Mod to Suedehead

[Jimmy Balantyne]

It's a rap/hiphop trousers halfway down your arse thing that crept in since the 80s. Rap and cannabis, the worst things to ever happen to white working class youth. Dull and boring, black culture is so cool lol

Don't throw the baby out with the bathwater there DJ. They've contributed heavily and positively to my worldview. .. "Say, what's hapenin brother..."

 

[Donkey Jacket]

Even a lot of these ''mod'' companys give there trousers a low rise, merc and jump the gun come to mind, its a reason why i just buy flared sta prest these days and have them tapered at the bottom.

 

[Jimmy Balantyne]

Heard good things about the Japanese denim, the patch on the samurai jeans is very cool, would be interesting to know what the rise and cut is on a regular cut pair of them, they look like a good alternative if you want a pair of levis style jeans but don't want levis.

It's good denim. Story goes that a company over there purchased all Levis original looms about 25 years back. Don't know if its true or not but they've been producing excellent denim for donkeys now. I've got LVC and a couple of different Japanese makes and the Nippon piss over the Levis.

 

[Jimmy Balantyne]

Good to see a rare mention of the 502. The 'skinheads wore 501s' meme is from the mid-80s when the dubious 'Spirit of 69: a Skinhead Bible' was written. Anyone who had actually worn Levi shrink to fits with a zip would have noticed the one big difference with the 501s of the mid-80s

What I recall is that the ones I wore as a kid seemed much, much heavier. They faded much better and lasted a lot longer. Bear in mind as a kid I'd be playing football in them and generally ******* about, all day, every day.

 

[johnnyskin]

It's good denim. Story goes that a company over there purchased all Levis original looms about 25 years back. Don't know if its true or not but they've been producing excellent denim for donkeys now. I've got LVC and a couple of different Japanese makes and the Nippon piss over the Levis.

Jimmy, that's what I remember reading as well. Isn't that story related to the beginnings of the Edwin brand in Japan. Did Edwin buy some surplus looms from Cone Mills when Levi's stopped buying their premium denim from them in order to reduce overheads?

 

[johnnyskin]

What I recall is that the ones I wore as a kid seemed much, much heavier. They faded much better and lasted a lot longer. Bear in mind as a kid I'd be playing football in them and generally ******* about, all day, every day.

That's exactly how I remember them. They took ages to begin to fade and always the thighs started lightning first. When they were new straight off the shelf they were bloody stiff, much more so than raw denim is today and I'm sure that's why the fades took much longer to start and develop. Even after being soaked and shrunk there was a load of residual starch still left in them. So much in fact that they would just about stand up on their own and initially it hurt to put your hands in your pockets as they were still tight and the denim would rub your knuckles every time you tried.

 

[yankmod]

I recently found some deadstock rigid denim 505s from the early 90s and they have a fantastic fit. Way better than any lvc I've ever worn. Even the denim is better quality.

I used to buy those.14 to 20 dollars at Sears.When Levi's made a "Comeback" in 2004 or so,with the "Skinny Jeans",those were Out.

 

[Inkss]

Found some more deadstock/NOS stuff recently. Still fresh and in the original cellophane wrapper.
Unfortunately it wasn't clobber. Still pretty tasty though.

 

[Jimmy Balantyne]

I think your final conclusion is probably right. I think it was a 'northern thing', but one that that migrated south, certainly as far as Kingston, by the influence of footie.

Interesting that the practice lasted until 72 in your manor. In SE London, where I lived from 1968 onwards, he hardly ever saw a Levi jacket, and never saw a patch, except perhaps on visiting northern football fans. But by 71 (never mind '72!) there were no skins left in our area at all. It's like someone said - as soon as northern youngsters cropped their hair, you could hear the hair in London growing!



Well, I'm going to take you up on this. Until 1968 I lived in Blackpool. In that corner of the North, Levis were the 'weapon of choice'. Loads of people had them. But also Wrangler, Lee Rider, and Lee Cooper were considered acceptable. Yes, they were cheaper, and that counted for something, but the North was not the Levis-free desert you imagine it to be.

When I moved to SE London in 1968, I was rather taken aback by the minimalism of fashion there. It was not just that Levis were the only jeans worn, but they were worn with plain surfer/monkey jackets (which had gone out of fashion in the NW, being replaced by Levis denim, cord, and even suede or leather if you could afford it). Also the variations of suit-jacket style we had had up North - side vents, centre vent, long centre vents with a button in the small of the back, centre vent with side pleats, patch pockets, fly pockets, flap pockets, etc. etc. etc. - were entirely missing in SE London. There it was centre vent and nothing else. The 'mod ethos' or going for individual points of style had continued up North, but had gone into abeyance in the place to which I had moved.

And then suddenly Ben Shermans, Harringtons, and American wing-tip brogues happened in a big way, and London seemed to explode...

You're a complete and utter fantasist.

 

[Jimmy Balantyne]

Jimmy, that's what I remember reading as well. Isn't that story related to the beginnings of the Edwin brand in Japan. Did Edwin buy some surplus looms from Cone Mills when Levi's stopped buying their premium denim from them in order to reduce overheads?

I heard it was Evisu.

 

[Ivyskin89]

It's a rap/hiphop trousers halfway down your arse thing that crept in since the 80s. Rap and cannabis, the worst things to ever happen to white working class youth. Dull and boring, black culture is so cool lol

There were hipster trousers in the 60's and we wouldn't be on this forum if we didn't think black culture is cool.

 

[Man-of-Mystery]

You're a complete and utter fantasist.

Yeah, I was never there.

 

[covskin]

There were hipster trousers in the 60's and we wouldn't be on this forum if we didn't think black culture is cool.

Speak for yourself. I'm just here for the clothes, this 'black is cool' thing is getting very old

 

[yankmod]

Speak for yourself. I'm just here for the clothes, this 'black is cool' thing is getting very old

Yea Big Time Scam.Black Culture,White Culture.We have been influencing each other for Many Many generations.What belongs to whom is very grayish.

 

[yankmod]

Anyone familiar with this Mojo Talkin' - Under the Influence of Mod book by Tony Beesley?

Many great photos in this vid.I see folks we would call Skinheads being revised as Mods.