GYW - there's an article in this, how as a modernist your wardrobe has to evolve with your maturity.
At some point for me the white levis, G9s, desert boots, raybans, bold check OCBDs etc started to feel wrong. Choice of non obviously subcultural look in things like shoes became important.
We have a few tmes discussed aiming for no logos, aspiring to better fabrics, quality over quantity, avoiding pop iconography and peacock styling before. There's nothing worse to me then seeing some Mod from the 79 revival era now in their fifties with grey Weller style bouffant/ringlet sideburn hair, jeans with roll-up, a paisley silk scarf, winkle pickers/chelsea boots, a garish Art Gallery knit polo clashing with their PoW drainpipe trousers hanging around. It makes me cringe, I'd hate to think people associate you or me with that in anyway or those big old guys in parkas on scooters. When ever I see ride outs for (insert cliched event) The Jam exhibition or The Who live, they don't look like I think of as decently turned out , it's always over exaggerated ultra slim suits, FP polos underneat, tassle loafers, a parka and that hair. Instead of buying a flash car or boat in their middle aged crisis, it's seems to be buy some chromed up Vespa with them all riding around together listening to their old tunes but no progress. We even have a revival Mod night at a local pub called 'Parkas' now, which is far removed from the soul, R&B etc scene around here. Good for them if they enjoy it but it looks terrible, I wonder how their partners must feel. It does make their transition to chroming up an electric mobility scooter and riding from the old people's home to the nearest pub revivial night easier in the next few decades.
I'd much prefer only those get it to see anything in the way I dress, hence my name here as you know. Anyway back to to start - there is genuinely an article in evolving a person's dress through the stages of their life, retaining a sensibility of their original inspiration but making it work in maturity.
(edited to spell logos properly)
Last edited by An Unseen Scene (2015-09-12 00:29:07)
Clothes should go beyond fitting into a niche look. I'm with you that a look can offer the original inspiration but if clothes are only worn to represent a social acceptance then the whole point of expression though clothes is lost. If there is to be an index of garments that can be worn and another that can not to fit into a social group without cause for thought about body shape, age, quality of make, ect, then group acceptance becomes the only point of clothing. Therefore there is no need to progress or adapt with maturity. This is why no interest in construction is shown, beyond lip service of "its all bout the details". Once you think about dress outside of group acceptance clothes become more; the factors that insure you are well dressed become important. Once censorship of garments or the style of garments as social acceptance is no longer your prime concern for wearing clothes its only then that rationalisation of what does and doesn't suit you can begin.
Its not really an interest in clothing these people have, more a need for a social group belonging. And a lot of these people will only dress in a niche style for a niche event. They wouldn't dress that way for work, their home life or other social events, again because of their need for social acceptance. And yet, these people will often insist that they reject fashion and modern dress in favor of classic style, that they are somehow more secure in their dress because they are removed from a "herd" mentality. As Jim said; "Buy a shirt, get an identity."
Where as me; I'll wear hand made button holes and Italian Ivy anywhere, thats how I dress. I don't need group acceptance to choose clothes.
The last time I wore white Levi's I was chatted up by a gay guy. I'm not sure if it was the pants or the electric blue and burnt orange paisley shirt I wore with them that drawn him to me. Be around 1990 I think during the psychedelic Ivy period.
Sometimes looking like a sex God isn't all its made out to be.
Haha. "...or could it be he's really just after my ass?"
White jeans for me was in my late Mod / experimental pop art phase trying to look like a cross between Andy Warhol and Keith Moon about 1986. It was the dreg end of the Mod revival and we were all influenced by the 80s psych Paisley scene from from USA and putting Electric Prunes, Velvet Underground etc on as dance music. I hated hippy style at the time so reacted with a NYC Factory look, I used to wear white jeans, white denim jacket, wrap around shades and a pop-art t-shirt underneath (Warhol Marilyn Monroe, Ginsberg, 60s comic strip. Oddly I forget about the shoes, I can't envisage now what would have gone with it - probably white 60s styled Dunlop trainers if I remember The look gave me a lot of grief but I was only 17 - going out all in white with shades on, I was asking to be hassled. Within a few months I was collecting early Chicago house, dressing in all black with Russian badges, an MA1 and huge chunky shoes. Oh fashion, forgive me I was young.
White jeans can work if you're on holiday in the med, or equally on a bright summers day.
Personally though, I'd wear white linen.
Last edited by formby1 (2015-09-13 08:31:10)
Depends on how tall you are, over 6' and you should never where white jeans, or white pants.
An old colleague of mine confided in me that he didn't want to get married and risk everything he had built-up in London with the threat of a future divorce. He was 42 then, last time I heard of him, he's now in his 50s, he had become a bearded biker with a Harley Davidson and Thai girlfriend.
The lesson there is, get out and get your kicks early, reinventing yourself as a member of the Hairy Bikers in middle age isn't going to do wonders for your street cred.
I agree Beestonplace, in this day and age with social media and the risk of being spotted almost everywhere, paying for what once was delivered through mistresses and extra-marital affairs is likely the only sensible option.
If it floats, flies or.....rent it!
Let me kiss you Hepcat, how rare for us to agree on something