'I'm really not sure that JS sell an awful lot that appeal to mods - as opposed to modernists.

Weller collaborations will always be of interest. Loafers. BD's maybe. Overcoats.'

The thing is, even if the mod customer base ignores the majority of stock, if there are enough customers buying a small number of items then from an economic perspective it's still very good news for JS. That Weller fisherman sweater seems to have sold massively.

As re. the price and style differences between JS and the other mod shops: many of the mod shops of today have been around since the 90s. I suspect their style, quality and prices are right for the mod market of the past. Nowadays some of those same customers must be bored of wearing unflattering, average looking stuff, and must be old and/or desperate enough not to mind spending more per item. But they still want to be mods and they still love Weller.

I've not seen the JS doc but I did see a quote from it going on about how he clothed the mods back in the 60s. Which is bullshit for the most part. Nonetheless that will have done him wonders for getting mod customers. Now he's doing the right things to capitalise on it. As would I in his shoes.

Last edited by Yuca (2022-02-28 07:55:12)

'Nowadays some of those same customers must be bored of wearing unflattering, average looking stuff, and must be old and/or desperate enough not to mind spending more per item'

Oh certainly. A lot of the faces I see on JS Facebook are old mods. In the last week or so. Bob Morris, Mark Baxter. Plenty more. Whenever I have a peek at mod event photos I'm amazed and a bit sad that a lot of those guys clearly can't see how unflattering they're dressing these days.

As a successful retailer John's clearly always done whatever it takes to get people through the door. And Paul's obviously the one who can see the benefit of FB, IG etc. fair play to both of them.

Yuca, the publicity over the past, what, ten or a dozen years has been intensive.  I think only the 'Christian Science Monitor' and 'Woman's Weekly' have failed to pick John Simons' brains, turn him upside down and shine a spotlight on him, improvise crap etc. etc.  I only hope it's paying off for him and for Paul.  I avoid London like the plague nowadays, so am hardly likely to be paying a return visit to Chiltern Street, but for those who do - don't step on it, it might be Paul Weller...

I worked part time in J.Simons, on and off, between 1986 and 1990. We saw perhaps 'a mod a month', or a little cluster would come in, sniff the loafers (Weejuns normally), and never buy a thing. They cared of nothing else, didn't know a sausage about Ivy League, or natural shoulder, or proper baggy American button-downs. They sneered at tweed, at chinos, at sweatshirts, at T-shirts. Almost to a man, they were ignorant, incurious arseholes. The internet has changed the rules. There is a mass of information out there, or to be more accurate, disinformation. JS is on the map, the mod legend is exaggerated, and Paul Simons is, astutely, repositioning and redefining the business as having a close relationship with the 50s and 60s. The old shops weren't retro, the new one is, but this is a reflection of the huge shifts in our culture, in the way people shop and acquire information. The old ways are over, which I personally lament as I think the internet's influence is primarily malicious.

Loafers.
Sometimes longwings
Button down shirts (but mods like fitted)
PLAIN crew, mock and polo neck sweaters
Those new overcoats
Raincoats
Socks

The idea that mod clothing can be defined in the same way that ivy clothing can is a misconception. Most of the top mods back in the day rarely or never got photographed. The 80s mod scene codified the mod look as being hipster trousers, suit jacket with covered buttons, tight fitting BD shirt with a closed pleat at the back and a 3 button collar, etc etc. But the evidence suggests that back in the day the mod scene, particularly up to around 1964, was a hell of a lot more varied and interesting than that. Maybe not the masses, but certainly the Soho elite.

My point being that a real mod could take any item in JS and make it work.

Last edited by Yuca (2022-02-28 13:10:02)

Yes that’s definitely right. And an awful lot was worn that hasn’t really been seen since; faded and patched jeans, long leather coats, bell bottoms, sailor shirts. Cuban heeled boots. I read that Bolan or one of his mates had a kind of all in one catsuit made that had all the local mods fawning.

There was a lot of room back then for creativity and individualism

'I read that Bolan or one of his mates had a kind of all in one catsuit made that had all the local mods fawning.'

To be honest I don't find the Town photos of Bolan and chums massively appealing. They seemed to have downplayed the US and continental influences. And a catsuit just sounds like someone coming to terms with being bi or gay.

The likes of Mickey Tenner, Meaden, Dexter etc were more up my street. Although the High Numbers didn't wear them particularly well, the outfits Meaden chose for them have some nice elements.

When I pasted the text from the JS tweet that stimulated discussion, what I found most interesting was that it emphasized French and Japanese influences and didn't even mention American. Of course other posts do, I just thought it interesting that those two aspects are attractive enough to buyers to emphasize.

BBC has a radio series about modernist art and literature being a hundred years old at present. Even the broad  context JS references is at least sixty years ago. The phrase is by now itself an anachronism and doesn't add much.

Last edited by An Unseen Scene (2022-02-28 13:43:57)

I also wasn’t particularly impressed with those Town photos. Like Richard Barnes ‘mods’ book, the narrative doesn’t quite match up with the images. Maybe it’s just too difficult for us now in the digital age to appreciate the clothes and attitudes in the wider context of the time? Rationing a recent memory. No bathrooms or central heating. No high streets full of disposable up to the minute clothing. Family radio(gram) for entertainment. A very grey world that I suspect we’re not capable of getting our heads around. In the middle of that, they probably looked incredible.

I thought that apart from Moon, who was always the only photogenic one, The High Numbers looked pretty poor. Daltrey and Entwistle clearly told what to wear and how to have their hair. Townsend looks like he’s borrowed his gear from a bigger boy.

Yes AUS as we get further away from it ‘modern’ is certainly proving to be an unfortunate term for it.

Last edited by Spendthrift (2022-02-28 14:05:45)

Absolutely timeless look.

One that’s carried me through from early teens till now. I don’t think I dressed too old then, or too young now.

I had some great cycling shirts around the early 90’s from Cenci in Covent Garden. A real treasure trove that place.

I had some plain black bowling shoes from one of those dodgy Carnaby St shops. But I don’t think I ever actually wore them. Very much a case of what looks good on a pop star doesn’t necessarily work in normal life. I found the same with my Freddie Mercury moustache. And that Spice Girls union flag mini dress.

Like I said my Le Coq is a thing of beauty. If a little moth eaten. HaHa