Mod to Suedehead

Originally Posted by Get Smart

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heh, to add my own version....this is me today with denim jacket

What kind of pants are those? I like how well they cuff. I like your V-Neck Sweater too .
Also, do you have any experience with the sta trousers from Merc? If so, How well are they? I appreciate your Knowledge/Insight.

Originally Posted by Get Smart

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sounds like we're from the same era (mid 80s)...dunno if you remember the Rolling Stone article that came out in like 88 or so about skinheads and they had a (incorrect) writeup on lace color and its meaning

i do remember that. i think that was around the time of the geraldo episode so it was a hot topic for a minute.

i got much more into the youth crew straight edge scene around that time and the skinhead fashion gave way to a bit more of the late 80s hardcore jock look, sadly.

good info on the boots. they look great.

Originally Posted by Get Smart

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in 2010 we have about 40 years of skinhead history to draw from (for better or worse), so it's cool that guys are interested in original style, but I think it's fine to be into the revival "oi" look as well (if yer younger that is, at a certain age 14i boots and bleachers dont look too good

). and a lot of 80s skinheads were very well turned out since the revival years did look to 1969 for their foundation. I can remember seeing RAC/WP skins in the 80s (here in SoCal as well as in pics from England) looking very traditional despite their political views.

It's always very difficult "reviving" anything, because the "original" itself would have been mobile and dynamic. I love the "original" look, having "been there", but people should go for a look with which they are comfortable - adopt and adapt.

Originally Posted by Get Smart

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heh, to add my own version....this is me today with denim jacket

Yep, that's totally "Jason".

Originally Posted by OHT

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So pretty much it was exactly like this:

you should of been in that pic too then! lol

The guy sitting down looks like he's wearing a corduroy jacket. Was corduroy jackets/clothing common for skinheads back in the day?

I have a feeling these guys must be from the North of England (don't forget it was in '68 I moved from the North to London). Northerners had a rep as "denim boys" down South, and certainly the '67/'68 mod scene I left when I moved had been wearing Levi cords as well as denims. The denim / "jean jacket" look up North persisted well into the skinhead era.

Note that the turn-ups on the jeans are not high. The original idea of turning up jeans was so that they would hang well, and not catch on one's shoes - yet again a "mod" thing (the guy on the right has kinda failed, as his jeans are bunching at the knee). Yes, I think these guys are Northerners.

A thought has come to me. When was it that Levis stopped being "shrink-to-fit"? There was a time in about '66 '67 when mods would buy a pair of Levis a size or two too big, then sit in the bath or wade in the sea with them. It coincided with a time when the wearing of belts went out of fashion with the mods. It occurs to me that it must have been about the same time that someone discovered that clip-on braces would make jeans hang better...

Originally Posted by Man-of-Mystery

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I have a feeling these guys must be from the North of England (don't forget it was in '68 I moved from the North to London). Northerners had a rep as "denim boys" down South, and certainly the '67/'68 mod scene I left when I moved had been wearing Levi cords as well as denims. The denim / "jean jacket" look up North persisted well into the skinhead era.

Note that the turn-ups on the jeans are not high. The original idea of turning up jeans was so that they would hang well, and not catch on one's shoes - yet again a "mod" thing (the guy on the right has kinda failed, as his jeans are bunching at the knee). Yes, I think these guys are Northerners.

A thought has come to me. When was it that Levis stopped being "shrink-to-fit"? There was a time in about '66 '67 when mods would buy a pair of Levis a size or two too big, then sit in the bath or wade in the sea with them. It coincided with a time when the wearing of belts went out of fashion with the mods. It occurs to me that it must have been about the same time that someone discovered that clip-on braces would make jeans hang better...
I love reading your posts and realising some things with the whole skinhead style are just things that I always have felt towards personal style. I'm referencing where you said they cuffed the pants as to hang well, I've always felt this way with my pants, can't standing when they bunch around the ankle or drag on the ground. I was wondering MoM, were oxblood footwear such a big thing back in the day? I remember hearing about brown being big at first once, but really haven't heard much in regards to oxblood.

Originally Posted by Ikouja

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I love reading your posts and realising some things with the whole skinhead style are just things that I always have felt towards personal style. I'm referencing where you said they cuffed the pants as to hang well, I've always felt this way with my pants, can't standing when they bunch around the ankle or drag on the ground. I was wondering MoM, were oxblood footwear such a big thing back in the day? I remember hearing about brown being big at first once, but really haven't heard much in regards to oxblood.

Oxblood with regard specifically to boots or shoes?

The thing about answering these questions is that they make me think, they make me recall the time...

I can remember that in '68 Doc Martens weren't as ubiquitous as they became by '69. Monkey boots were quite popular...

... but also other boots, sometimes in black but mostly in brown. If you look at this pic of myself...

... you'll see that I'm wearing brown boots, but they're not DMs. I can remember getting them at my local "surplus store", but that's all I can remember. Also in '68 "Cherry Red" boots were worn, but again not necessarily DMs. (You'll also notice that I have no turn-ups on my jeans. Turn-ups were not compulsory! Blimey... I was built like a racing snake in those days...)

Don't worry, I'm getting round to "oxblood".

I can recall that in '69 both black and red DMs were worn, but especially the red ones. It became fashionable to polish red DMs with black polish, to give them a kind of oxblood finish.

ASs for other footwear, black and brown were usual, but oxblood also, like the loafers below. But oxblood was never a totally dominant fashion trend.

I always see plain one-coloured shirts in old pictures. How popular were checked (or multi-coloured) shirts? And were classic t-shirts worn?

Originally Posted by Big Muscle

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I always see plain one-coloured shirts in old pictures. How popular were checked (or multi-coloured) shirts?

Stripes, gingham, countercheck, windowpane - Ben Sherman, Brutus, and Jaytex - I had them all. Here I am with a hippy friend of mine, pretending to throttle him, and I'm wearing a green gingham Ben.

Originally Posted by Big Muscle

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And were classic t-shirts worn?

As in round-necked t-shirts? Hardly ever seen.

Originally Posted by OHT

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Also, do you have any experience with the sta trousers from Merc? If so, How well are they? I appreciate your Knowledge/Insight.

I have a pair, they are actually pretty good. The only brand that is kinda off is Relco. The one pair I have I like, but it's pretty low quality compared to other ones.

Originally Posted by eightdouble

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i got much more into the youth crew straight edge scene around that time and the skinhead fashion gave way to a bit more of the late 80s hardcore jock look, sadly.

funny, I was really into SxE HC as well during that time as well. There were a few skinheads in our group that hung out with some of the bands in our area like No For An Answer, Half Off, Hard Stance, Insted etc. I don't know if you remember Inside Out, Beyond and 108, but Vic from those bands recorded my oi band's demo back in 2004. I still listen to a lot of that youth crew stuff even today.

Originally Posted by Man-of-Mystery

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A thought has come to me. When was it that Levis stopped being "shrink-to-fit"? There was a time in about '66 '67 when mods would buy a pair of Levis a size or two too big, then sit in the bath or wade in the sea with them. It coincided with a time when the wearing of belts went out of fashion with the mods. It occurs to me that it must have been about the same time that someone discovered that clip-on braces would make jeans hang better...

Levis never stopped being shrink to fit, but in 67 they came out with the 505 zipper fly which was the first non-shrink jean (and personally my fave jean of all time).

I had actually read a blurb by a guy who was there the day that photo was taken for Symarip. Basically it was one of those things where a guy grabbed some guys hanging out and took the shot. I dont remember where it was geographically and some of the details of his story I've forgotten but if I can find what he wrote I will post it here.

Originally Posted by Get Smart

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funny, I was really into SxE HC as well during that time as well. There were a few skinheads in our group that hung out with some of the bands in our area like No For An Answer, Half Off, Hard Stance, Insted etc. I don't know if you remember Inside Out, Beyond and 108, but Vic from those bands recorded my oi band's demo back in 2004. I still listen to a lot of that youth crew stuff even today.

of course i remember vic. i remember he had some strange band going with his wife at or around that era (maybe even a home studio?)... long before they started playing 108 shows again. yeah, where i was from we were all skateboarders turned skins turned straight edge kids, but we were really all of them at once and to this day i'm still straight edge.

do you happen to know a girl named stacey iguchi (or stage dive stacey as she used to be known)?

Originally Posted by Get Smart

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Levis never stopped being shrink to fit, but in 67 they came out with the 505 zipper fly which was the first non-shrink jean (and personally my fave jean of all time).

Five'll get you ten that's about the time braces came in!

In the Kansas City metro and Lawrence, KS (home of the Outhouse...a punk rock music icon...every touring band that was going from Chicago to Dallas or going through the Midwest when traveling cost to cost stopped there...I saw everyone from 24/7 Spyz to Nirvana to Bad Brains to Pantera to White Zombie to Cannibal Corpse there...now it's a BYOB strip club) the skinhead scene was totally linked to the punk/hardcore scene. This would have been in the early 80s to the early 90s. Skinheads and the straight edge guys hung out together. It was totally an us vs. them kind of thing. I was one of the guys who moved seamlessly between the groups. I was straight edge, but enjoyed the style and company of the skinheads. I'd rather wear my Docs and cuffed jeans with a band t-shirt than with oversized Jimmy-Z shorts and Airwalk hightops. Don't get me wrong though...when I was riding my BMX or skateboard I busted out the Airwalks or Visions. But when I was going to a show or wanting to look good, polished Docs and Levis 501s were the way to go.

For the skinheads in this area, solid colored polos or white t-shirts with jeans was the look. I think this was more because we didn't have the fashion available to us. Getting Docs involved trying on your friends until you found your size then ordering them from a catalog. You sent your money order off and waited months for the box to arrive...and you hoped they were the right size. I knew people who waited more than 6 months to get their boots.

We lucked out when Spiney Normans (local record shop with a small amount of clothes) opened. They actually carried Docs. Only had 8-lace black, but I got mine when I was in 9th grade. Yup. 1987.

The 10-lace oxbloods I still wear were acquired when a local skinhead friend decided he wanted to become a born again Christian and thought all the trappings of the skinhead world and punk rock scene. That would've been in 1988 or so. The boots had been mail ordered and took months to receive. They were still squeaking when you walked and were barely creased.

In either 1990 or 1991 Loma Vista Hardware opened. It was literally a hardware store...the owner let his kid manage the "skate shop"...when that took off they started ordering all kinds of clothes and shoes. They could get Docs in black, green, blue, purple and oxblood...I ordered green 8-lace. They were ordered from England, got stuck in customs, and took months to get. I thought I was out the money.

Originally Posted by Get Smart

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funny, I was really into SxE HC as well during that time as well. There were a few skinheads in our group that hung out with some of the bands in our area like No For An Answer, Half Off, Hard Stance, Insted etc. I don't know if you remember Inside Out, Beyond and 108, but Vic from those bands recorded my oi band's demo back in 2004. I still listen to a lot of that youth crew stuff even today.

Still listen to those bands. Never really got into the oi or ska.