Mod to Suedehead

Originally Posted by Alex Roest

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According to Kevin Rowland the 'top boys' in Harrow, Willesden and Wembley wore long gaberdine, single-breasted, fly-fronted raincoats (usually navy, sometimes beige, occasionally off-white) in the early days.

Jim Ferguson states that Short straight, fly-fronted macs appeared with frequency in '69/'70 in off-white, iridescent blues & greys etc. This was the Skinhead outercoat (along with sheepskins)...

Thanks Alex. It makes me wonder why we were always so bloody awkward south of the Thames! We had to be different, even if it meant getting wet!

Originally Posted by Man-of-Mystery

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Thanks Alex. It makes me wonder why we were always so bloody awkward south of the Thames! We had to be different, even if it meant getting wet!

You're welcome of course M-o-M. John mentioned to me that he now realises the whole 'regional' issue is more important than he had thought. This thread definitely contains some pretty good info. It may not all be completely new, far from it in fact, but on the other hand it sheds a slightly different light on matters and perhaps in some cases even clears things up

Originally Posted by Man-of-Mystery

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What did we do 'back in the day' when it rained? The mods had pac-a-macs and parkas, but I don't remember any of our lot carrying umbrellas. Can anyone else who was 'there' in the late 60s remember doing anything other than turning their collars up and getting somewhere dry quick?

People used to wear coats and dance halls had cloakrooms. Very different to what I see on a Winter weekend in Kingston - teenage girls freezing to death in just a skimpy dress.

Before Crombies I remember blue gabardine fly front raincoats with a Prussian collar. Very serviceable too. They hide the dirt better than a light colour raincoat.

Originally Posted by Kingstonian

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Before Crombies I remember blue gabardine fly front raincoats with a Prussian collar. Very serviceable too. They hide the dirt better than a light colour raincoat.
I remember them too, but in my memory such coats are always associated with mods rather than skinheads - maybe it's just a trick of my memory, I'm getting on a bit. One thing we didn't do was wear a sheepskin in the rain - not unless we wanted it ruined.

Bugger, you take a couple of days off and the thread goes mad. Alex has had to act as my spokesman I see

The Doo
Very sharp indeed, but apart from your good self, Roy the look is just bordering on "˜costume' in my eyes. Your own look, as Kingstonian and others have pointed out is not only sharp but also very true to the original but without seeming too studied.

As Alex says, I do recall an "˜understated' theme in my area. This is where the old English motif comes in I suppose:
"˜If John Bull turns round to look after you, you are not well dressed: but either too stiff, too tight, or too fashionable. "
I recall greys, navy, dogtooth, POW were all fashionable in my group but the bolder two-tone materials were not - maybe that is because we lived, to use current parlance "˜outside the M25'!

On ties, I recall that Saturday Night was more formal and a tie would nearly always be worn (at least in autumn, winter and spring) but on other nights an open neck was OK. I do remember going to a summer wedding in 1969 - just the evening do - and having decided to wear just an open necked BD with my suit, was left to feel very underdressed. Never again!

When it rained
I had a long beige gabardine raincoat that, along with my Harrington came from Millets. A little earlier (around 1967) I had had a shorter stone one from, I think Burtons.

At the above wedding the boyfiried of my girlfriend's mate (who I met for the first time) was extremely well turned out, wearing two tone mohair and strpied tie and carrying a lovely raincoat over his arm although there was no rain forecast. His superb style just served to heighten my own misery

Macs, you don't see them to often these days in our crowds (if at all), how was it back in the days? I've seen a couple of pictures, like the picture Jim Cox showed in that S.O.U.L. documentary or one of the pictures from the Shades Club website. My little brother has one from Dunn & Co was a bargain, the lucky sob.

Originally Posted by loempiavreter

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I'm looking at your top pic and all I can see is a frog.

Originally Posted by Brideshead

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On ties, I recall that Saturday Night was more formal and a tie would nearly always be worn (at least in autumn, winter and spring) but on other nights an open neck was OK. I do remember going to a summer wedding in 1969 - just the evening do - and having decided to wear just an open necked BD with my suit, was left to feel very underdressed. Never again!

A lot of places would not let you in without a collar and tie. That continued long after the skinhead era. Even little two bob places used to have membership cards and written dress codes.

Originally Posted by Kingstonian

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A lot of places would not let you in without a collar and tie. That continued long after the skinhead era. Even little two bob places used to have membership cards and written dress codes.

I'm beginning to think that South-of-the-river fashions were governed by the dress code of the Savoy Rooms in Catford, then!

I know we have seen this before and debated the historical accuaracy but it does show a look that I recall from back in the day - the suit sans tie. As I said this is more for summer and casual occasions.



On that point some of my friends held the view that Friday was the night out with the lads (when this look was OK) and Saturday was the night for the GF (if you had one). I never subscribed to such rigid doctrines.

Everyone was wearing Macs around our way, I was still at School, So it would be 68/69 term. They was Navy or Black, did not see White or Fawn, At this early stage. Did see them later on Black lads.
This was the beginning of us lot getting smart, I do remember them going out fairly quick, Got mine from Burtons.

Regarding Blazers, they was not the jacket one wore at School, I had a nice light weight one, that went well with white Sta Press.

With Two Tone Suits very popular with present day skinheads, I think this is because a lot of them are Mid Forties, and went through the Two Tone music Period, Which i have no clue about.

Regarding Ties, Very Very few wear ties at Doos these Days, I always wear one with a suit, as someone said would feel undressed without one. Its worth saying.. and have said this to lads who ask, the tie should be Narrow, Striped or Plain, I also like to wear the narrow Crepe tie that Mods use to wear that I nicked of my Brother back in the Day.

Roy, what do you mean by "crepe tie"?

Originally Posted by Get Smart

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Roy, what do you mean by "crepe tie"?

ah gotcha, we call them "knit ties" over here. had never heard the term "crepe tie" before. But yes, those are a personal fave of mine and generally go for one of those when I do tie up.

Originally Posted by Get Smart

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ah gotcha, we call them "knit ties" over here. had never heard the term "crepe tie" before. But yes, those are a personal fave of mine and generally go for one of those when I do tie up.

I stand corrected their Jason, Knit Tie, Fcuk knows why i called them Crepe Ties