Mod to Suedehead

[ShortBackAndSides]

Haha, did she call them bellbottoms?

When I visited my grandparents in the mid 70's in huge Oxford bags they always referred to them as bell bottoms. I've just started to look at my family history, and realise my grandmother was born in 1900. I must have looked a right freak to someone from her generation in those trousers, but to everyone of my age it was the norm.

 

[Natty Pinstripe]

Real Oxford Bags - the extremely wide straight legged ones with pleats were very popular in england in the 1930's SB&S.
At first in London in the early 70's flares with turn ups were passed off as Oxford Bags, but eventually the real deal showed up.

 

[The Saint]

Real Oxford Bags - the extremely wide straight legged ones with pleats were very popular in england in the 1930's SB&S.
At first in London in the early 70's flares with turn ups were passed off as Oxford Bags, but eventually the real deal showed up.

I remember that my mother saying that fashion was cyclic , and if you hung onto clothes long enough they would come back into style . I got rid of my dan-dares a long time ago and l must say l have yet to regret that but each to their own. .

 

[Man-of-Mystery]

Haha, did she call them bellbottoms?

In fact Levis did make bell-bottoms. I recall a mod mate-of-my-mate-next-door wearing them in the mid 60s, and I briefly had a pair in the 70s. They were useless on a motor bike, always got caught on the footpegs when you stopped and put a foot down. I ditched 'em.

 

[DonkeyJacket1]

Real Oxford Bags - the extremely wide straight legged ones with pleats were very popular in england in the 1930's SB&S.
At first in London in the early 70's flares with turn ups were passed off as Oxford Bags, but eventually the real deal showed up.

Flares have also been around since the 1800s in some form so it prob didn't phase them much if at all.

 

[Yorky]

Real Oxford Bags - the extremely wide straight legged ones with pleats were very popular in england in the 1930's SB&S.
At first in London in the early 70's flares with turn ups were passed off as Oxford Bags, but eventually the real deal showed up.

I recall during the oxford bags phase in the 70's, that they often had large patch pockets on the side of the legs.
I remember having some blue pinstripe flares with a high waistband, that had a vertical column of 3 button fastenings on the waist. This was about 1977, I would have been about 10/11 at the time. I wore them with a black mohair jumper and black brogues, they were a common style of brogue at the time and had a squareish toe cap, which you don't see anymore. I used to polish them using my dads brush that he was issued with in about 1956 when he was in the Coldstream guards, I still have the brush and use it still now. I also have his clothes brush and they both have his army number on the side. He is still around and can remember his guards number off by heart.

 

[covskin]

I recall during the oxford bags phase in the 70's, that they often had large patch pockets on the side of the legs.

We called them 'docker pockets'. Jeans with an embroidered yoke (of cartoon characters??) at the rear were around 1973 too, what a sight it must all have been! I think stapress of some sort were commonly our first long trousers though.

 

[The Saint]

In fact Levis did make bell-bottoms. I recall a mod mate-of-my-mate-next-door wearing them in the mid 60s, and I briefly had a pair in the 70s. They were useless on a motor bike, always got caught on the footpegs when you stopped and put a foot down. I ditched 'em.

I had Levi's bell-bottoms and l recall my sister trying to make a pair around 1968. Of course , some of my mates were already calling my straight leg Levi's ' ankle grabbers ' not long after that and then my bell-bottoms later got the appellation 'Dan-dares ' .
Nowadays, l seem to see the public wearing just about every style you care to mention , including what surely must be their jammy-bottoms. .

 

[Newton heath]

Or in my neck of the woods we called them Lionel’s ( Blair)

 

[Man-of-Mystery]

A name breathed in legend!

 

[Yorky]

We called them 'docker pockets'. Jeans with an embroidered yoke (of cartoon characters??) at the rear were around 1973 too, what a sight it must all have been! I think stapress of some sort were commonly our first long trousers though.

I bought a pair of burgundy "sta press" from a brilliant shop in Leeds called Class in about 1981 which only sold Mod style clothes generally. I wanted to wear them at a Christmas do in Wakefield which was an unofficial school party at a club.
They needed taking up so I asked my mam to get on the job. Unfortunately while she was doing them she had to answer the door, came back and cut the hem off the same leg again, making them now about an inch and half shorter than they were meant to be. I intended to wear them with some bowling shoes, but they looked ridiculous and ended up wearing monkey boots. The club had a dress code that wouldn't allow boots and so ended up going back home and sulking for days.

 

[The Saint]

Or in my neck of the woods we called them Lionel’s ( Blair)

Yeah , remember that 1 too as in , ' look at the Lionels on that guy , hahaha!'. .

 

[The Saint]

I bought a pair of burgundy "sta press" from a brilliant shop in Leeds called Class in about 1981 which only sold Mod style clothes generally. I wanted to wear them at a Christmas do in Wakefield which was an unofficial school party at a club.
They needed taking up so I asked my mam to get on the job. Unfortunately while she was doing them she had to answer the door, came back and cut the hem off the same leg again, making them now about an inch and half shorter than they were meant to be. I intended to wear them with some bowling shoes, but they looked ridiculous and ended up wearing monkey boots. The club had a dress code that wouldn't allow boots and so ended up going back home and sulking for days.

I would wager that nowadays they wouldn't be able to turn you away on account of the boots due to the whole 'inclusive politically correctness they have now

 

[Yorky]

They probably thought that I looked like a trouble causer with my crew cut, which I wasn't. I was just pissed off as I'd had my eye on a lass and was going to chance my arm with her, never did get into any hanky panky with her. But having said that seeing her around about 40 years later, l think that I had a lucky escape.

 

[Newton heath]

I’ve been watching some of the old Hazell tv series on the talking pictures channel , that is some eye opener on fashion especially the Lionel’s?