started going to shows (at least in my area) there were pretty much only punks and skins, and you typically identified with one or the other stylistically/ethos-wise. I've always enjoyed punk music as well but I never got into the 'squatter/gutter punk' styling and mentality as my family was always firmly working-class and those values were instilled in me at a young age. I wanted to work for a living as soon as I was legally able and have held a job from virtually the day I turned 14 (youngest legal age to work in my area) to present with no more than a few days to maybe a week between jobs. I also preferred the more 'clean-cut' skinhead style to the rattier punk one. I chalk a lot of us being 'scruffy' up to the fact that we just didn't have access to the amount of material and info that we do now (Internet not having been around at the time I was coming up) so we just followed what we saw....which was the obligatory DMs, FP, braces, flight jacket, bald head look. It was especially hard in the area I grew up as we lived about an hour outside Baltimore and DC and at that age none of us drove and the metro lines didn't run that far...so although those areas had shows and shops that we would go to...it wasn't as easy as walking down the street or catching the bus or metro to procure items. And even the shops in DC we used to frequent were pretty short on really good items. FPs could be found here and there but button downs like Ben Sherman and whatnot were vary rarely seen. Either that or we didn't know where to look.

Thanks for your tips on the Solovairs. I do like their boots quite a lot...but I can't seem to find a lower cut (6-8 hole) style in steel-toe anywhere I look. If you have any leads I'll check em out for sure. For now I'm hoping the William Lennons I posted about will do the trick for me as at least in the pics they look to be exactly what I've been searching for. I guess we'll see when I get them. The only other ones I've found that look close to what I want are from a Czech company (if I'm not mistaken on where they're located) called 'STEEL'...but I haven't heard much feedback about their quality and as I don't really prefer a lot of logos/branding in most cases...I don't like that they have their logo imprinted on the side of the boot. Not necessarily a deal-breaker but I've found no real info on em and don't want to risk it. The people at William Lennon have been very accommodating to my inquiries and for the price I'm hoping I'll be satisfied. They won't be 'daily drivers' for me as I prefer desert boots or sneakers in most cases....but it's always good to have a pair of steel-toes laying around

 

[yankmod]

I think the pics are original.The look of the pics looks late 60's but with an excellent camera and someone who had a clue about how to shoot.Color film is easily dated as the colors used and paper etc. have distinct characteristics(I know yooz know what I'm talkin) The girl looks original.The cat in the yellow cardi,The boy in the mac.The guy with longer hair.All look original to me.And Buttons is correct.The pic taken at a distance as the crew walks down the sidewalk has been cropped and blown up and printed in B&W several times in several places(I've seen it half a dozen times) I think the quality of these pics make them some of the best we've seen.And the info is on the photo,shouldn't be hard for M.O.M. to find this guy (fingers crossed)TA