Thursday, December 29, 2011

Winding Down... Until Next Year! HAVE A HAPPY NEW ONE!

Sometimes, the holidays just wear you down. And as you can tell, the offices of Mod Male, Inc. have been slowing down around this time, but that's only because I'm re-tooling for the new year!

Been having a fun time writing on that which I dig most over these last six months. One of my main goals was to help get people to re-think the Mod look a little by accomplishing the following:
  1. If you're new to the Mod thing and have been reading, hopefully this blog has helped you avoid the Mod Gone Wrong pitfalls many of us (especially me in my younger days) have fallen into.
  2. If you're an older fella (like me), hopefully this blog has shown that it's possible to age gracefully while still pulling off a more "grown-up" Moddish look and avoiding looking like a 40-year-old-plus cartoon Mod. (As I wrote this, I felt my Christmas weight raise an eyebrow at me while I wrote 'aging gracefully.')
  3. And let's face it... the general public sees a Mod guy as someone walking around dressed like a Beatle. After years of enduring that, hopefully, like me, you've learned to laugh at yourself a little.
I'm working on new topics to cover next year and may even try another giveaway (or two) at some point. If you have any suggestions, feel free to chime in. Thank you once again for reading and agreeing/disagreeing with the blog!

Now I'm going to spend the end of the year revisiting some of my favorite sharp stylings from the past and present, Mod and non-Mod, and touch upon lessons learned.  
Steve Marriott from the Mods 'bible': clean, well-fitted 3-button suit with high button-stance. And dig them shoes once again! 

From the Sharp Suits book: kids from the 1980s (!) who just know how to carry their looks with confidence and attitude.

Theodore Crispino from a photo by Sarah Slobada: monotone 3-piece with a red-purple paisley tie to stick out at you... great way to play with earthtones!
Barry Gibb, in all white and a contrasting high-cut waistcoat. This is how you play with the absence of color!
Graphic Designer Raymond Hawkey putting his skills to use on a mix of vibrant and dark colors.
Gabor Szabo pulling together a combo attack of patterns, color, Mod fit, and psychedelic leanings!
Modern Jazz Quartet bringing the best out of silver-toned, matching ensembles.
Jeff Beck with slightly flared, striped pants, dark quarter-length coat, and paisley earth-toned cravat.
Jocelyn Armel brightening up the streets of Paris in an outfit Tom Wolfe oughta be writin' about!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!

4 comments:

  1. Glad to have found this blog! In general, I thought 2011 was a good year for mod. It's not exactly the 3-button Hard Day's Night/Weller thing per se, but more of the vibe. The recession has meant that the prices for men's suiting has plummeted and all of a sudden the average guy can afford a suit. And many, especially the 20-somethings are going for it big time. That bodes well as they may enjoy dressing nice and keep with it for the rest of their lives. I walk around NYC and there are lots of besopke tailor shops in trendy, youthful areas that weren't there 2 years ago because the prices are much more reasonable than they traditionally have been. Websites like Groupon of Gilt City are always offering great deals on bespoke tailoring and I take advantage of them lots. Luckily, we are in a period where slim, tidy suits are in style thanks to Mad Men. It's not pure "mod," but as you say, who wants to always being accused of being a Beatle? Mod is the probably one of the only youth-originated style that once can age gracefully into if you can keep that spare tire at bay (I'm 43). Even Sean Connery in his 60s could pull off the style in the generally awful Avengers movie from the 1990s LOL

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  2. Agent00Soul, I completely agree with you! These last few years have been great for the type of men's fashion we're into. I wrote about it early on in the blog and still see it today.

    It's great when you see guys walking around downtown in nice-looking, slim suits and it's inspiring even. I'm not afraid to admit that I can take tips from non-Mod dudes who still dress well!

    Hope you have a happy new year!

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  3. Oh, you KNOW how hard I laughed at this: "And let's face it... the general public sees a Mod guy as someone walking around dressed like a Beatle."

    Catching up with YOUR blog, now, and loving it as always!

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