I wonder if those slim fit Mr.Byrite shirts with big collars and Charlie Chaplin motifs will ever make a comeback?
Floral shirts and ones with peacock feathers, eggs etc were part of my brief 'let it all hang out' era sort of 1988-1992 during my House music years. At the time this was seen as quite radical to go out in as a youngster, but you still had to wear formal clothes to get in anywhere other than a dedicated dance club until about 1990.
I had been a teenage Mod / Northern Soul person before that but it evolved gradually into the electronic music (early Creation Records had artists who were former Mods gone electronic pre-Oasis era). By 1992 while still enjoying dance music, I was also back at the fast reviving Northern Soul scene and evolving towards what I didn't know was Ivy, but was the basic look. I've never gone back....
Our son adores a loud floral shirt, the more bright the better.
Last edited by An Unseen Scene (2024-08-15 10:59:58)
Floral and paisley shirts were also big in the early Eighties. I purchased a brushed cotton Italian paisley shirt from Reiss
Worn top button done up, under a tweed jacket.
The colour palette was part a mix and match sensibility.
Not a look I'd recommend
Ah yes the 88–92 era was great for shirts. As well as the floral, paisley ones, lots of Polka dot versions too, which at the time I thought were the ‘new groove’ until I saw that they were just copies of vintage Arrow, Campus, HIS shirts.
Last edited by Tomiskinky (2024-08-16 04:53:11)
I had a particularly nice purple shirt with white polka dots and excellent button down collar in about 1985 - bought from Carnaby Street but I was only 16 and was delighted with it. Me and a girl friend had saved up, gone down on the train, managed to find it and spend all our money on clothes and records. Then when I got back to Nottingham, I had the clothes you just couldn't get locally. Some of the more provincial Mods were appalled too at the shirts, pointy suede shoes etc. When I started playing Beat Ballads, Rhythm & Blues, Garage, Latin, Boogaloo, 70s Soul etc off the Kent albums, they were even more appalled it wasn't the usual stuff. It was when some Mods were starting to experiment with 60s garage and psychedelia. I recall knowing a load of Northampton Mods from the Psychadots scooter crew and others. It may of been the 80s, but it felt to us as kids like the 60s.
Last edited by An Unseen Scene (2024-08-16 07:14:44)
It's all sounding very Pebbles and Nuggets LP compilations.
A few of us Derby mods gave the nuggets and psych stuff the swerve and headed off in the direction of Acid Jazz.
^Ematt
I remember in the mid to late Eighties a lot of mods crossing over to the soul and funk scene due to bands like JTQ and Corduroy.
It was interesting to watch as they'd come from a very regimented look/scene into something far less clothes obsessed.
DJ's like Paul Murphy had switched from the latin fusion and jazz funk sounds more boogaloo/Blue Note jazz groove.
There was also a lot less aggro/baggage to contend with.