Recently, I was very honored to be asked to be one of the guests, along with DJ Hacker, on Warren Peace's internet Modcast, We Are the Mods, and now that show is available for streaming or download. Got an hour or so to kick around? Then tune in, listen to some good great music, and hear us talk about stuff!
The topic of the show: 'Has 'sloppy society' in 2012 caused a spiralling decline in Mod style standards?'
Working to look sharp for a rare evening out on the town can actually be easy. The tough job is trying to look sharp on a daily, casual basis. Yeah, you might have your Friday night suit at your beck and call, but what does it matter if you spend the rest of your time in target t-shirts and jeans? Every Friday, I'd like to offer up some style inspiration for tightening up your casual look, because let's face it... sometimes you just don't feel like wearing a tie, but still want to keep it sharp.
As you all know by now, 1990s' Britpop wasn't really my bag. 1990s Acid Jazz, on the other hand, hit me in all the right spots! I started getting into it, probably thanks to that first Paul Weller album and the first Jazzmatazz album which featured Dee C. Lee, Donald Byrd, and Roy Ayers. When I first started reading about Acid Jazz, the Mod thing, for the most part, was dead, media-wise. New Acid Jazz acts were probably the closest thing to Mod that I could read about when it came to the music scene at the time. And for me, it made sense... acts playing funky soul, funky jazz, etc., bringing that sound forward and looking cool doing it.
And during those days, I was mad thirsty for anything related to Mod style. The nearest contemporary inspiration available was from the stylings of bands like The James Taylor Quartet, Mother Earth, and Cordoroy. I used to pick up On the One magazine which featured pretty cool fashion spreads on 'jazz' style of the time. And although I never got into the whole 'love beads' look, I dug what some of these guys sported on a casual basis. Check out Corduroy, for instance:
These dudes used to rock the short hair, Levis jacket, rolled-neck sweater, and narrow trousers look. And for me, this became a template for my own casual look back then. In the image above, check out the fellow in back. Nice white jean jacket, probably Levis pants to match, and a pair of sharp, leather shoes.
For me, this was a look that was clean, mellow, relaxed, and sharp as hell. I don't wear this look too often these days, not because I don't like it, but because I'm more into a dressier look. But on warmer weekend days, if I'm just going to hang out in our local neighborhood and I don't feel like picking out a dress shirt (because those days exist), I'll most likely follow the Corduroy lead here with my olive green Wrangler jean jacket (or light blue Levis jacket), short-sleeve button-down shirt, sta-prest, and a pair of loafers.
For me, this look is casual done cool. Y'know what else is cool? Corduroy!
We can learn so much from yesterday’s fashion icons. And living in a post-Mad Men world means we can even enjoy aspects of current male fashions! Every Friday, I’d like to start your weekend off right with a little style inspiration from either then or now. Hopefully, my fellow Mod enthusiasts will find the whole or some detail of the whole to appreciate and maybe even adopt.
Have you hugged your local drummer today? Because, man, those guys are some of the hardest working guys in the music business. Trust me, I've seen enough live bands to notice how difficult it's gotta be up there on stage, pounding away on the sticks, and working up a sweat. It's totally understandable why Keith Moon and countless other drummers settle for wearing a t-shirt while playing.
But then you got guys like Charlie Watts who, sometimes, don't let all that hard work get in the way of good style:
From the VoxSartoria site. Thanks to Chris P. for hippin' me to this!
Not only is Charlie Watts drumming while dappered up... he's drumming while rockin' a full-on Ivy look! Check it out: thin, pretty conservative-looking tie, white button-down shirt with french cuff and cufflinks, and narrow, double-breasted jacket. It don't get much cooler than this. I've mentioned before how stylin' Watts could be, but this is just a great shot of him swank and in action.
Yeah, next time you consider wearing a suit and tie too much 'hard work' for hanging out with your friends and family, keep Charlie Watts in mind. This is how he dresses for manual labor!
