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#26 2009-09-21 11:28:40

Kingstonian
Member
From: sea to shining sea
Posts: 3205

Re: Mods, The Ivy League And Working-class Menswear -

Desert boots were a pre skinhead item. DMs etc. were for the sort of people who wanted an aggressive image rather than Ivy Squire Shop customers.

Haircuts were crops rather than machined all over though razor partings were more common on machine cuts.

Music was reggae soul but I had no money for obscure records. Records were very expensive.

 

#27 2009-09-21 11:37:13

Kingstonian
Member
From: sea to shining sea
Posts: 3205

Re: Mods, The Ivy League And Working-class Menswear -

 

#28 2009-09-21 11:59:55

KCKclassic
Member
From: usa>kansas>Kansas City>Turner
Posts: 118

Re: Mods, The Ivy League And Working-class Menswear -

should have noted that the film does take place in the mid-eighties. The "mods" are definitely revivalists. I am actually surprised that there aren't more guys like that here in the US, though scooter culture has grown more than a bit over the last few years. Gas prices helped that along, no doubt.

Never actually been to Utah. Mormons scare the piss out of me. My impression (which is probably way off base) is that its a state run by a religion, and that's pretty contrary to my beliefs. Plus, mormons were such assholes that they were kicked out of Missouri, which is really saying something.


ok----thread jack over, apologies


Some people hate the English, I don't, they're just wankers. We, on the other hand, were colonized by wankers, Can't even pick a decent culture to be colonized by...

 

#29 2009-09-21 12:11:35

Kingstonian
Member
From: sea to shining sea
Posts: 3205

Re: Mods, The Ivy League And Working-class Menswear -

Mormons were not too intrusive during my stay. I did get approached when I walked through the grounds of their Temple but they thought they were talking to co-religionists. Genealogy buffs would appreciate their family records provision (so you can convert all your dead relatives)

Scooters are for Euro boulavardier types and narrow lanes. They look wrong next to Mack trucks and Hummers.

SLC is not a place for anybody who enjoys a drink but it was fine for Winter sports. TRAX railway to Midvale burbs and buses to four Cottonwood Canyon resorts. Alta is the trad resort. Skiers only. Snowboarders need not apply.

I have not been to Kansas but it sounds like Heartland America. ' Whats the Matter with Kansas' puts a case that Republicans appeal to Kansas voters on moral issues which they fail to deliver. They then screw the voters economically. Back in the old days the state was apparently quite radical. Being suspicious of intellectuals strikes me as a healthy trait.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/What's_the_Matter_with_Kansas%3F

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Whats-Matter-Kansas-Conservatives-America/dp/080507774X/ref=sr_1_10?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1253556852&sr=1-10

Last edited by Kingstonian (2009-09-21 12:20:45)

 

#30 2009-09-21 12:43:52

Taylor McIntyre
Son of Ivy...
Posts: 342

Re: Mods, The Ivy League And Working-class Menswear -

... And I've mentioned this to Chris_H too before now ...

We used to get Mormons going door to door over here in the 70's spreading the glad tidings or whatever who looked just like Gerry Mulligan: Crops, smooths, Macs, Ivy suits & OCBDs.

Top Mods!

Really square looking Yanks, clean cut as fuck - I was amazed to find out that they were religious -

They looked like hard core Jazzers to me!

 

#31 2009-09-21 12:57:33

Kingstonian
Member
From: sea to shining sea
Posts: 3205

Re: Mods, The Ivy League And Working-class Menswear -

Mormons used to go to the kids' playing field when I was young and try to organise softball games.

Sporting imperialism !!!!

I never joined in. The area then got too rough for missionaries.

 

#32 2009-09-21 13:06:19

Taylor McIntyre
Son of Ivy...
Posts: 342

Re: Mods, The Ivy League And Working-class Menswear -

Theirs is a pedestrian position...

 

#33 2009-09-22 07:12:34

Brideshead
Member
Posts: 417

Re: Mods, The Ivy League And Working-class Menswear -

Hard Bop Hank – so many questions and so little time… but I’ll try to respond over the next day or two.

I was 15 in 1968 – so too young to be a proper mod but from the age of about 12 I was taking a keen interest in what older guys were wearing.  I lived in Essex about 30 miles from central London and spent, as soon as funds would allow a good deal of time shopping, drinking and just hanging out there.

One could also get a fairly good feel for what was happening at football matches at West Ham, Arsenal and Chelsea and from holiday resorts at bank holidays, especially Clacton, Bournemouth, and Brighton and so on.

Boots and shoes – my clear recollection is that desert boots were a favourite casual shoe of mid 60s mods, appearing alongside Hush Puppies, Solatios and other Italian inspired shoes. 

But by the time mod had evolved into hard mod and then skinhead footwear had moved on.  I guess we are now talking about the late 60s.  Now ‘casual footwear’ comprised DMs and monkey boots and more formal shoes included Solatios still and with Royals starting to emerge.  I recall getting my first Royals at the end of 1969 from the Squire Shop (black longwing).  I don’t recall a desire to adopt an ‘Ivy look’ or that anyone really knew what Ivy was back then.  I do remember that Royals had suddenly become de rigueur as part of the suedehead look. Most progressed from brogue to smooth to the new ‘Gibson’ and then loafers by early 1970.

Was it working class?  Predominantly I suppose but most of my friends came from professional households. 

I'll try to deal with some other items of clothing bit by bit - perhaps moving up gradually from the feet!

 

#34 2009-09-22 07:36:57

Brideshead
Member
Posts: 417

Re: Mods, The Ivy League And Working-class Menswear -

Outerwear – I recall that duffle coats were not any part of the look in the late 60s.  Did they not enjoy a brief spell in the limelight in France in the early 50s when the existentialists adopted them as a kind of uniform?

The mod and suedehead coat was pretty much the Crombie-type coat usually in navy.  Some adopted a classic (SB I think) raincoat of the kind often spotted on Siegfried Farnon.  Some of my mates manged to source vintage ones.

I also recall a short-lived love affair with the safari jacket in around 1967.  Anyone remember that?

Last edited by Brideshead (2009-09-22 07:37:25)

 

#35 2009-09-22 09:33:22

Beatnik
Member
Posts: 604

Re: Mods, The Ivy League And Working-class Menswear -

We've got to allow for regional variations here remember. Styles, fads and fancies changed from town to town.

 

#36 2009-09-22 09:52:41

Brideshead
Member
Posts: 417

Re: Mods, The Ivy League And Working-class Menswear -

 

#37 2009-09-22 10:40:41

Kingstonian
Member
From: sea to shining sea
Posts: 3205

Re: Mods, The Ivy League And Working-class Menswear -

Young Brideshead is similar vintage to me though I am a year older.

I have never heard of Solatio. It sounds a bit rude.

Brideshead seems to be going more for classic British stuff these days. I would say that applies to me too.

 

#38 2009-09-22 10:49:04

Kingstonian
Member
From: sea to shining sea
Posts: 3205

Re: Mods, The Ivy League And Working-class Menswear -

 

#39 2009-09-22 12:28:01

Suitedbooted2000
Member
Posts: 577

Re: Mods, The Ivy League And Working-class Menswear -

Enjoying this post, I'm just going to sit back and hear it from the horse mouth



Lewis

 

#40 2009-09-22 12:46:06

Suitedbooted2000
Member
Posts: 577

Re: Mods, The Ivy League And Working-class Menswear -

from Mod culture
http://www.modculture.co.uk/forum2/index.php?topic=12196.msg208152#msg208152
about Suedehead shoes

Last edited by Suitedbooted2000 (2009-09-22 12:47:35)

 

#41 2009-09-22 15:02:03

Hard Bop Hank
Ivy Soul Brother
From: land of a 1000 dances
Posts: 4923

Re: Mods, The Ivy League And Working-class Menswear -

Last edited by Hard Bop Hank (2009-09-23 02:24:21)


“No Room For Squares”
”All political art is bad – all good art is political.”
"Would there be any freedom of press or speech if one must reduce his vocabulary to vapid innocuous euphemisms?"

 

#42 2009-09-22 15:06:48

Hard Bop Hank
Ivy Soul Brother
From: land of a 1000 dances
Posts: 4923

Re: Mods, The Ivy League And Working-class Menswear -

Apropos shoes: When you talk about Royals, do you mean the Florsheim Royal Imperial Longwings, or is it Faith Royals. Read about this brand in Nick Knight or George Marshall's book, too...

They also mention Frank Wright loafers, usually.

BTW, Loake also calls their American brogues "Royals".... I think they are similar to Florsheims.


“No Room For Squares”
”All political art is bad – all good art is political.”
"Would there be any freedom of press or speech if one must reduce his vocabulary to vapid innocuous euphemisms?"

 

#43 2009-09-22 15:23:10

Hard Bop Hank
Ivy Soul Brother
From: land of a 1000 dances
Posts: 4923

Re: Mods, The Ivy League And Working-class Menswear -

Just finished reading the thread linked within the thread that Lewis linked here....

So I got some answers...


“No Room For Squares”
”All political art is bad – all good art is political.”
"Would there be any freedom of press or speech if one must reduce his vocabulary to vapid innocuous euphemisms?"

 

#44 2009-09-22 15:48:45

Hard Bop Hank
Ivy Soul Brother
From: land of a 1000 dances
Posts: 4923

Re: Mods, The Ivy League And Working-class Menswear -


“No Room For Squares”
”All political art is bad – all good art is political.”
"Would there be any freedom of press or speech if one must reduce his vocabulary to vapid innocuous euphemisms?"

 

#45 2009-09-22 15:52:01

Hard Bop Hank
Ivy Soul Brother
From: land of a 1000 dances
Posts: 4923

Re: Mods, The Ivy League And Working-class Menswear -

However the original poster on modculture added :

"Those John Lobb's, apart from being some 30+ years before the ones I'm after aren't too far off. There are three main details in which they differ.

1. They have a split toe, mine didn't.

2. The piping that separates the apron of the uppers finished further down on the front corner of the toe on mine, not finishing short as on these.

3. The apron on these is plain whereas mine had interlacing .

Another lesser detail is that the outer edge of the piping on mine was saw-toothed as if cut with pinking shears. Apart from that in general shape & style they are pretty damn close."


the "saw-toothed" part reminds me of what Jim calls "crust-pie" on American loafers....

Last edited by Hard Bop Hank (2009-09-23 02:05:39)


“No Room For Squares”
”All political art is bad – all good art is political.”
"Would there be any freedom of press or speech if one must reduce his vocabulary to vapid innocuous euphemisms?"

 

#46 2009-09-22 16:00:54

Hard Bop Hank
Ivy Soul Brother
From: land of a 1000 dances
Posts: 4923

Re: Mods, The Ivy League And Working-class Menswear -

BTW, in the Nick Knight book (some pages before the one that I posteded here) they also show some type of High vamp penny loafer as an example of 1968 fashions, and they say it was an Italian or French style (maybe these were the original Solatios?)... and it also mentions Mocassins, not Loafers or camp mocs, the classic original Mocassins without a heel...

Nick Knight also mentions typical English cap-toe oxfords (Balmorals to the Americans) as an early smart Skinhead thing. I think there is also a picture on top of that 1968 fashion page of a smart bloke with a sober Ivy League haircut with a side parting, quite long, not even a crop, but really neat, not like these later suedehead styles, wearing a classic 3 button suit with a forward point collar shirt, a tie with a tie clip and toe-cap bals.



But the book also mentions "Cordovians" wink....

Last edited by Hard Bop Hank (2009-09-23 02:34:24)


“No Room For Squares”
”All political art is bad – all good art is political.”
"Would there be any freedom of press or speech if one must reduce his vocabulary to vapid innocuous euphemisms?"

 

#47 2009-09-22 16:06:04

Hard Bop Hank
Ivy Soul Brother
From: land of a 1000 dances
Posts: 4923

Re: Mods, The Ivy League And Working-class Menswear -

BTW, I got some vintage shoes from my family: 2 pairs of clumpy heavy 70s shoes like in the Neale shoes advert, one of them black leather, the other one two-tone suede, and two pairs of slim lightweight 60s blake-stitched basket-weave shoes, one of them tan suede, the other one dark brown leather... All these shoes are not really beautiful.... they're... interesting.

If I can find them at my parents I might sell them at eBay...

Last edited by Hard Bop Hank (2009-09-23 02:36:21)


“No Room For Squares”
”All political art is bad – all good art is political.”
"Would there be any freedom of press or speech if one must reduce his vocabulary to vapid innocuous euphemisms?"

 

#48 2009-09-22 16:37:23

Kingstonian
Member
From: sea to shining sea
Posts: 3205

Re: Mods, The Ivy League And Working-class Menswear -

 

#49 2009-09-22 16:41:35

Hard Bop Hank
Ivy Soul Brother
From: land of a 1000 dances
Posts: 4923

Re: Mods, The Ivy League And Working-class Menswear -


“No Room For Squares”
”All political art is bad – all good art is political.”
"Would there be any freedom of press or speech if one must reduce his vocabulary to vapid innocuous euphemisms?"

 

#50 2009-09-22 16:58:47

Hard Bop Hank
Ivy Soul Brother
From: land of a 1000 dances
Posts: 4923

Re: Mods, The Ivy League And Working-class Menswear -

Last edited by Hard Bop Hank (2009-09-23 02:56:37)


“No Room For Squares”
”All political art is bad – all good art is political.”
"Would there be any freedom of press or speech if one must reduce his vocabulary to vapid innocuous euphemisms?"

 
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