The Look goes on...

[skinny legs]

 

[skinny legs]

Gabicci Zip Up. Hardly ever wear it, and just about the only thing I do don with a label on the outside

 

[covskin]

When I think of Gabicci I usually think of zip-up cardigans with leather patches (or am I just imagining that?) and frumpy patterns so good to see something fairly decent instead. I might even have had a few singles from the Top of the Pops end of jazz-funk, Southern Freeez, Beggar and Co. Saw a band called Weapon of Peace, that was a bit jazz-funk too.

 

[Mr Knightley]

I never really attached much significance to the scouse trainer revolution in the late 70s, which was supposed to herald the dawn of casual. They may lay some claim to be the originators of the aforementioned casual, but Londoners took it to a more flamboyant level. Talking of which, as we know casual was heavily influenced by Soulboy garb. Im out with the boys this week to Ronnie Scott's to catch an iconic jazz funk band of the day- planning on planting on an original Gabbici circa 79. Nod to my soul boy roots. It will go well with a yellow vintage high neck Smedley roll neck, pinstripe Gucci strides plus Edward Green Gladstones.

Your outfit sounds great!

I agree with you about the dawn of casual. A friend of mine opened a new shop in Chelmsford in 1976 and, looking back I can see his stuff was anticipating what would become the Casual look as early as that. Probably the main thing missing back then was trainers. But early on he was offering Armani, Lacoste, Ciao, Marco Polo and so on. There were, of course, other shops in London and the SE doing similar things.

He had been a skinhead in the late 60s and we all saw his wares as the natural successor to the Look.

 

[covskin]

To me there is a pleasant consistency here

Loake 771 black and Clarks Desert Vulc sand - would make a good two shoe wardrobe.

 

[cerneabbas]

I haven't posted lately,but I have been thinking about 'the Look',and I have made a few purchases.
Some of the items that I have bought were for practical reasons a parka and leather trainers for going to football.
I also bought a lambswool cardigan from Woolovers and a pair of lightweight wool flat front trousers in the M&S sale reduced from £119 (ridiculous) to £23, and they are very nice.

The reasons that I have been thinking about 'the Look' are mainly Covskins idea about a more itergrated wardrobe,I think for me this is about colour and what matches what. I hope that makes sense.

Also Mr Knightleys MTM trousers,now they look well made,the material looks good,I like the flap cash pocket....but pleats and turn ups !...for me flat front trousers are a main stay of 'the Look'.
Ok 'the Look' is not a uniform,we all have our own interpretation of it and Mr Knightley does not have to explain to anyone why he has spent his money on anything, BUT it made me think a lot about are their any 'cornerstones' of 'the Look' ? if not flat front trousers or BD shirts for instance,are there any items or styles that define 'the Look'.

Mr Knightley has made me stop and think and change my mind before,once about black shoes,when he said that they were a bit boring and that he only wore them for business now ( I am probably misquoting him and I apologise) and that he preferred brown shoes as they were more interesting with various clothes,at first I was taken back and disagreed,what could be smarter than highly polished black shoes ?,but gradually I came to agree with him,brown is more versatile.
One other occasion was when he said that he now preferred 2 button jackets rather than 3 button...heresy I thought,but again I have slowly come to the same conclusion ( I make an exception of Mr Knightleys 3 button blazer as worn at the summer meet up,a lovely jacket ).

Maybe in years to come I will come around to the idea of trousers with turn ups and pleats being part of 'the Look' but not at the moment.

 

[cocostella]

Those Desert Vulcs are calling my name! What trainers Cerneabbas?

 

[cerneabbas]

Those Desert Vulcs are calling my name! What trainers Cerneabbas?

New Balance 576 in navy blue leather....as I said nothing to do with 'the Look' more like Casual meets old bloke in comfy shoes.

BTW my other recent purchase was an FP polo,I said that I wouldn't bother again but this was a very nice blue with navy and white piping,it looks good but unfortunately I got slim fit instead of regular !.

 

[cocostella]

I don't mind the slimness of FB, but they seem to short. Kinda' looking for some Adidas Forest Hills, myself.

 

[Mr Knightley]

I haven't posted lately, but I have been thinking about 'the Look', and I have made a few purchases.

...it made me think a lot about are their any 'cornerstones' of 'the Look' ? if not flat front trousers or BD shirts for instance, are there any items or styles that define 'the Look'.

Maybe in years to come I will come around to the idea of trousers with turn ups and pleats being part of 'the Look' but not at the moment.

cerneabbas, it is good to see you posting again! I always enjoy your posts and the last one was especially thought-provoking.

I am not sure if the Look can be said to rely on specific items. If we take the view that is implicit in The Soul Stylists and their concept of the ‘unbroken circle of style’ we can see the Look is more about attitude and principles than it is about certain items or even specific styles. The principles are well documented here and elsewhere and they include a desire always to look cool and sharp, a certain subversiveness and secrecy and the need to move on when the public and the media begin to suss what is happening. Of course, one chapter is entitled ‘The button down types’ …

Moving on to the specifics. Are pleats and turn-ups really part of the Look? I don’t know. In the 1960s the mod and the early skinhead wore his trousers tight, narrow and short. As the decade drew to a close they became a little fuller and higher in the rise so that by 1969 I was asking my tailor to include pleats (single) but no turn-up. Turn-ups for me came with the 1980s Italian-influenced designer styles.

Here are two pictures both taken on holiday in Spain in late summer 1971. My 1970-made pair of mohair trousers have single pleats and that front ticket pocket but my new gabardine pair (made just before I went on hols) have gone back to a flat front and a slight flare, in fact almost a 1965 look!! It would not be until around 1985 that I would wear pleats again.


1970 - mohair with pleats and ticket pocket


1971 - gabardine with **** pockets, flat front, slight flare and lower rise

I believe my own style is now only partly influenced by what we have called the Look here and equally by a 1930s style re-interpreted by Mr Armani and co in the 80s.

Another thing these two pictures confirm is that reluctance to dress down. One by the pool, probably off out somewhere and one on the prom but no posing pouch in sight

 

[Mr Knightley]

My last post has also made me wonder about whether a reluctance to dress-down in any setting is a central plank of the Look?

Gill and Del Evans on holiday in the mid 60s looking pretty dressed up for fishing!



Perhaps that will be one of the enduring principles - because dressing is in itself for me really what the Look is about.

 

[Mr Knightley]

New Balance 576 in navy blue leather....as I said nothing to do with 'the Look' more like Casual meets old bloke in comfy shoes.

BTW my other recent purchase was an FP polo,I said that I wouldn't bother again but this was a very nice blue with navy and white piping,it looks good but unfortunately I got slim fit instead of regular !.

Be OK under some knitwear! Is it MiE?

 

[covskin]

The Fred Perry made in England and the made in wherever feel very similar to me. In both types the body feels very thin compared to the collar. Seem to remember these with the body around 2/3rds of the feel of the collar.

Just thought what the feel of current polo shirts - Fred Perry, Lacoste, etc - reminds me of; a Tyvek 'paper' suit. What a load of crap.

 

[Thin White Duke]

I entered this pic in this week's Friday Challenge over on CM, the theme was 'polo' and I got my usual solitary sympathy vote!
It may all be a bit 'identikit mod' for the purposes of this thread rather than an evolution of 'The Look', but may also be germane to the discussion of Fred Perrys. I think I got this one during a visit home in 2002 along with a maroon with light blue piping and black with grey piping, both of which have since been dumped as the dye washed out of them over time. The fit was very boxy so I've had it slimmed. I've always thought that the quality of material was so much better on Lacoste polos and they are cheaper during their twice yearly sales than FP.

Ray Ban / Sherrys of London / FP / Merc / Florsheim

 

[covskin]

A boating blazer is one of my 'what if' guilty pleasures! Yep, think I mentioned somewhere that my 1997ish navy/white/white Fred Perry faded and bedraggled fairly quickly, so it isn't a completely new thing. And good to hear that pockets of the better stuff still survive. Hope Cerneabbas has better luck with his this time.