Mod to Suedehead

Originally Posted by Lasttye

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Also i have seen present day skinheads wearing like pasley pattern scarfs never saw that also.

I had one - a bit of a hangover from my mod days - but more usual was white polka dots on navy or burgundy. 'Tootal' was a must.

Originally Posted by Lasttye

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One thing in my 60s skinhead girls looked more feminine.
Agreed!

Originally Posted by BraveSuede

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I think skinheads of the 78-81 era were a lot different to the original 67-70.More money being around the image developed into smart skins and punky skins.I never wore boots to go out of a night reason being you wouldnt get in clubs disco's etc.I know a lot of the original skins didnt have a lot of choice of clothes bennie's only being in pastel colours and white and levis the only jeans.The 78 revival there was a lot of labels to choose from bennies fred perrys brutus shirts and polo's all worn. levis lois sta prest (in many colours).dm's royal brogues and penny loafers smooths officer boots.jean jackets sheepskins crombies tonik jackets pow check jackets harringtons.plus cravats(lol) paisley scarfs.tbh i think revival skins took the original look and added their own slant to it.A mod of say 63 would look nothing like a mod of 67.I love the original look and real skins were very inspired by the 67 skins clothes and music.I think we grew up in a very privileged era lots of jobs and good money about.

What did the original skinheads think of the 78 revival skins were they scorned at or did you all wish you were 10 years younger?

We had Brutus in 69.

I'm afraid that I always noticed where revival skins got things 'wrong' in my view. I also couldn't stand the politicising (that's even though I had been personally very highly political).

I'm afraid that I always noticed where revival skins got things 'wrong' in my view. I also couldn't stand the politicising (that's even though I had been personally very highly political).[/quote]

Yes i couldnt agree more about the political issue the press gave us a tag and no skinheads i knew were into left or right wing politics we couldnt have giving a flying one haha

I thought you guys would notice where revival skins got things 'wrong'.But then again we did also to even a small detail like width of braces or f*ckin badges on jackets.

Sorry about that, Brave - I couldn't think of a better word than 'wrong'.

No mate i agree you as a original would notice details that you thought wasnt right.just intrested in your and other original's opinions.

It's also interesting that someone like Lasttye saw different details at the other side of London.

Originally Posted by Man-of-Mystery

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It's also interesting that someone like Lasttye saw different details at the other side of London.

Well my memories come from being a nipper in east london in the 60's i was 8 in 1969 but i remember the era well. older people around me dressing in the latest fashions and trends.my skinheads days were in london/essex as we moved out of tower hamlets.

Originally Posted by Lasttye

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I think girls today are just as good looking, skinhead girls on the present day scene tend to be older.
One thing in my 60s skinhead girls looked more feminine.

Thank-you, Lattsye! I agree most of the girls today are a lot older - I, for one, can't pretend to be 17 anymore! I think that for a lot of the girls that got into Skinhead in the '80's being 'feminine' meant something different, but I do agree that '60's Skinhead girls did look more feminine (this could evolve into a huge discussion about the changing roles of women in the last 40 years, but I don't think that's pertinent - and I'd rather talk about clothes!)

Man-of-Mystery, I hope you're not referring to me getting things 'wrong'! You've seen my photo and I believe I make a good effort to recapture the look of the '60's - still can't manage to look 17 again, though! I don't think most girls now are really trying to get the '60's look, I think they've (rightly or wrongly) developed their own take on things. I was never a Skinhead in the '80's as that look never appealed to me, I've always been into the '60's, but when I was first a Skinhead it was often commented by other girls that I was very 'girly' because I wore false eyelashes and, horror of horrors, high-heeled shoes!

No, Queenie - as I have told you before - your look is pretty darned good! Kudos.

Originally Posted by Man-of-Mystery

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No, Queenie - as I have told you before - your look is pretty darned good! Kudos.

Thank-you. Just checking!!

Originally Posted by Man-of-Mystery

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Cutting across to the thing about knives etc, I can only speak about the area south of the Thames - draw a line from New Cross through Lewisham and Catford to Bromley - but I never knew anyone going round 'tooled up'. Any trouble was always dealt with with bare fists.


Just out of curiosity, was that big cat above the shopping centre there in the '60's? (My sister used to work nearby in Lewisham Register Office). No jokes about curiosity and cats, mind!

Originally Posted by Little Queenie

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Just out of curiosity, was that big cat above the shopping centre there in the '60's? (My sister used to work nearby in Lewisham Register Office). No jokes about curiosity and cats, mind!

It was put up in 1974, by which time I had a flat in New Beckenham and girlfriends in Beckenham, so I didn't get down to Catford at all.

Originally Posted by Man-of-Mystery

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It's also interesting that someone like Lasttye saw different details at the other side of London.
would you guys have been rival mobs back then? If you saw skinheads in your area that you didnt know what would the reaction have been...would the initial tone be welcoming like "hey you guys are skins, good to meet you", or "hey you guys are skins, you the **** are you". I'm guessing that since so many kids were skinheads in the working class neighborhoods that the tone would be menacing at first...?

Originally Posted by Get Smart

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would you guys have been rival mobs back then? If you saw skinheads in your area that you didnt know what would the reaction have been...would the initial tone be welcoming like "hey you guys are skins, good to meet you", or "hey you guys are skins, you the **** are you". I'm guessing that since so many kids were skinheads in the working class neighborhoods that the tone would be menacing at first...?

It would depend on circumstances. In general there was quite a good deal of camaraderie - the young guy interviewed on 'Man Alive' summed it up. If you were in the street and you saw one or two skins you didn't know coming your way, you might nod to each other and say "All right, mate?". The odd half-dozen guys turning up somewhere wouldn't be a problem. It might get a bit ugly if a crew turned up at 'your' local club or pub mob-handed.

There was always 'neutral turf' like 'Up West' (i.e. the 'West End' of London, where all the big shops are), or a gig where someone big was playing (the time Desmond Dekker played the Daylight Inn at Petts Wood there were people from all over!).

There were some full-scale rucks at football matches, but the lot I was with usually just stayed put, and it flowed around us, never mind what scarves we were wearing!

I have only ever been involved in one case of actually going looking for 'bovver', and that was when one of us had a bad grudge against the guys on a certain estate, so we got together a small crew and went looking for them. Fortunately we didn't find them, and it all blew over.

Sometimes it was all totally cool - you just saw a bunch of guys who dressed like you and thought, "Yeah, this is great!" and you all just got along. I preferred it that way, otherwise where's the fun?

It varied.