http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-gPZFpWC9o4

I wasn't going to include this link at first, but then thought I should purely for balance.
This is all the ugly stuff that 'Skinhead' became. Miles away from its Ivy League roots.
It's everything I hate, but to discuss the style it would be disingenuous to leave out any mention of it.

As a purist Ivy League influenced Modernist style 'Skinhead' probably dies at the point the media discovers it and the underground style is given the name 'Skinhead' (Daily Mirror newspaper, 3rd September 1969). Prior to this the cult had no one name, kids called each other various names like 'Peanuts' etc. With media attention the 'wrong' people adopted the style and racism & thuggery followed. Cheap clothes and ugly attitudes. Sadly that's the image that sticks in the popular imagination when anyone mentions the word 'Skinhead' now. A shame because it wasn't always that way. John Simon's vision of young English executives wearing the egalitarian Ivy style started out well but picked up all these people who didn't really 'get it' and the Ivy Shop in Richmond got a bad name for a number of years. It still maintained it's more knowedgeable style conscious customer base but added to the mix were all these new people too... and shoplifting became a problem also.

Happily the influence of these boneheads didn't last and the resilient Ivy style bounced back in England with the whole mass market Skinhead thing just left as a nasty memory. Talk to any Ivy fan from those years and the words you'll always hear in relation to Skinhead are 'vulgar' and 'down-market'. A long way away from the 'movement's' roots as a purist and slightly elitist working-class style.


My thanks as always to The Man Who Knows.

t.

Last edited by Terry Lean (2007-01-27 02:30:25)

Calling all those pictured above skinheads ignores the nuances of the time.
If the defining part of a skinhead's appearance is his hairstyle, then the older group aren't skinheads.  There are a number of reasons why the older group would not have their hair cropped (which would usually be with a number 3 gauge on the clippers = half an inch long all over):
1. they didn't want their hair that short.
2. it would have made them less attractive to women.
3. it was the hairstyle favoured by 14 and 15 year olds and someone who was 19 or 20 wouldn't want to look like a "kid".  In the 60s the generation gap was not only between generations, but also within the adolescent age range. 

This intra-generation age gap is why the two groups have some items of clothes in common, but do not have identical looks. 

Like the G9 (called a Harrington in the UK, whether or not it was made by Baracuta) and button down collar shirts, much of the clothing fashionable in the
late 60s clothing had been part of the Mod-look in the first half of the 60s.

The style of double breasted jacket was fashionable in the late 60s, see photos of The Beatles, and is an example of the older group not being as rigidly tied to a look as the younger one.

The younger group are more casually dressed due to money.  They would have aspired to own a "Crombie" (another generic name, most of the overcoats worn were not made of that cloth), but the expense meant it would be some way down their shopping list.  They would be most concerned with getting the two essentials for the skinhead look - slingback braces (there was a piece of white or transparent plastic which could be slid along the two straps at the back - no other style of braces was "right") and Doc Martens' boots (as I recall these were always dark brown, then polish, dye or paint would be used to change the colour).  Doc Martens (DM's) were the boot of choice because they were the most stylish looking and could be polished to a high sheen.  The DM's of those days were made of thicker leather and the rubber soles were denser that the DM's available now.

Once those two had been obtained, the next most disirable items were Ben Sherman shirts and narrow-leg Levi's (possibly bleached in patches).

"Rich" skinheads would wear white fleece sheepskin coats.

The most fashionable shoes were brogues - in the area where I lived, near Church Street market, off Edgware Road - they were identified by type, rather
than brand name.  There were two types, called American and English - the American had broguing round to the back of the shoe.  These were always heavyweight shoes and would usually have metal quarter tips in the heels, or Blakeys (metal crescents) would be hammered in as the cheaper option.

The scarf is more likely being worn as the colours of a football club (probably Arsenal) rather than a school.  A bold gesture in the days of football hooliganism, when wearing the "wrong" colours would spark a fight.

Last edited by Terry Lean (2007-01-28 10:37:14)

Profound & True.

Didn't 'The Ivy League' sing back-up on The Who's 'I Can't Explain'? Or was that another one?
(Not that it matters...)

Not that I want to shoot myself in the foot as an English Ivy fan but there is a case for arguing that the Ivy League style in England is pretty much mainly just Lou Austin's & John Simons' vision of what it is. Maybe Cecil Gee helped too...

For me it was only when (with much debt & difficulty) I made it to the States that I saw a bigger picture.
And even then I have to admit that I worked out the story backwards: '85 at  J.Simons, but '87 before I found The Ivy Shop.

Fascinating, ALL of this.

Ta -

t.

How good is this thread? So many things all going on at once when we discuss this topic!

'Brideshead' over at AAAC is maybe the guy in the photos you mention? He knows his stuff.

I'm really interested how we all come at this from different backgrounds and points of view and yet meet in the middle here.

My story is a dull one: Born in '65. A childhood where nothing ever happened. Hated school. Was sent against my will for a holiday with my Aunt & Uncle to get me away from school & London & my bad attitude for a while. And there in the middle of Yorkshire I discovered smoking, Jazz and fun. Jazz beacme an obsession as did the Jazzmen. I copied their clothes & started to seek out 'The Look' wherever I could it - films, books, anything. And nothing but fun & meeting friendly people resulted from that point onwards.

I'd love to be able to call myself a Modernist, but out of respect for what Modernism is REALLY all about I don't. I like a certain style in clothes & music & a certain attitude, that's all. The people who actually LIVE the look are what Modernism is all about, not guys like me.

And there's always something new to learn...

t.

yep, this thread is amazing.  If we had Dolan AND Bomber posting together we'd really be able to sort out some historical nuances that were lost.

My story started off when I got into Oi and 2 Tone in the mid 80s, and the American 'skinhead' was more of the post-punk sort with flight jacket, rolled boots, suspenders...pretty much the cliche image of a skin.  But getting into it all, and doing some searching, I discovered the mod roots of skinhead and I'd write to England to have all the new issues of "Skinhead Times", "Zoot" or other related publications sent to me and started to learn about where the tribal fashions came from (the ivy connection).  After a while, gotten tired of scene politics and such within "skinhead" most of 'us' moved on to rockabilly for a short bit, as it was a bit smarter with its 1950s style aesthetic and the music was still raw, which we liked.  Then the same dynamic hit rockabilly that ruined skinhead, too many numbskulls coming into the scene and degrading it all with their gangs and infighting.....there must have been something in the water because it seemed like 'my generation' all went back to our roots in mod/skin but without claiming any kind of tribal/subculture loyalty.  We just re-adopted the clean smart style that we started off with many years prior.  Musically, I havent changed much...still listen to lot of 70s powerpop/punk, some Oi still, lots of soul & RnB, some jazz, some modrevival...etc.

Like Alex says, I don't go around saying "I'm a mod" or "I'm a skin" but I always incorporate at least one piece of classic gear, and anyone ITK would recognize the subcultural reference.

one thing I've found interesting is how many guys say that my arms covered in tattoos makes my more conservative 'ivy influenced' dress seem more "edgy" and thus "cool"...if that means anything.

Last edited by Terry Lean (2007-02-12 05:42:26)

Brilliant thread!! If anyone is interested I found this site dedicated to 70's/80's London Skinheads, most of whom probably chased me around the Soho/Piccadilly area every weekend, and they have 'Original Skinheads, The Roots' section with some excellent piccies.....

http://groups.msn.com/LondonSkinheads1970sand80s/originalskinheadstheroots.msnw?action=ShowPhoto&PhotoID=930

Thanks for that link Get Smart! I know Jeff from the modculture website and being in Long Tall Shorty, but missed these pictures. I have to say I really enjoyed looking through his pictures as I am around the same age and that period was so exciting for me... But, what I did notice is the difference between the two sets of 'Skins' and how 'sussed' the lot in Jeffs pictures are, they really are smart, compared to some of the travesty's on the link that I posted. They appear to be more 'bovver boy'. I'm wondering if it could be a regional difference or that Jeffs pictures are of a slightly earlier vintage.. Hmm..

Odd that - I like Jeff the Skin more too...

Dunno if this clip was linked already but it has some nice footage of 60s skins

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iln9El3WeN0&mode=related&search=