Mod clothes and the fast changing styles were all about consumerism. In the end as you say it became cartoonish

Mod was also about fun and enjoying one's self many years ago.

The ivy-style as appropriated by the plethoria of US blog-sites is all about consumerism.

It can be about minimalism depending on the view of the wearer.

The older I get the more I see minimalism in many things as a benefit.....less to organise or worry about etc....

The difficulty is putting it into practice.

Ivy  (in this context) is a style of clothes - a style worn, enjoyed and appreciated by some Mods, at some times. How clothes can be anti anything is beyond me - they don't have sentient minds or the capacity for opinions (as far as I know). Some Mod looks are cartoonish and flash - especially when worn by men too old to get away with it. Other Mod looks are very cool, understated and stylish - and can be worn by the older gent. Most clued up Mods don't, and didn't, give two fucks about Carnaby Street, and none that I know now would be seen dead in a parka.

If your knowledge of the scene and the people into it is limited by easy cliches and know nothing scooter boys, then fair enough.

Mod is about consumerism? It is, in that most people actually buy their clothes from shops and, indeed, commercial manufacturers - but presumably we all do that don't we? Unless I've missed something and the people on here actually weave their own clothes and are skilled amateur cobblers.....?

Ivy is about minimalism? Depends on who were talking about - so is Mod by that token - some people are minimal in their approach, other OTT.

When Mod was a living youth fashion then it was all about change and staying one step ahead of the competition, true - but now it's a plethora of looks and styles from which one can pick and choose.

Interesting thread.

Two observations:

Minimalism is an attractive proposition for me personally.

Maybe I've interpreted this differently, but clothes (or anything else for that matter) don't need 'sentient minds or the capacity for opinions' in order to communicate something. 

Of course it depends on the person being communicated to as well as the communicator (i.e. the wearer) as to what exactly is communicated, but the wearer can at least attempt to communicate something by wearing certain clothes, driving a certain car, etc.

Communication over. 

And out.

Just to raise a point here, were the 1960s the great years of mod consumerism?  I'm pretty sure the guys I knew around 1978/79 made their initial purchases then ran into a brick wall - unless they just wanted to keep on buying more of the same.

Hank's just trying to bust the hype...

Ivy is like motown/soul music

not mod, but not not-mod either.  If "mods" adopt it as their own then I guess that makes it "mod", but as Russell St always proclaims 'ivy is for everyone'

Beware the puppet-master, one and all...