Mod good. Mod look forward.
Trad bad. Trad look backward.

Me terry. Me know.

To return to the topic of the 'Hard Dandy' there's no escaping bringing up the British Girls Ball games Casual. Apart from the element of naughtiness surrounding them which I referred to earlier, but would rather not elaborate on for obvious reasons ( most people grow out of that sort of thing soon enough ) they were arguably the masters when it comes to the essence of presenting oneself in a Stylist vein. The ultimate in Street Smart as in : classic trainers/ 'now' jeans ( not the phoney worn variety mind )/smart top and casual jacket or coat topped off with short hair. Very much an update of the Suedehead thing to my mind. This has led to heated debate on other forums and views may differ on this one, but I will say I'm very much against a backward looking attitude which has nothing to do with the very essence of the Stylist ethics : giving a contemporary twist to a classic influence. So f**king there !

Now one should perhaps take into consideration there's always been a certain appeal to gang culture which is nicely portrayed in Coppola's "Rumble Fish".

http://imdb.com/title/tt0086216/

Q : To what end did the Father end The Motorcycle Boy mention the ancient Greeks ? I thought that was basically very sad and hinting at the waste of human life in a deep way, if you will. I realise this may seem a bit cryptic, but spilling the beans would lead to a bloody essay.

Also, the appeal of the Kray brothers on East End youths from the '60s was/is not to be underestimated. And not in a sartorial sense only.......

http://imdb.com/title/tt0099951/

In my view Modernism should be about improving oneself which is obviously clashing with the above ( think OG ), but that aside. Everyone should make up their own mind on that one.

Transposing the Urban Myth of the Stylist to real life is not meant to be easy. The rewards are worth it though and what's more : they're in reach for everyone with some true dedication and imagination.
Of course for everyone over 25 it can hardly be more that a nice hobby slightly outside of the ordinary, seeing as I don't buy all that so-called lifestyle stuff from 30 and 40 somethings.
It can be a very deep source of inspiration nevertheless for anyone a little older than 25. One should really have lost the duality surrounding those youth tribes by then : remaining a true individual whilst belonging to a subculture that is.
There's the ( almost fascist ) Dogma of Modernism which goes against the fragmentation of modern society as J. Simons so nicely put it in "The Influential Factor". I'd say it's rather an idea which is timeless in the main. Judge according to the spirit of the letter......

Alex

Last edited by Alex Roest (2007-05-01 07:28:42)

The 'narrowing down' seems sadly to be a universal thing... That desire to take an idea or concept and harden it into a set of Ten Commandments. Sad.
I'm all for complexity.

Drinks would be very good.
Have you read Robin's book? He's a cool customer and no mistake.
As for Chris H., I'm forever talking about lunch with him and then never making it.
I must get organised.

Quiz me on the forum or via PM if you like before then. Nothing I like more than endlessly talking about all this stuff.

I'd not heard of Robin's Novel. Interesting!

Mr. Lean are you still around?

Last edited by Alex Roest (2007-03-08 10:25:32)